School Board Will Request Millage Rate Hike

By Jack Gurner
Reporter

WATER VALLEY – The District School Board will meet in a special called session Thursday to approve tax resolutions for both Yalobusha and Lafayette Counties.

The resolutions were originally set to be approved during a special session Monday. However, the vote was delayed awaiting action by the U. S. House of Representatives on a bill that would pump $26 billion to the states.

That action came Tuesday when the House passed the measure.

A portion of the federal money will go toward fully funding Medicaid in Mississippi and that will free state funds for other budget priorities, including schools.

At Monday’s meeting, District Business Manager Randy Goodwin presented two resolutions to the Board for Yalobusha County. One asks the Board of Supervisors to levy sufficient millage to generate $1,270,917 for the 2010-2011 school year. It is this resolution that is expected to be approved Thursday.

The other resolution asks for $1,374,718 and would have been necessary if the U.S. House Bill had not passed.

“I don’t want the taxes to be any higher than they have to be,” commented Board member Pierce Epes on the $103,801 difference between the two Yalobusha resolutions.

The tax resolution for Lafayette County, which asks for $1440, will not change. A small portion of Lafayette County is in the Water Valley School District.

After Thursday’s vote, the resolutions will be presented to Yalobusha and Lafayette officials who will then set the millage rate.

The original millage rate increase for Yalobusha County was advertised to be from 37.05 mills to a total of 43 mills, but that amount is expected to be even higher because the total assessed value of the county decreased 2.3 percent.