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County
adopts budget
By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer
The Marshall County Board of Supervisors
adopted a $21.92 million budget Monday for the upcoming fiscal year beginning
Oct. 1.
The budget includes $9.7 million in projected
ad valorem tax revenues and $1.9 million in beginning cash. The remainder
of the budget comes from grants and state and federal sources.
The millage rate remains unchanged for
FY 2006-07 at 118.95 mills, the same as in FY 2005-06.
The county expects a 3.5 percent increase
in ad valorem tax revenues from growth of the tax base, with most of that
going to pay for higher costs of fuel, insurance, supplies, materials
and modest employee raises.
Supervisors adopted the budget following
an executive session and then a discussion with Holly Springs Mayor Andre’
DeBerry. During the discussion, DeBerry agreed to pay $50,000 next year
from the city’s budget to support E-911 service and to raise the
inmate housing costs for city inmates at the county jail from $15 to $20
a day.
The board of supervisors had asked the
city to pay $75,000 to support the costs of dispatching for the city departments.
DeBerry argued the city has provided critical communications equipment
to E-911 through a grant.
In other business:
- the board approved a board order to apply for LSBP (Local Systems
Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation) program dollars to replace
one of the bridges over Spring Creek on Old Highway 7 South below
Waterford. The county is using local funds to replace the other bridge.
-
Supervisor Ronnie Joe Bennett said school buses
are not crossing over the bridges now because they are dangerous,
but he favored waiting for state program funds to pay for the replacement
of the other bridge so local tax money would not have to be spent.
Consulting engineer Larry Britt said contractors
will begin applying soil cement on Hernando Road this week and bridge
pilings are being driven now for the Coldwater Bridge on Red Banks
Road.
Overlay of other road projects are getting underway,
according to Larry Hall. This week roads are being overlayed in the
Meadow View, Valley View subdivisions near Victoria.
-
chancery clerk Chuck Thomas reported $630,191
in expenditures for approval on the mid-September claims docket. The
bulk of the expenditures went to pay for road and bridge work.
-
county administrator/road manager Larry Hall requested,
and the board approved, a resolution in support of an application
to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History for a museum
grant in the amount of $179,000. The money will be used to install
an elevator and mechanical room in the Marshall County Historical
Museum.
-
the board approved a letter of support for the
2006-07 Economic Development Strategy report by the Northeast Mississippi
Planning and Development District. The plan covers transportation,
economic development and strategic locations of economic facilities
in a six-county area.
The board discussed and approved the deeding of
land (Tuttle Park) to the town of Byhalia, with the stipulation that
the property would revert back into the county’s hands if Byhalia
uses the property for anything other than a park.
-
the board authorized the signing of a hazards
mitigation plan.
-
board attorney Tacey Clark Clayton offered to
review the 911 Commission’s personnel manual pro bono in observance
of September 11, 2001, the day the U.S. was attacked by terrorists
in Washington, New York and Pennsylvania.
-
the board revised its contract with R.E.S. for
garbage collection and disposal at the company’s request. Under
the contract amendment, the county guarantees R.E.S. will get paid
for 100 percent of its collection fees. R.E.S. asked for the contract
amendment after the state Attorney General’s Office advised
that R.E.S. cannot implement an annual fuel surcharge. Supervisor
Keith Taylor voted against the change in the contract.
At the September 5 meeting, the board:
- heard a report from Marshall County Industrial Development Authority.
Director Bill Renick reported IDA has six major projects working, four
in the county and two in Holly Springs.
- was reminded by board consultant Gary Anderson that the senate and
legislature will be working on next year’s budget this fall. He
invited the board to meet with the speaker of the house and senate in
November to discuss projects the board would like to see funded.
- authorized a hazard mitigation plan put together by counties, municipalities
and the Northeast Mississippi Planning and Development District. The
county must have a plan in place in order to get federal assistance
in case of a disaster event, according to Hugh Hollowell, emergency
management coordinator.
- approved a claims docket totalling $560,970 for the month of August.
- heard a request from circuit clerk Lucy Carpenter to pay poll workers
$10/hour for two hours training and to increase the jury pay from $25
a day to $40 a day, the maximum allowed by state statutes.
Carpenter applauded the board for
opening the Byhalia substation for the tax collector’s office, sheriff’s
department and ambulance service, saying several people who have come
through her office said they are very pleased to have the service there.
“I think it is a very positive
thing you’ve done and I want to applaud you for it,” she said.
(Correction: A figure
published in a story that ran in last week’s issue was incorrect.
The Marshall County Board of Supervisors has proposed to allocate $80,000
for additional court space for FY 2006-07.)
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or south@dixie-net.com
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