The county commission; or other governing body by whatever named called or styled; of Mobile county is authorized and shall have the power to levy and collect a special property tax, in addition to all other taxes now or hereafter authorized by the Constitution and laws of the state of Alabama, of one-half of one percent (1/2 of 1%) on the value of the taxable property in the county, as such property was assessed for taxation during the preceding year. The proceeds of such tax shall be used exclusively for public school capital outlay purposes but may be pledged to secure the payment of principal and interest on warrants or other evidence of indebtedness issued and sold for public school capital outlay purposes by the board of school commissioners of Mobile county or other public body charged with the duties, powers and authority of conducting and operating public schools in Mobile county; which pledge shall take priority as provided in such warrants or other evidence of indebtedness and is in consonance with the provisions of existing law, at the time of the issuance and sale of the said warrants, touching the issue and sale of warrants by school bodies, for capital outlay purposes; provided that before such tax shall be levied, there shall be submitted to the qualified electors of Mobile county a statement of the rate of the tax, the time that it shall continue, and whether or not it shall be levied; and such tax shall be levied if a majority of the qualified electors voting at the said election should vote in favor thereof; and provided further, that if a majority of the qualified electors of Mobile county participating in the election on the adoption of this Constitutional amendment shall vote for the adoption of this amendment, then the approval of this amendment, expressed by said vote in said county in favor of its adoption, shall of itself authorize the levy and collection of the said special property tax for a period of thirty years commencing with the levy for the tax year of said county for which taxes will become due and payable to said county on October 1, 1962. Subsequent elections held hereunder shall be called, held and governed in all respects by the law that at the time of the said elections, is in effect for elections to determine whether or not a special county-wide school tax shall be levied and collected under the provisions of amendment III [3] (article XIX) of the Constitution of Alabama. The proceeds of the said tax shall be used solely for public school capital outlay purposes.
The power to levy, granted by this amendment, will not be exhausted by one election but shall remain a continuing grant unless and until it be repealed by subsequent Constitutional action.
Should, at any election by the qualified electors of Mobile county held hereunder, as hereinbefore provided for, the proposal to tax be defeated; the proposal to tax may be renewed and another election had at any time, upon complying with the requisites of law for the calling of such elections; provided, however, that no such subsequent election may be had within one year after the election in which the proposal was defeated.
This amendment shall be self-executing and shall require no enabling legislation.