STARKVILLE — Pat Kight has always enjoyed crunching numbers, assessing property and collecting taxes.
As Oktibbeha County’s tax assessor/collector since 1992 and former north supervisor in the Mississippi Tax Commission, the technical aspects of the job were enough to see Kight stay in the field more than 30 years.
Now 73 and set for retirement, Kight won’t miss much of the day-to-day duties in the Oktibbeha County tax office. She will, however, miss you.
“I’ve always been a people person,” said Kight. “That’ll be different. It’s been sort of a mix of feelings here lately.”
Most elected positions for clerk and tax offices are won by the incumbent or a long-serving deputy clerk. Kight was neither of the two when she was elected in ’92.
“They took me in as unknown,” said Kight.
Because of it, Kight felt a sense of duty greater than her job description, to repay the people of Oktibbeha County for the faith they showed her in ’92, and each year’s she’s been re-elected.
She says she’s humbled by the support she’s received over the years, including the well-wishers as she nears retirement.
But the elderly people in Oktibbeha County have a special place in Kight’s heart.
“Seeing one of the elderly people come in, one who really needs assistance, and being able to help them is what motivated me to keep going,” Kight said. “I’m so thankful for the opportunity I’ve had, and helping people each and every day in this office has been the highlight.”
Kight’s helped her staff, too, by getting counters and desks set up for her four deputies. Previously, they stood up at their counter for eight hours a day. Kight says it’s her greatest achievement during her tenure, even with the office taking on collecting taxes for the city, which saves taxpayers two trips.
One thing Kight would have liked to accomplish is implementing an automated website where citizens could pay their taxes. Costs have held back the project, which would need approval from the board of supervisors.
Candidates to replace Kight — Democrat Lisa Wynn and Republican Allen Morgan — have said automating the office is their chief goal.
Doing so could be a challenge, despite 13 other counties in the state having done so.
“In the past, the drawback was that it’s going to cause the taxpayer to use a little more money to use credit cards online,” Kight said. “But it’s been a topic and has been discussed for a while. It’s not really in our hands, though.”
Kight, who recently had back surgery, said she plans to recuperate from the surgery before traveling to visit family in other states.
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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 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
