TYLERTOWN — Walthall County officials continued to wrestle with how to begin permitting new construction in the county.
A bill passed by the legislature earlier this year requires each county to begin issuing permits for commercial and residential construction and ensure contractors are licensed.
Discussion began on the matter in June, with supervisors trying to figure out who should oversee the permitting process. Emergency Management Coordinator Royce McKee and Tax Assessor Peggy Hilburn were mentioned as possibilities then.
“I can’t do it,” McKee told the board July 5. “I don’t have time to sit around my office and wait for people to come in.”
Hilburn accepted the role reluctantly.
“I don’t want it,” she said. “I’m not going to ride the roads and look for construction. I worked for (Tylertown), and we trusted the honesty of the people coming in, but a lot of people aren’t honest.”
She said her office could catch some construction that might not have been permitted properly in advance, when people apply for homestead exemption.
The law doesn’t prescribe any dollar amounts for permits, and Hilburn said the town’s permitting was charged based on the estimated cost of construction.
Board attorney Conrad Mord said Hilburn should duplicate permits for McKee, so he can ensure that building are not being built illegally in the county’s flood plain.
Supervisor Lloyd Bullock asked what the penalty is for not getting a permit for construction projects, and Mord said there is no penalty prescribed in the law for property owners.
He speculated whether the county might pay a penalty instead.
“If there’s no permit, and somebody builds something, and there’s something wrong with the roof ... can they sue the county because it’s not properly permitted?” Mord said.
Board President Larry Montgomery said most building projects need electricity to be built and have lines run for use once projects are finished, and Hilburn said the electric utilities in the county, Entergy and Magnolia Electric, could be notified not to turn own power to properties that cannot produce a permit.
Hilburn also questioned whether portable buildings and cell phone towers would be required to be permitted, since the law refers to fees based on construction costs.
She also asked if she would be able to get a raise for added workload. She said assessors in other counties, had been granted additional pay, ncluding Lawrence County, which added $12,000.
”We can allocate more money to your office, but we can’t give you a raise,” Mord said.
“How does that help me?” Hilburn asked.
