The Union County Board of Supervisors dealt with a short agenda during its Monday, March 6 meeting.
The board approved the lowest bid from Riddle Heating and Air for $15,939 to replace the HVAC unit in the Chancery Court Building.
The consent agenda included routine approvals of statements of expenditures, claims docket payments, and board minutes.
The county administrator, comptroller, and chancery clerk were approved to attend the Mississippi Association of County Administrators & Comptrollers (MACAC) Spring Conference in Ridgeland in April.
The board discussed proposals for Engineering Services and approved services from the Elliott & Britt engineering firm for the industrial project at Martintown North.
New sheriff’s department employees were approved.
Deleting a Chevrolet Tahoe and a Dodge Ram from the inventory was approved.
The board approved G&O Supply, Inc. for a culvert project for $7,009.
The tax assessor’s office received approval for the surrendered tag list, petitions for assessment reduction/increase, and payroll authorization for Cody Roberts as deputy assessor.
The Union County board will meet again at 10 a.m. Monday, March 20.
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The board approved a Resolution proposed by Board Attorney Chandler Rogers for a Medal of Honor Trail.
At the request of County Administrator Terry Johnson, supervisors rescinded previous quotes on fans at the Fairgrounds Arena (low bidder required payment in advance) and discussed new quotes once everyone has a chance to look them over again.
Additionally, the board discussed quotes on additional garbage carts to be purchased with ARPA funds; three bids were received: TBS Supply for $27,743.00, Cascade for $28,563.00 Schaefer for 29,810.01 The board approved the bid from Cascade due to its better product quality.
They also amended budgets for Toyota Debt Service Fund by $500 an increase paying agent fees as well as E-911 purchase of 911 Road Signs, respectively.
At the request of Chancery Clerk Annette Hickey, the board approved County Departments Budget Comparison for December 2022 and semi-annual payments as Clerk of Board (MS Code 25-7-9).
County Coroner Pam Boman was granted payment of 13 Medical Examiner Fees.
The Board discussed quotes for Emergency Management Administrator Curt Clayton for purchasing a 2023 Argo Responder, which will be paid for through a grant received by EMA. There were two bids considered: Star Power Sports ($36,779) and Adventure ATV ($35,949.) The Adventure ATV bid was approved.
The road department was given approval for new part-time employment of Darren Timmons. Three new school bus turn arounds were approved. The contract with Chem-Pro for winter road service was approved, along with part time employment for David Herod.
The Sheriff’s Department received approval for a manual check payable to the PIPE fund, also MS DARE Training Centre in Louisville for training, lodging, and meals supplies for Terry Dowty, Jr.
Approval was granted to the Solid Waste Department for the promotion of John Moody as Foreman and Richard “Chris” Jordan. These promotions take effect January 17, 2023.
Tax Assessor/Collector Tameri Dunnam received approval for the surrendered tag list, the outstanding checks, inventory deletions, and three petitions for reductions of assessments.
A motion to adjourn until 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 6, was approved.
https://i0.wp.com/nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/County-Board-January-17-2023.jpg?fit=1200%2C555&ssl=15551200NEMiss.Newshttps://nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/nemiss-full-logo-300x77.jpgNEMiss.News2023-01-20 14:25:382023-01-20 14:25:38The Union County Board of Supervisor approves purchase of additional garbage cans, new Argo Responder vehicle
The Union County Tax Assessor-Collector’s office honored Sharon Medlin for her retirement. They were only slightly more than a year late.
The reason for the tardiness was, not surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic.
Medlin decided to retire after 32 years’ service and her last day was March 20, 2020.
This was when the pandemic really started to hit so Tax Assessor-Collector Tameri Dunnam thought it prudent to delay a reception for health safety reasons.
This past week they were finally able to give her a reception , although it was still mostly held outdoors, on the courthouse porch.
Medlin was given gifts and well-wishers had a variety of treats to sample as well.
Over her career, Medlin worked for four different assessor-collectors: Bob Bailey, Dennis Rakestraw, Randy Dunnam and Tameri Dunnam.
https://i0.wp.com/nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Medlin-5.jpg?fit=504%2C487&ssl=1487504NEMiss.Newshttps://nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/nemiss-full-logo-300x77.jpgNEMiss.News2021-05-18 15:30:522021-05-17 22:12:10Tax office staff honors retiree Sharon Medlin – more than a year later
It’s almost time to pay property taxes again and close to 20,000 cards listing taxes owed are scheduled to be mailed next week.
Union County Tax Assessor-Collector Tameri Dunnam said the taxes are really due Jan. 1 with a Feb. 1 deadline but many people prefer to pay their taxes earlier. There is a one-percent per month penalty for delinquent payments after Feb. 1 and the property may eventually be sold in August to pay delinquent taxes if the property owner has not paid them.
Property owners should see no change from last year unless improvements have been made to the property or buildings have been demolished.
What taxes are based on
Taxes are based on the appraised value of the property rather than a sale price and the state has a uniform appraisal system. Staff members look at the type of building, construction materials, type of roof, number of baths, number of heating and cooling units, square footage and other basics to determine appraised value.
The appraisal update is done every four years.
A property owner may come in anytime to update appraisal if, for instance, a building is demolished or some other substantive change is made and taxes can be lowered.
Some questions come up every year concerning taxes.
School taxes
“First, everyone pays school taxes,” Dunnam said. “It doesn’t matter whether you have a child in school.” No one pays both city and county school taxes, although some erroneously believe they do. That’s usually true for someone who lives in the large area in the northeast part of the county that is the so-called “added territory” for the city school district. People see city school tax listed even though they live out in the county and they assume – wrongly – county school tax is added in somewhere as well. It is not.
How is your property valued
Another question concerns the listed value of property. “It’s not market value or selling value,” Dunnam said, but calculated using the state formula. You do not want to pay tax based on market value, most likely, because you would be paying considerably more.
A third question concerns why tax on one piece of property might be much higher than for a similar plot. Dunnam said that is often because the person with higher taxes may not be taking advantage of exemptions available to him or her.
Exemptions
Exemptions include being 100-percent disabled or being over age 65. Another is using Homestead Exemption, but you must apply for any of these.
Homestead Exemption is a benefit available to homeowners who live in the county and pay all applicable taxes. Regular Homestead allows up to $300 tax credit on a home with a $75,000 or more appraised value. Special Homestead is for residents 65 years old or older at Jan. 1, or who are 100 percent disabled. It exempts up to $75,000 of the appraised value.
One may apply for Homestead Exemption between Jan. 2 and April 1. You need to bring to the tax office a filed warranty deed, Social Security numbers for all those listed on the deeds as well as their spouses, all license tag numbers, and, if disabled, a Notice of Award Letter saying you are 100 percent disabled. If you are applying for veterans exemption you will need a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs saying you are 100 percent disabled and it is service connected.
If you are granted Homestead Exemption you don’t have to reapply every year. You do have to reapply if a life change has occurred such as death, divorce, marriage or sale of homesteaded properties occurs.
Watch for the pink cards
Each property owner should receive one of the brightly-colored tax bill cards in the mail by the end of December. If you don’t, you need to contact Dunnam’s office because the bill is due whether you receive a card or not.
This is the fifth year for the new tax forms, which are bright reddish-pink. The color change was done because the old cards tended to be mistaken for junk mail or overlooked completely. “The color lets you know they are important,” Dunnam said.
You can pay your taxes any time before Feb. 1 but Dunnam said the busiest times, especially in January, are from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3:30 to 5 p.m. “There’s usually a line,” she said.
You can also pay taxes with credit cards but there will be a 2.35-percent convenience fee added because state law does not allow that fee to be included in the tax bill.
Anyone who has questions may call Dunnam’s office at 534-1972. The information on the new tax bills is generally self-explanatory if one reads it, however.
https://i0.wp.com/nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Tameri-Dunnam.jpg?fit=1030%2C494&ssl=14941030NEMiss.Newshttps://nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/nemiss-full-logo-300x77.jpgNEMiss.News2020-11-25 11:00:462020-11-24 20:55:13Union County property tax bills going out next week
Traffic into the Union County Courthouse is still being tightly controlled due to the threat of spreading the coronavirus.
In particular, Tax Assessor-Collector Tameri Dunnam has had to stop access to inside her office with people who have business doing so at a counter at the office door, one at a time.
Dunnam said tax payments and tag renewals will continue to only be handled through the mail or over the phone.
However, Dunnam has placed two drop boxes outside the courthouse for the convenience of residents. One is in front of the courthouse and the other is outside the east entrance.
Dunnam said she checks the boxes at least twice a day and payments put in them can be processed much more quickly than by using the postal service. She added the boxes are secure enough for cash to be deposited if anyone chooses to do so.
Although tax payments and tag renewals will only be handled through the mail or over the phone, those registering a new vehicle may call for an appointment. The phone number to call for that is 534-1972.
Anyone with questions regarding land, mobile home or homestead may also call for an appointment. That number is 534-1973.
The Union County Circuit Clerk’s office is also providing only counter service at the door.
Only the automatic doors in the front of the courthouse is now being used for access to the tax office, the circuit clerk’s office or the election commission.
Traffic-control chains and signs have been placed to separate people entering and leaving, and keeping them from bunching up when several are waiting in line.
Masks are required for all appointments.
Dunnam reminds the public that these necessary changes are as disruptive for the staff as they are for the public.
“These changes make it harder for county employees to complete transactions,” Dunnam said. “Please be patient and understanding.”
https://i0.wp.com/nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/tax-drop-box-wide.jpg?fit=1030%2C600&ssl=16001030Lynn Westhttps://nemiss.news/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/nemiss-full-logo-300x77.jpgLynn West2020-07-22 10:00:092020-07-21 20:14:52Tax office has drop boxes to speed up tax payments and car tag sales