Hearing On County Budget Is Friday

WATER VALLEY – Citizens of Yalobusha County are invited to weigh in on the $8.906 million county budget that supervisors will adopt this month. A public hearing is scheduled at 9 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 10 in the Coffeeville courthouse for final public input before the 2021-22 budget is adopted.

Supervisors have decreased the overall county ad valorem tax rate by 2.1 mills, resulting in a net millage of 81.16. Both school districts in the county have requested additional local funds in the coming school year. In the Coffeeville School District the ad valorem tax request is $1,683,855 this year, compared to $1,575,740 last year. In the Water Valley School District the ad valorem tax request is $2,008,735, compared to $1,876,342 last year.

Taxpayers in the county will pay more in ad valorem taxes on homes, automobile tags, public utilities, business fixtures and equipment and rental property.

In addition to budget talk, other business handled in the August 30 meeting included:

• Voted to advertise for bids to reseal 6.733 miles on County Road 211. The road stretches from Coffeeville to Oakland and the work be from Coffeeville to almost midway to Oakland.

• Approved a subcontractor for work at the Gums Crossing bridge project. The company, Mainstream Commercial Divers, Inc., will receive $33,700 of the $16 million bridge replacement project. Divers from the company are locating the concrete slabs that crumbled into the lake bottom that will be removed.

• Approved a request from District 2 Supervisor Ken Rogers to advertise a 2004 Case 580 backhoe for sale.

• Accepted the resignation of Thomas McCain from the North Central Mississippi Resource Conservation and Development Council. Supervisors did not make a replacement appointment for the council during the August 30 meeting.

• Approved a recommendation from District 3 Supervisor Kenny Harmon to appoint Faye Dalrymple to the Oakland Yalobusha Natural Gas District.