Hefty Tax Bill Reduced After Homestead Approval

By Editor | December 31, 2025 |

Michael Walton (left) discusses a hefty property tax bill with Adam Milner (right) during the Board of Supervisors meeting.

WATER VALLEY — A Scobey resident who said he may be paying one of the highest property tax bills in Yalobusha County came before the Board of Supervisors on Dec. 15 seeking clarity, saying the numbers did not line up with what other homeowners across the county are paying.

“He has questions about his tax bill, and after what I saw, I have questions too,” Board President Cayce Washington said as Adam Milner addressed supervisor.

Milner told supervisors he built a home on a tract of property totaling more than 407 acres.

“My wife and I are new residents in Yalobusha County. We bought some land and built a house in Scobey,” Milner said. “We got our first tax bill on our house and it was $13,674.12.”

Milner said he believed the bill was incorrect, explaining he contacted Tax Assessor/Collector Michael Walton for clarity.

The discussion ultimately centered on a homestead exemption that had not yet been filed in Yalobusha County by Milner for the property, a factor that pushed the tax bill significantly higher. Supervisors approved the exemption later in the meeting, reducing Milner’s tax bill by nearly $5,000.

“Mr. Walton has been nothing but nice and helpful,” Milner explained. “He helped us transfer one of our vehicles over to Yalobusha County. We’ve applied for homestead, and he’s going to talk to you about that later today.”

Milner also said he had reached out to other homeowners for comparison.

“I’ve met with four or five homeowners in Yalobusha County with bigger, nicer houses than me, and their taxes are $4,000, $5,000 or $6,000,”

Milner said. “One guy told me he had a million dollars in his house and his tax bill was $6,800.”

Milner said he also looked at current real estate listings in the county.

“The most expensive house for sale in Yalobusha County right now is $800,000, and the tax bill on that house is $6,034,” Milner said. “Why is mine $13,000? It’s more than my house payment was in Grenada.”

Washington asked Milner to describe the structure.

“Tell the guys how many square feet you’ve got under there,” Washington said.

Milner explained that his home is constructed from two metal buildings.

“I bought two 40-by-60 metal buildings,” Milner said. “It’s a metal house. Metal houses are a lot cheaper to build than conventional homes. One building cost me right at $50,000 and the other was about $45,000.”

Milner said the total cost, including concrete and interior finish-out, was well below what the property was assessed for.

“I built these things for less than $200,000 with the concrete,” Milner said. “The outside is finished — roof, walls, everything. I have nowhere near in this house what it’s assessed for.”

Washington asked about heated and cooled space.

“Less than 3,800 square feet heated,” Milner said.

District 4 Supervisor Eddie Harris asked what the property was appraised at.

“Over a million dollars,” Milner said.

“It’s probably twice what the value of it is,” District 5 Supervisor Gaylon Gray said.

“I don’t even have $500,000 in it,” Milner responded.

“He’s got land with it too,” Gray said, noting that the adjoining acreage factored into the overall tax bill, another big factor in the discussion.

“I’ve got 400 acres, but the tax bill on the 400 acres is $1,400,” Milner said. “My tax bill is over $1,000 a month.”
Washington said the figures raised legitimate concerns.

“We’re going to have to lean heavy on the tax man,” Washington said. “But I’m still thinking just 4,000 square feet under roof.”

“I have the most expensive property tax in Yalobusha County,” Milner reiterated.

Gray also agreed the numbers appeared out of step with similar properties.

“I know people with houses like that or bigger, and they’re $5,000 to $6,000,” Gray said. “He’s double that.”

Washington said the situation warranted review.

“I personally think it’s an error,” Washington said.

Walton later explained that the original bill reflected both the absence of a Yalobusha County homestead exemption and Mississippi law limiting homestead coverage to 160 acres.

“Mr. Milner and I have talked,” Walton said. “His tax value for his house is $672,015.”

Walton said homes that do not qualify for homestead exemption are assessed at 15 percent of the county’s assessed value. With a homestead exemption, that rate drops to 10 percent, but only for the portion of land that qualifies.

“His tax bill, if approved by you guys, is $7,819.88 for the house and the homestead portion of the land,” Walton said. “The remainder of the acreage is $1,128.”

That placed Milner’s revised total tax bill at just under $9,000.

“You only get 160 acres on your homestead,” Walton added. “Anything over that is not included.”

“It’s still high, but it’s more in line with other houses,” Gray said.

“Yes, with the homestead,” Walton confirmed.

Walton said Milner could submit additional documentation if he wished to further challenge the valuation.

“If you can go to your insurance company and let them issue what the replacement cost would be for that home, or bring a recent appraisal less than 24 months old, I will definitely talk to them,” Walton said.

Supervisor Harris then asked Milner how much insurance coverage he carried on the property.

“I’ll have to check,” Milner said. “It’s wrapped up in my business stuff.”
Milner also said the adjustment was larger than he expected.

“That’s a lot better,” Milner said. “When I met with Michael, I thought it would go down about $2,500. It went down almost $5,000.”

District 2 Supervisor Kenny Rogers examines a picture of the house recently constructed by Adam Milner.

“All I ever asked Michael for was to be fair,” Washington said. “If it’s in line with the others, I don’t know what else we can do.”
Washington also said he understands the frustration because he is among the county’s highest taxpayers.

“I’m not saying this to brag,” Washington said. “I’m the seventh highest taxpayer in the county. Mine went up significantly in this deal too. It’s not something I’m proud of, but it’s something we’ve got to pay our deputies and our dispatchers. It’s just balancing funds.”

Washington’s comments referenced an increase in many property tax bills this year that is tied to a countywide rise in assessed property values, driven largely by updated valuation schedules and higher construction costs. The increase came as county tax assessors are required to periodically adjust property values to reflect current market conditions, including the cost to replace homes and other improvements.

Washington also explained that the board is not singling out any taxpayer.

“At no stretch are we trying to gig one person,” Washington said.

Milner said he understood the county’s position.

“I knew it wasn’t going to be $2,000 or $3,000,” Milner said. “I knew it shouldn’t be $13,000 either.”

Later in the meeting, supervisors formally approved a list of homestead exemptions submitted by Walton, including Milner’s.

Walton explained that Milner had a homestead exemption on another residence in Grenada County that had initially caused the system to flag the application.

“He can’t have two homesteads,” Gray said.

“That’s what the system kicked out, we don’t have to approve it because that was his fault,” Walton said. “But he canceled his homestead in Grenada. I verified that.”

“Then I’m good with it,” Gray said. “As long as we’re legal.”

Supervisors approved the exemption, reducing Milner’s tax bill to the revised amount.

“We have the best property value on his property that can be done,” Walton said, defending the tax value of the new home. “His property value should probably be around $900,000 to a million dollars.”

Supervisors also approved the following assessed value changes for Yalobusha County property owners during the Dec. 15 meeting:

• Mary Sue Martin — Approved an assessed value reduction of $332 after 10 acres were sold to a family member, Walton explained.

• Delores Carr — Approved an assessed value reduction of $164 after a storage building was removed from the property in 2024. Walton said the change will reduce the tax bill by approximately $18.

• Bryce Farms — Approved an assessed value reduction of $457 after owner Steve Williamson was charged for 100 acres that had been split from the original parcel in 2023.

“That took his tax bill down $60.55,” Walton told supervisors.

• Mary Byford — Approved an assessed value reduction of $1,081 after a house burned on the property. Walton said the reduction will lower her tax bill by $128.

• Approved homestead exemption amendments for Broderick Cook and Cynthia McKinney.

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