TYLERTOWN — While counties statewide are reeling from a year without appropriations for certain transportation maintenance programs, Walthall County supervisors took another slug from the state attorney general’s office.
An AG’s opinion informed the board that the county’s practice of providing two mills of the county’s road and bridge tax collections from inside city limits to the town is not legal.
“It ain’t good,” board attorney Conrad Mord said of the opinion to supervisors Monday.
Supervisors had Mord seek the opinion after auditors flagged the practice.
“You have 12.8 mills (for road and bridge maintenance) ... and you gave 2 mills to the city,” tax assessor Peggy Hilburn told supervisors. “Now, you’re going to have to split that, with 6.4 mills going to the county and 6.4 mills going to the city.”
The effect of the change had not yet been determined, but board President Larry Montgomery speculated that Tylertown could get upwards of $200,000 more than they had been getting.
Hilburn said Wednesday morning that she had not calculated what the difference might be, as she needed more direction from the supervisors and Mord.
However, she said she needs an answer soon, because the county must make its settlements to other entities, including Tylertown, by Feb. 20.
The District 2 and District 3 road funds will take the biggest hits. Supervisors Fred Magee Jr. and Shelton Stogner estimated their districts together cover 90 percent or more of Tylertown, in terms of road share.
Montgomery’s District 1 and District 4, represented by Bruce Boyd, have the other small parts of town. Clennel Brown’s District 5 does not reach into the town limits.
Mord said the ruling came, even though “the city was happy with the way things are.”
Alderman Doug Walker, who was present for the meeting, confirmed the city had had no complaints with the arrangement.
Hilburn told supervisors that most other cities and counties had already adopted the millage split that the attorney general’s office opined that Walthall County should adopt.
Magee said he and other supervisors had previously done a lot of work in the town, but that would probably be ending if no other solution can be found.
“When people call with a problem, I’ll have to tell them to call the city,” he said.
Tylertown officials did not discuss the matter at their meeting Tuesday night.
