EDITORIAL/Drive thru taxes

It comes as no surprise that Madison County supervisors are looking to spend what could be millions of dollars for a new annex to house the Tax Collector and Tax Assessor, citing the need for more space.

Back in 2012-2013, we sounded the alarm when supervisors moved forward with purchasing the old Community Trust Bank branch in Madison. 

We knew then there wasn’t enough space available to make ends meet, but supervisors did what they do best sometimes and spent taxpayer money on a whim. There was likely a backroom deal made that explains it all.

Fast forward seven years, amidst a pandemic, and cars are piled up on Highway 51 every day because the Tax Collector’s Office can’t keep up with the demand from residents needing to pick up a car tag or pay taxes.

Do you want to know why there isn’t enough room? Because you bought a building that was smaller than the building you were in previously. And you wanted to rely on drive-thru windows meant to accommodate bank customers who can get in and out in a minute and not people paying their taxes.

Not only is the county on the hook for paying off the Madison annex, but now we are looking at taking out a bond to build a new facility — something that was advocated for back in 2013. We even advocated for a new building to be built where the new Ridgeland City Hall is going.

This would be a possible second courthouse annex in south Madison County. Supervisors need to be more careful this time.

“We’ve got to move forward,” Tax Collector Kay Pace said. “I’ve kept my staff as low as I can and I’ve changed as much as possible to work on computers, but you need to have everything where it’s more useable. The building we’re in now is great, but we need to move.” 

District 1 Supervisor Sheila Jones asked that the architects also look at sites on Highland Colony Parkway to serve the residents west of I-55.

District 2 Supervisor Trey Baxter said the bulk of the growth in the county is in the Gluckstadt area. 

When will the supervisors and other elected officials learn they are spending our money and not theirs? Only when the public decides to hold them accountable. Think about that the next time you are stuck in traffic or you can’t drive a mile without hitting numerous potholes.