Video: Noxubee County Millage Rate Increasing

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NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) — Heads Up Noxubee County Residents!Your pocket books will soon be getting a little leaner.

Last week Noxubee County Supervisors approved a large 7.35 increase in millage rate.

The change is the highest increase in Noxubee County History.

To break it down…

If you are a homeowner with a property worth 100 – thousand dollars and have a homestead, you will now be paying 70 dollars and fifty cents more in taxes.

If you do not have a homestead you will be paying 110 DOLLARS and 25 -cents extra a year.

Tax hikes are always hard to swallow but where is the extra money going?

Depending on who you ask in Noxubee County — they’ll say the tax hike is an unavoidable change, while others say it’s a change that springs from poor money management.

This new jail may have been a necessity in Noxubee County…

” The other one was outdated, we were being wrote up by the state, and other people, and just trying to get away from lawsuits,” says Board of Supervisors President William Oliver.

But the new facility is hitting taxpayers where it hurts.

“90% of the expenses is for the new jail,” says Oliver.

The over 7.35 increase will also give money to EMCC to build new residence halls, helps finance a new tower to improve emergency management dispatching, will add 4 jailers and will bring the jails booking equipment into the 21st century.

Supervisor President William Oliver says he knows the change won’t be easy, but he felt the county had no choice.

“A lot of thought and prayer went into this, but like I said again, we got caught in a catch 22 with this new jail,” he says.

But District 5 Board member Bruce Brooks says having the raise taxes comes down to one thing.

“Poor management.”

He says the county could have avoided the hike altogether.

” For the last 3 Or 4 years we’ve been planning for this jail, so you would have to be prepared to pay for the jail,” says Brooks.

He says the change will hurt people who are already struggling to make ends meet.

” We got too many senior citizens, and unemployed people already, just can’t afford that,” he says.

and in the end he says the hike will also hurt the county’s bottom line.

” A Percentage of people will look for other avenues to get their car tags, it’s gonna make it hard for the county.”

Whether it was avoidable or not, one thing is certain, come January 1st, Noxubee County Taxpayers will have less in their pocket books.

The new jail is set to open on December 1st.

Categories: Local News

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