The residents of Walker County, Ala., spoke at the polls yesterday narrowly failing to approve a one-cent sales tax needed to fund debt relief for the county and additional county services, WBRC.com reported. Officials in the county pleaded with voters ahead of the election to pass the increase saying that the county could be forced to file bankruptcy without the additional funding. That one-cent sales tax was projected to raise about $7 million per year that would have went toward debt payments, public safety, volunteer fire and rescue, and roads. County commissioner Jeff Burrough said that the tax structure in Walker County is outdated and hasn't kept up with the financial needs of the county. The county will now be forced to look for other ways to pay off $27 million worth of debt.
