Mississippi County Quorum Court justices decided Monday afternoon in a budget meeting to remove a $200,000 expenditure which had been proposed by county tax assessor Harley Bradley for payment to a private contractor he was hoping to hire to increase revenues in business personal tax collections.
In previous discussions on the matter, Bradley said that the company, which would want to be paid $200,000 a year for three years, would send a person to each business in the county to assess whether or not taxes are being paid properly; adding that he believed incomes could possibly quadruple from these measures, as many businesses do not properly report their taxable property in this category.
Justices said that they had received negative feedback from the community on this issue, and did not feel that the money should be spent on a company from the outside.
"I think it is a tough time, but I think the concern is having somebody come from the outside in here to do it," said Justice Ken Kennemore. "Harley works well with everybody. Times are tough, but everyone should pay their fair share. I would like to see us pull that $200,000 but get some extra employees for Harley. We don't want to mess people up in these tough times but I have to pay mine and I don't think it's fair for some to pay and others not."
"I don't think we need to spend the money outside of the county either, and I don't mean it personal but I think Harley and them [in his office] can do a better job," said Justice Barry Ball.
Bradley objected to this, saying that it was impossible for him to complete the necessary work with reduced manpower and funds.
"I'm doing the best I can, it's when you keep cutting and taking people away from me, I can't do the job," he said. "I don't have the manpower and I can't send people out to check everything. You don't accuse people of not paying their taxes, we're all in tough times right now. I've seen the county drop their millage when they had too much money...Blytheville schools are $1.2 million in the hole...none of the schools have enough money...if Armorel would drop their millage rate then no one there would be paying too much taxes...I've done my job, I've pinched every penny I can pinch...but we are still letting the fox guard the henhouse and I can't go to every one of those businesses with the manpower I have right now. I'd like to have two more employees, but they have to be trained right and it has to be a certain kind of person. I've been met at doors with shotguns, and try to get into one of those plants...it's an act of Congress."
Committee chair Justice Michael White said that Bradley could plan to meet with the court's personnel committee and propose opening slots for two new employees. He added that barring further changes, the budget for next year would be tight but would "make" without any more cutting, and will likely be ready for review and a vote by the full court in their regular meeting next Tuesday night.
White also told the group that the court's sanitation committee is planning a meeting for Thursday to address continuing issues at the county landfill. In the absence of former landfill director Nathan Taylor following a grievance hearing held last week, employee Will Allen has been filling in and reportedly told White that there are some significant problems with the landfill's equipment inventory.
"He said the owner's manuel for that Case dozer [which the county was planning litigation around] wasn't even supposed to be running on anything but flat ground, and there are some distinct questions about the equipment list," White said. "He's questioning whether or not everything on the list is even out there...there's a dozer that's shown on our list as in good condition and he sent me a picture of it, it's completely burned down and it was never claimed on insurance...the landfill is one of our most contentious points and we need to get it back in control."
sspears@blythevillecourier.com