The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors is considering whether or not to hire a collection agency to recover more than $1.1 million in unpaid taxes and fines from county residents.
As of September, the county was owed approximately $652,000 in unpaid mobile home property taxes and approximately $486,000 in Justice Court fines, County Administrator Don Posey said. The county has the authority to seize and resell a mobile home if taxes go unpaid, Posey said, but the county doesn”t typically take that route because it has nowhere to store the seized units and it would mean evicting residents.
“That”s why the county has never done it and that”s why (the amount of unpaid taxes) continues to get bigger,” Posey said.
Supervisors on Monday took under advisement a contract proposal from debt-collection agency Southern Financial Systems. Under the proposal, debtors would have to pay the amount owed to the county, plus an extra 25 percent, which would go to the collection agency.
The Starkville Board of Aldermen on Dec. 1 hired American Municipal Service, a collection agency out of Texas, on similar terms to recover debts owed to the city.
District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer was opposed to the proposal.
“My only problem with collection agencies is attaching fees on to people who can”t pay already,” Trainer said.
Board President John Young appeared to have mixed feelings on the matter.
“It would be a tough thing to take somebody”s mobile home for $400,” Young said.
But Southern Financial Systems representative Harris Williams told the board the company rarely recommend eviction for debtors. Typically the company makes phone calls and sends letters in attempts to collect debts, Williams said.
District 1 Supervisor Carl Clardy said he feels a collection agency is a good idea.
“There are a lot of people out there that could be paying on these fines and stuff that are owed,” Clardy said.
Posey agreed with Clardy.
“It”s not going to cost the county anything, so we might as well try to get what we can from the people who can pay,” Posey said.
Supervisors agreed to discuss the collection agency proposal again in January.
The board Tuesday also voted 3 to 1 to hire lobbyist Marty Fuller for another year at a salary of $96,000. Fuller spends much of his time in Washington, D.C., and is at least partially responsible for Oktibbeha County receiving millions of dollars in federal funds, Posey said.
Fuller, for instance, helped secure $17.35 million in federal funds for the “Southern Bypass” project, plus another $500,000 approved last weekend by the U.S. Senate as part of its 2010 Omnibus Appropriations bill. The Southern Bypass is planned to connect Artesia Road in southeast Oktibbeha County to Artesia Road in southwest Lowndes County, just west of the proposed Golden Triangle Global Industrial Aerospace Park.
“The access that the Southern Bypass offers our residents in Starkville and Oktibbeha and Lowndes counties creates new development opportunities in areas that have previously been under-utilized,” Greater Starkville Development Partnership CEO Jon Maynard said last week in a statement. “Communities that look for connectivity throughout their region are always successful. Oktibbeha County is poised to grow beyond all expectations.”
In other business, supervisors plan to apply for a Mississippi Development Authority grant worth up to $175,000 to make county buildings more energy efficient. The board will provide Golden Triangle Planning and Development District grant advisor Phyllis Benson with the names and descriptions of up to six county buildings they believe could become more energy efficient. The MDA will then send “energy auditors” to inspect the buildings before making a decision, Benson said.
Additionally, a new traffic signal is planned at the intersection of South Montgomery Street and Poorhouse Road. The county was approved for $89,600 in federal funds, which will cover the entire cost of the signal, Posey said. It is unclear when the light will be installed.
Supervisors also approved an official travel policy which states commercial air travel by any Oktibbeha County representative on official business will be flown from Golden Triangle Regional Airport. Exceptions to the policy are allowed if the overall cost of travel, including airfare, mileage, parking and other fees from GTR, exceeds $200 of the same expenses from another airport. Also, if the flight connections from GTR to the travelers” destination cause an undue delay and expense, then travel by the more convenient method is allowed, according to the policy.
Mike Hainsey, executive director at GTR, said business this year is up 2 percent over 2008 and 2008 was a “record year.” Hainsey is trying to get all the municipalities in the Golden Triangle to agree to use GTR as their primary airport. The city of Starkville recently approved the same policy.
Hainsey said he wants the airport to continue to grow and, in turn, help the surrounding areas prosper.
“It”s as much an economic development request as anything because we have to have a viable airport to bring in new business,” Hainsey said.
The board approved the policy 4-0. District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard was not in attendance.
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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 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
