Lowndes County is the state’s sixth most valuable county and the second most valuable in terms of industrial property value.
County Tax Assessor Greg Andrews predicts the county will continue to surpass other counties, as its assessed value climbs toward $1 billion.
Andrews told the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors Monday that the county had around a $915 million assessed value, which is a fraction of the market value of all the properties within the county.
According to Andrews, the tax rolls are at around $6.2 billion, which is the total market value of all properties within Lowndes County. The market value of each individual parcel in Lowndes County is multiplied by the taxable percentage — 15 percent if it is a rental property or 10 percent if it is a homestead property — to give the assessed value of a property.
“On a $100,000 house, if it’s a homestead house it will be 10 percent,” Andrews said. “In other words, that will be $10,000 assessed. If it’s a rental house, it will be 15 percent.” According to Andrews, industrial property has a multiplier of 15 percent.
Those numbers are added up to give the assessed value of the county, which is just shy of the $1 billion mark.
Andrews predicts Lowndes will hit the $1 billion milestone in the coming year.
“For 2012, we’ll hit it,” he said in response to District 1 Supervisor Harry Sanders, who asked if the county would get to $1 billion in assessed value in the near future.
The number has shown a steady incline through the past five years, Andrews said, and he predicts an additional $535 million to the assessed value through the next two years.
How does the county’s assessed value compare to other counties in the state? Pretty good, Andrews said, especially in the industrial group.
“For 2011, we’re ranked sixth in the state in total assessed value. In industrial, we’re second only to Jackson County,” Andrews said of the county’s growing value. “In 2012, we’ll probably have the largest industrial base in the state.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Lowndes County is the 11th most populous county in Mississippi.
Andrews said the rising value is due in large part to the influx in industrial business like Severstal, Paccar and Mississippi Steel Technology, among others. More than half of the $915 million is industrial accounts, Andrews said.
In other matters, the board:
n Recognized the New Hope High School slow-pitch softball team for winning their fifth-consecutive state championship. District 3 Supervisor John Holliman read a proclamation, and each of the Lady Trojans were introduced to the supervisors and audience.
n Unanimously approved a motion to appoint Keith Worshaim to the E-911 board’s District 5 seat. Worshaim had 30 years of law enforcement experience, including two years with the U.S. Army and 27 years with civilian law enforcement. The board term will end March 21, 2015.
Worshaim replaces former Columbus Police Chief Joseph St. John, who resigned from the board in October.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
