The Pearl River County Board of Supervisors approved its budget for 2018 Friday morning, cutting almost $1.4 million from budget requests.
The total budget equates to roughly $17.5 million. Of that, the Pearl River County Sheriff Administration and jail get the largest amount. The administration will receive $3.25 million after requesting $3.33 million. Last year, the administration received $3.2 million.
The jail, which went over budget last fiscal year, will have the same amount of funding it received last year, $3.05 million, after requesting for an increase of $130,050.
Another department that went over budget last year was the Circuit Court, which received an increase of $60,000 from last year, bringing that department’s total budget to $525,000 for 2018.
The Pearl River County Library System requested an additional $22,600 in funding for the 2018 fiscal year. However, the request was not accepted and the library will receive $252,000 in county funding like the previous fiscal year.
The Board of Supervisors will receive $1.25 million, the same as last year, after requesting nearly $1.27 million. The Chancery Clerk and Circuit Clerk offices will both see increases in funding for the 2017-18 fiscal year. Chancery Clerk Melinda Bowman requested an additional $50,000 to complete the records restoration project, previous coverage states. Although she did not get all of the requested funds, the Chancery Clerk’s office will receive $607,000, a $24,000 increase. The Circuit Clerk’s office will receive $500,000, a $35,000 increase.
The tax collector’s office will also see an increase in funding, from $695,000 last year to $710,000 next year to help the office hire an office manager at the Picayune location.
The District Attorney’s Office requested an additional $38,000 to change a part-time position to full-time. However, the Board gave the office an additional $12,000 for 2018.
For this upcoming fiscal year, the total revenue is nearly $27 million. Of that amount, 63 percent, or $16.9 million, will be financed through ad valorem taxes.
The total revenue for the previous fiscal year of 2017 was roughly $28.8 million. Of which, 57 percent, or $16.4 million, came from ad valorem taxes.
Adrain Lumpkin, county administrator, said the decision to not raise the ad valorem tax millage rate means taxpayers in the county will not pay more in ad valorem taxes on their homes, utilities, business fixtures, car tags and equipment. The only exception is if the assessed value of a certain property increased for fiscal year 2018.