When the Mississippi Legislature convenes in Jackson for its 2019 session on Jan. 8, it won’t quite be business as usual.
“It’s an election year,” noted District 39 Rep. Jeff Smith (R-Lowndes, Monroe counties), the dean of the Golden Triangle’s seven-member legislative delegation who has been serving in the Legislature since 1992. “That means you’re probably not going to see a lot of controversial issues. People are trying to get re-elected.”
But the absence of any “lightning rod” bills does not mean the local delegation will not be pursuing a robust variety of legislation geared specifically to Golden Triangle interests.
“There are quite a few notable things we’ll be working on,” said District 38 Rep. Cheikh Taylor (D-Oktibbeha, Lowndes, Clay counties). “The session may not be remembered for a lot of state-wide issues, but locally, we’ll be working on some pretty important issues for our constituents.”
Most of the focus will be on revenue and projects ranging from money for schools, community centers and facilities, even athletic programs.
Revenue bills
One of the most anticipated bills that will be presented to the Legislature this season is Lowndes County’s effort to restore its 2-percent restaurant sales tax, which created a storm of controversy in last year’s session when a bill to extend the tax, established in 1987, died in committee. The tax had been used to fund the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau and economic development.
When the tax expired on June 30, the county lost an estimated $2 million in annual revenue.
Legislators were quick to resurrect the bill for this year’s session.
“I’ve already pre-filed a bill (for) the restaurant tax,” said District 37 Rep. Gary Chism (R-Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay). “It’s the exact same bill that Columbus and Lowndes County agreed to back this summer before the special session.”
That bill differs from the previous tax in a few major areas: It will reduce the sales “floor” at which restaurants are required to collect the tax from $325,000 in annual food and beverage sales revenue to $100,000. It would also only be collected at restaurants within the city limits of Columbus.
Also unlike previous iterations — which only funded tourism and economic development — the bill up for consideration in 2019 also includes funding for Columbus and Lowndes County park projects.
Starkville, too, is asking for an adjustment for its hotel/restaurant tax.
“We’ll be asking to raise that tax by 1 percent,” said Taylor. “That money will be used for the new sportsplex at Cornerstone Park, plus money for improvements at the other parks.”
Starkville officials say raising the tax to 3 percent — the maximum allowed by law — will generate $1 million annually to help fund the new facility, which is estimated to cost between $18.5 million and $20 million.
If the two taxes are approved, both will go before votes and would have to be approved by a 60 percent margin before being enacted.
Another tax bill that has the support of the local delegation is a change in an existing law that affects businesses located on county airport properties. In the spring, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that any business located on airport properties were tax-exempt, a ruling that cost Lowndes County and its school district roughly $1 million in revenue.
Smith said he and Sen. Josh Harkins (R-Rankin County) will be filing identical bills in both houses to change the language of the law and restore that revenue.
“The way we’ve written the bills, counties can opt out of it if they want to,” Smith said. “Really, I can’t imagine any serious opposition, so hopefully, this will mean it’s only going to be a one-time hit for revenue. I know that’s important to the Lowndes school district. I feel pretty confident we can get this fixed.”
Roads and projects
Taylor and District 43 Rep. Rob Roberson (R-Oktibbeha, Winston) will be working together on several projects for Starkville and Oktibbeha County — ranging from a drainage project on Northside Drive to a $2 million new school in Starkville.
Taylor said he hopes to secure $380,000 for the drainage project.
“It’s a 40-year-old problem that affects 50 homes and public housing facilities,” Taylor said. “It’s a safety hazard, most importantly, but it’s also really hurt property values. It’s something that’s been needed for a long time.”
Roberson said funding for the Partnership School, a Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District school for middle school students on Mississippi State’s campus, is something that needs immediate attention.
MSU has dedicated the land to the project and SOCSD has committed local funding, as well.
“If they’re going to be in a position to open the school next fall, we’re going to have to get this done,” Roberson said. “I’m not sure exactly what path it will take — whether it will be through the bond process or through the regular legislation. We’ll be looking for the best, easiest path forward.”
Taylor said he will also present a bill that will allow for a special car tag to support the school district’s athletics programs.
“Based on our estimates, that would produce about $15,000 each year,” Taylor said.
Bond program
Smith, as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, is instrumental in the state’s bond program each year. This year, he said, there are some opportunities to fund more small projects than usual.
“We don’t really have a big deal coming in, like say a Nissan or Yokohama,” Smith said. “So this year could be a good year to help out with a lot of smaller projects.”
Sen. Chuck Younger (R-Lowndes, Monroe) said he plans to push for one of those projects.
“The old gym at Crawford is terrible shape and really needs some work,” Younger said. “So I’ll be asking for $100,000 to fix it up so it can be used as a community center and maybe an after-school program. I think it would be something good for the folks out there. There’s no sense in just letting it go to waste.”
Sen. Angela Turner-Ford (D-Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee, Oktibbeha) said she would like to secure funds for a paving project on West Churchill Road in Clay County.
“It’s the road that runs in front of the new PECO Foods facility and there are a couple of other industries in the area, so it’s an important project,” Turner-Ford said. “West Point and Clay County are working on this together as a joint project. It would cost a little more than $900,000.”
Criminal justice reform
Although it’s not specific to the Golden Triangle, all three members of the Legislature’s black caucus from the Golden Triangle — Rep. Kabir Karriem (D-Lowndes), Taylor and Turner-Ford mentioned criminal justice reform as a key issue going into this year’s session.
“Last year, we passed a criminal justice package that took us three years to get through,” said Karriem, a member of the House Criminal Justice Committee. “That was a big step, but there is still a lot of things we can do to improve how criminal justice works in our state. We need to build on that.”
Karriem said he’s been encouraged by the emerging bipartisan support for reform.
“We have taken some good steps…,” he said. “But what I’ve learned with all legislation is that you have to watch because it’s all in the details. What can start out as a horse can end up as a cow if you aren’t paying attention.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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