Airport receives big grant

Santa had good news to close out the old year and ring in the new.

Justin Hall, executive director of the Marshall County Industrial De velopment Authority, an nounced in December he received notice the Marshall County/Holly Springs Air port was awarded $159,000 a year for five years under a COVID grant.

Hall said the goal is for the airport to become a self-sustaining airport. The COVID money is based on a cost-reimbursement type project and can be used for maintenance and even to reimburse fuel costs

An Appalachian Regional Commission grant for $740,000 has been awarded to prepare a BNSF-certified site at the Springs Industrial Park.

“IDA will match,” Hall said

The pre-application for the grant is approved and the IDA attorney is to review the application. An engineering report update is to be added and then the application will be ready for signature by the president of the board of supervisors.

District 1 supervisor Charles Terry asked if the pad will be just dirt work.

Hall said it involves clearing a site of up to 25 acres, rough graded, so it can be shown to prospective clients.

“If we know the configuration of the building we can lay it out,” Hall said. “We will get it close to being ready to go.”

The site already has access to road, water, sewer and gas.

Hall said the site development may be delayed some due to availability of building materials.

Training for election commissioners

Marshall County circuit clerk Monet Autry visited the boardroom with three election commissioners – Jamarr Walton, Naomi Taylor and Betty Whaley.

The county is in the market for selection of new voting equipment, and Autry said she wants commissioners to learn from what other counties are using. She offered to invite people from other counties to discuss their decisions with the board of supervisors.

District 4 supervisor George Zinn III suggested a letter to the board of supervisors outlining their suggestions would suffice.

Susie Hill, with the chancery clerk’s office, advised if the voting equipment is not purchased from state contract sources, anything costing over $50,000 will have to be bid out.

Autry asked for approval for herself and election commissioners to travel for training. She also requested travel for herself to judicial conference training in January.

“The election is in June 2022 and we are trying to get election equipment in and all trained,” Autry said.

The primary election for U.S. Congressional races and Senators and judges will be held in June. The general election takes place in November 2022.

Autry asked to upgrade the courtroom speakers and equipment with a COVID grant from the State of Mississippi. The grant application must be expedited. The board of supervisors approved the application.

In other business, the board approved the dedication of part of Bubba Taylor Road in the name of the late Joe Tunstall, former member of the Byhalia Board of Aldermen.

The board inquired about putting a payment drop box for garbage bills in the Chancery Clerk’s area at the request of Terry.

The drop box was to go inside the county administrator’s office but that office is closed for renovation. Team Waste will be responsible for picking up the payments.

Terry expressed a concern of one of his constituents that rural residents are having difficulty getting in touch with the Holly Springs Utility Department to report problems with service.

“I just want to make the board aware, to let you all know I’m addressing it to the board,” he said.

Terry added land developers need to be made aware that their unsold lots tax assessments should not be raised until a lot is sold, per a prior board decision.

District 5 supervisor Ronnie Joe Bennett said a developer expressed concern the tax went up on all lots in his subdivision but should not have been increased on any lot until a house is built and certified for occupancy.

Jonathan Thweatt reported to the board that 11 lots in Phase I of his subdivision were assessed $25,000 a lot.

District 3 supervisor Keith Taylor said the new assessment should not take place until the final inspection on the house on a lot.

Hill explained that former board attorney Kent Smith had said the regulation shielding tax hikes on unsold lots is OK as long as the regulation is not in conflict with the State Tax Commission regulations. Once a property is rezoned to commercial, it is not taxed on that commercial rate until something is built on the property, she said.

Thweatt said his new subdivision on Cayce Road Owens Place – has 38 lots total. Eleven Phase I lots were assessed $25,000 per lot, even though some lots have more acreage than others. Eleven lots were in Phase I and the remaining in Phase II. Thweatt said he has five houses under construction as developer and builder of the subdivision.

Over in the Barton area in Roper Plantation, Thweat has purchased three lots and they were assessed at $16,000, he said.

The board passed a motion to table the matter until the second regular meeting in January (Jan. 18).

Board attorney Amanda Whaley Smith said the building codes and zoning regulations can be put online for a fee of $2,430, with $18 a page for additional pages.

Many counties are now providing zoning regulations and building codes online.