Over in Georgia, the state Supreme Court has upheld what I think should be true in Arkansas under our Constitution — not a dime of school taxes can be used for anything but schools. The ruling cripples a developer’s giveaway in Georgia.
In Arkansas, the Supreme Court has prohibited use of the 25-mill required base school property tax for developer giveaways, but developers are dining on nibbles of additional school taxes here and there, particularly in Northwest Arkansas to subsidize development in areas such as Johnson smack in the middle of development corridors. Blight abatement? Hah.
Might there be a noble lawyer willing to attempt to shut the door on the last bits of thievery of taxes voted explicitly for schools to benefit golf course communities, fancy underwear stores and the like?