WINONA – Montgomery County’s real property values increased by $1.77 million this year, due to increases in all types of property except personal property.
In total, according to Financial Director/Governmental Specialist Tony Green with North Central Planning and Development District, Montgomery County has a net assessed value of $58,530,571, up $1,771,155 from last year.
Green said this is the third straight year Montgomery County has seen an increase in value. The last time values went down was in 2014-2015.
“Real property is going to be residential property and farm land,” Green said.
Public utilities values went up $354,706, mobile home value went up $52,717, and motor vehicles jumped $764,386.
“The increase in motor vehicles is consistent with Carroll, Attala, and other surrounding counties,” Green said. “I guess with the economy being being stronger, people are buying more vehicles.”
With the increase in the net assessed value in Montgomery County, a county-wide mill is worth $58,530 in fiscal year 2018, up $1,771 from last year’s values.
With the value of mills increasing, tax collection from the current millage rate will bring in additional revenue for the county.
With all fund accounts combined, plus the revenue collected from school taxes (for those outside the Winona Separate School District), the county’s 122.01 mills will bring in $5,583,171, up $188,477 over last year. The school maintenance fund will collect $163,844.
However, Green said because the allocated mills for school maintenance will bring in more than the school district’s funding request, the county can fund the district with a .02 mill funding decrease.
Green presented the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors with a preliminary budget which addressed the requests from every department head. In addition, he added in a three percent pay increase for every non-elected, full-time employee of the county.
In the general fund, increases to departments were mainly due to the pay increases, however, some departments have to accommodate one-time expenses or unexpected expenses.
In the chancery clerk’s office, the Time and Attendance Program, which will install time clocks at certain county offices, will require a one-time expense of $12,095. Also, at a one-time cost of $6,600, there is also a need to maintain scanning materials used to digitalize chancery records to protect them against fire and age as well as vacate much-needed space in the chancery office.
In the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, due to the loss of the DUI grant ($42,471), Sheriff Bubba Nix requested an additional $20,000 to cover the salary of a deputy funded by the grant in the past. Nix said the rest of the deputy’s salary will be off-set by the new Overtime Grant in the amount of $19,200.
Also, in the general fund, the county will no longer be required to transfer $26,000 to fund the operation of the Montgomery County Coliseum, as revenue brought in by the county’s two-percent tourism tax on hotels will now go towards its day-to-day operation.
In other funds, the Garbage and Solid Waste fund will see a decrease of $31,870, which is the salary and fringe benefits of a clerk in the tax assessor/collector’s office. In the future, that clerk will be paid from the tax assessor/collector’s budget. Also, in Garbage and Solid Waste, the fund will see an additional $9,155 expense on the county’s garbage collection service contract.
In the Emergency 911 fund, the fund will see an increase of $7,900 for gasoline expense, which has never been part of the annual budget for the department.
Revenue for the county’s public libraries is projected to bring in an additional $8,500 for FY2018, which will cover the Regional Library Commission’s funding request this year.
Green, who has assisted with the creation and maintenance of the county’s budget for the last seven years, said the county’s financial standing is sound.
“I know the financial standing of the county is really good,” Green said. “Revenue collections are great. On a spending level, [Chancery Clerk Ryan Wood] and I are watching every month. It is good when revenue is up, and it is good when spending is on a conservative tone. The county is very prosperous the way it’s looking.”
Following Green’s budget summary, the board voted to take the proposed budget under advisement until it could be discussed further in a future meeting.
In other county news:
• North Central Planning and Development District Planner Chris Pope informed the board that he requested additional funds from the Appalachian Regional Authority to cover software and other technical needs in the amount of $12,000. Pope said he received word that ARC approved his request.
“We should be able to conclude the project by the end of September,” said Pope.
• County Engineer Christian Gardner informed the board that he received a notice to proceed on the paving project of Old Highway 51. Gardner also told the board that State Aid will send an inspection to the county this fall to inspect all of the county’s bridges, with the cost covered by the federal government.
• The board accepted the bid from J.J. Ferguson for $199,992.52 to pave Old Highway 51 in the Crossroads Industrial Park. Gardner said the bid was two percent over the engineer’s estimate, but it was a good bid.
• The board approved the request Montgomery County Coliseum Director Teresa Sproles made to purchase a new American flag and flag pole to install in front of the coliseum, one, or possibly two, air conditioning units for the coliseum lobby, remove tiles and paint the floors in the coliseum lobby, and paint two offices. Green told the board that the expense would be within budget this fiscal year.
• The board declined to issue a letter of support for Central Mississippi, Inc. in the organization’s measures to get approved as facilitators of the program in Montgomery and the surrounding counties. Board President Keith McGee said the board is all for supporting Head Start, but he did not feel it necessary to endorse one candidate over another in the grant process. Mississippi State Extension Service is also seeking the facilitation of the program.
• The board approved the purchase of a new computer for Judge Keith Stokes Roberts.
• The board approved the employment of Amanda McCain as a part-time dispatcher at the Montgomery County Emergency Operations Center.
