TYLERTOWN — Increased valuation in Walthall County should keep tax increases to a small amount in Walthall County.
Charlie Prince, a CPA from Magee who serves as the county’s budget consultant, said Aug. 15 that the county’s valuation should increase by about $3 million once the four-year reassessment is completed. He reiterated that point Wednesday.
“That should bring in about $3,000 more per mill,” Prince said.
Leaving millage at the 2017-18 level of 65.23 would bring the county about $200,000 more in 2018-2019, according to projections Prince provided to the board at a special meeting Aug. 15.
Requesting the same amounts of money would allow the board to drop its tax rate to 63.16 mills.
A tabulation of the valuation increase Prince presented Wednesday estimated an increase of $36,193 in real property value and $3,336,180 in personal property value, and a decrease of $220,922 in utility infrastructure value, for a total valuation increase of $3,151,451.
With the increase in valuation, funding the school district’s request of just over $5 million, up from about $4.8 million, would require a tax increase of 0.58 mills, bringing the total school tax rate to 54.90 mills, just shy of the 55-mill cap set by state law.
Without the request for increased funds, Prince said school taxes would have decreased from 54.32 mills to 52.53 mills.
He noted that mills levied for different purposes bring in different amounts and will increase by different amounts due to the valuation change. The school taxes for the school district and Southwest Mississippi Community College are expected to increase $3,000 per mill, while other county levies are expected to bring about $2,800 more per mill.
A tax levy for capital improvements at SMCC has been bringing in the most dollars per mill, $93,210, which is projected to rise to $96,210 after reassessment.
The tax for county volunteer fire departments has been bringing in only $79,142, which is expected to rise to about $81,942. The tax is not collected inside Tylertown, which means Districts 1, 2, 3 and 4 — which all have some territory within city limits — have two different total tax levies.
On Wednesday Prince returned to the board with proposed revenues and millages in documents required to be published.
Total revenues in the coming year are estimated at $10,226,047, while the beginning cash balance is $10,232,248, bringing total cash and revenues to $20,498,295.
Expenditures are estimated at $10,721,826, and the ending cash balance is projected at $9,776,469, which together balance the $20,498,295 in revenues.
Expenditure categories and tax rates include:
• General county, including county offices, law enforcement, building maintenance and other spending, 45.93 mills.
• Pike-Amite-Walthall Library System, 1.25 mills.
• Volunteer fire departms, 1.75 mills.
• Special tax levy for assessment records, 1 mill.
• Timbered and uncultivated land, 9 cents per acre.
• Retirement of road bonds and interest, 2 mills.
• Southeast Mississippi Air Ambulance District, 0.5 mills.
• Road and bridge maintenance, 12.8 mills.
• Walthall County School District, 54.9 mills.
• Southwest Mississippi Community College support, 1.95 mills.
• SMCC capital improvements, 2.4 mills.
At those rates, millage levied outside of Tylertown in each district totals 124.48 mills, up from 123.9 mills in the current year, due to the school district’s increase of 0.58 mills.
The portions of Districts 1, 2, 3 and 4 located in Tylertown are expected to have a tax rate of 122.73 mills, due to noncollection of the volunteer fire department levy in town limits.
“You’re in sound financial condition. You’re a very fortunate county,” Prince said. “Your revenues are very close to matching your expenditures.”
The public budget hearing is scheduled for Sept. 6 at 2 p.m., with adoption the following week, Sept. 13 at 10 a.m.
