Carrollton Historic Preservation Commission members recently hosted a regional training session for historic preservation commission members at the Carrollton Community House. Presenters were James Bridgeforth, Clay Mapp, and Cindy Carter-Davis, all from the MS Department of Archives and History.
One of the interesting facts brought out by Clay Mapp, a Greenwood native, is that one advantage of living in a historic district of a Certified Local Government community like Carrollton is that homeowners can apply for “historic tax credits” to help pay for eligible repairs to their own homes – like replacing a roof. Through the State Tax Commission, historic tax credits are offered for 25% of the cost of the eligible repairs over $5,000. Homeowners can claim the tax credits on their state income tax for 5 years or can choose to take a cash refund of 75% of the 25% immediately. Carrollton has over 60 units on the National Register of Historic Places, many of them homes.
The State Tax Credit has slightly different requirements than the federal tax credits. Federal tax credits are for income producing property only. For these properties, 20% federal tax credits offered by the IRS are added to the 25% state tax credits for a total of 45%. These credits can be claimed for 5 years.
Chief archaeologist Cindy Carter-Davis informed the attendees that the Ms Department of Archives and History has ground penetrating radar equipment and can help identify vacant lots in old cemeteries. While they can’t excavate to determine who is buried there, cemeteries would know if they had vacant lots for new burials. The service is free to the cemetery.
In addition to the Carrollton Historic Preservation Commission members, members from Kosciusko, Leland, and West were in attendance.
