Tax Insolvency List Creates Debate At Board Meeting
Yalobusha Supervisors authorized the advertisement of bids for infrastructure improvements at the Oakland-based Windsor Foods. The county’s involvement stems from a $650,000 state funded Community Development Block Grant awarded to the county for Windsor’s expansion. Meeting with supervisors is Willis Engineering representative Carl Grubb (standing, left) and North Central Planning and Development District Community Development Coordinator Tim Climer (at podium). Thirty-five new jobs will be add
By David Howell
Editor
WATER VALLEY – A board order requesting Tax Assessor/Collector Linda Shuffield to publish the list of people who owed 2009 personal property taxes in the county’s newspapers has been a hot topic in the last two county meetings.
Shuffield presented the 2009 personal property tax insolvency report during the “first Monday” meeting held October 4 in Water Valley. The list included six people, identified by Shuffield, who had gone out of business or their business had burned. The 2009 personal property taxes owed totaled almost $900.
Following her report, the board handed down an order for Shuffield to publish the list in the newspaper.
During a recessed meeting held October 20, District Three Supervisor M.H. “Butch” Surrette questioned Shuffield after the list had not appeared in the newspaper.
“I bought a paper every week just to look at it and see that list,” Surrette told Shuffield.
“At the last meeting we had an order to publish it in the paper,” Surrette added.
“Your man has already been here and took care of it,” Shuffield answered.
‘No, we had an order to publish it in the paper. That was delinquent taxes. That was something he took care of later own. He didn’t take care of it before we had that order. I want it in the paper. If we had an order to put it in the paper, should it not have been in the paper?” Surrette asked.
“It’s after the fact now, it should have been at that time,” Crow answered.
“Has everybody on that list paid it?” Surrette asked.
“Two-thirds of them. We sent out registered letters advising them to pay,” Shuffield answered.
“The order was to publish it in the paper. Am I right or am I wrong,” Surrette continued. “I want that list published in the paper,” he continued.
“I don’t believe we can do it now, can we John?” Vaughn asked Crow.
“I would not do it now, it should have been done then,” Crow advised.
“You are opening yourself up to some liability,” Vaughn continued.
“It should have been done then,” Crow added.
“That’s right it should have been done right then, when we had the order. I don’t like that kind of stuff. I think if we do something we need to go on and stick with it and get it done,” Surrette said.
“I had not nothing to sell,” Shuffield answered, referring to the personal property on which the unpaid taxes were assessed.
“Linda, that doesn’t have nothing to do with that,” Crow answered.
“That has nothing to do with that,” Surrette reiterated.
“Anytime I advertise something for delinquency, I have to publish something to sell, according to the law,” Shuffield added.
“We had an order to get it done,” Surrette answered.
“I got it done,” Shuffield continued.
“No, we didn’t get it in the paper,” Surrette answered.
“Oh that part, I got it collected,” Shuffield said.
“The whole purpose of that was to try to stop people in the future from being delinquent on these things. They didn’t want to see their name in the paper. That was my understanding of it,” Vaughn added.
“That’s right,” Surrette answered. “This board had an order to get it done. They didn’t have an order to call people and tell them to come on in and all that kind of stuff. We had an order to get that in the paper.”
“I guess the point is, some of it has been collected and some of it hasn’t,” Crow said. “What hasn’t ought to be in the paper.”
“I don’t know whether that would be fair,” Vaughn answered.
“No it is not. It was at that time, that the order was, to get it done. Now we got some that is going to be in the paper and some that is not going to be in the paper cause we called some of them and told them to come in and pay,” Surrette continued..
“Did you contact all of them?” Crow answered.
“I sent a registered letter to every one,” Shuffield answered.
“How much have you collected?” Crow asked.
“Two thirds of it,” Shuffield answered.
“Well how much is that?” Crow answered.
“I think there were six of them. I collected three of them,” Shuffield answered.
“How much money, Linda?” Crow asked.
“About $300 of the $900 that was out there,” Shuffield answered.
“So you got about a third of it, instead of two-thirds,” Surrette said.
“Well, if you look at money wise, yes,” Shuffield said.
“Yes, that is what I am looking at,” Surrette answered.
“John, we have already passed that order, but we hadn’t in 10 years, been publishing this in the paper?” District Five Supervisor Frank “Bubba” Tillman asked.
“No, but we decided to do it last time,” Vaughn answered.
“Because there has been very little effort, nothing against Linda, to collect it. Nobody has been sued,” Crow explained. Following the dicussion, supervisor agreed not to publish the list.
October 4 Meeting
Another motivating factor to publish the names in the paper, expressed in the October 4 meeting, was at least two of the people on the list attracted the scrutiny from several of the supervisors.
One person mentioned in the meeting that was on the list was Cecil Harrison, a former employee of the county.
“There is one more just as bad as he is,” Surrette added after supervisors examined the insolvency list.
“He griped about anything this county has ever done and then he is on this insolvency list,” Surrette said. “He spent three weeks running around trying to get people to sign a petition. He ought to be able to pay $35 worth taxes, as far as I am concerned,” Surrette said, without naming the person, but referring to Greg Jone’s involvement in the District Three road bond referendum in 2008.
“This hasn’t been ever published in the paper, has it?” Surrette said after the discussion continued.
“Why can’t you publish that in the paper?” Vaughn asked.
“I might vote for it (accepting the insolvency list from Shuffield) if we publish it in the paper,” Surrette said.
“The law requires you to publish real property and mobile homes,” Shuffield answered.
“It don’t say you can’t publish it, does it?” Surrette asked.
“No sir, not that I am aware of it. It is just not handled that way,” Shuffield answered.
“It can be handled that way if I vote for it,” Surrette responded.
“Can you do it, John?” Vaughn asked.
“I don’t see why not,” Crow answered.
“We give them every opportunity in the world to pay it,” Vaughn responded.
Following the discussion, supervisors agreed not to approve the insolvency list. They instead ordered the list to be published in the paper. The board also instructed Shuffield to take court action in Justice Court if the taxes remain unpaid.
Other business conducted in October meetings includes:
• Approved holiday closings for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. The courthouse will be closed Nov. 25 and 26; Dec. 24 and 27; and Dec. 3 and Jan. 3.
• Signed documents to accept a Community Development Block Grant from the Mississippi Development Authority to fund a handicap accessibility grant improvements at Yalobusha General Hospital. The state grant totalled $112,195.
• Approved an agreement with Windham and Lacey, PLLC, to prepare the annual financial statements for fiscal year ending September 30, 2010.
The cost for preparing the annual audit, per the agreement will be $85 per hour, with a maximum of $6,000.
• Approved proposed modifications to the county-owned building that will be used by Communicare for a new day program. The building, formerly occupied by the Mississippi Department of Health, will provide intense daily treatment for an estimated 15 to 20 mental health patients.
The patients will make crafts at the facility, which will be offered for sale to the public.
Supervisors did balk on footing the bill for electrical work requested by Communicare, but agreed to help with other repairs at the building.
• Amended the assessment for personal property assessed to Caterpillar.
Shuffield said the increase would generate $21,000.
