Rankin County Supervisors, State Leaders Celebrate Passage of Legislation Protecting Investments in Roads, Bridges and Public Schools
17Apr
On April 15, 2019, the Rankin County Board of Supervisors hosted Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves, Speaker of the House Phillip Gunn and members of the Mississippi Legislature to celebrate passage of 2019 Senate Bill 2802, a measure that protects Rankin County's investments in county roads and bridges, as well as the public schools in Rankin County. In 2018, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that a property tax exemption statute intended to apply only to businesses serving the Jackson Airport also applied to any business that is located on property controlled by the airport, whether the business served airport operations or not. This ruling, if not corrected, could potentially result in reduced property tax revenue to Rankin County measured in the tens of millions of dollars annually. Roughly 56 cents of every dollar collected in county property tax is diverted to Rankin County and Pearl Schools, meaning the impact of the court ruling would directly harm local schools. To correct the Supreme Court's misinterpretation of the original tax exemption law, Rankin County Senator, Josh Harkins, authored Senate Bill 2802, a measure which clarifies that a property tax exemption is only available to businesses located on airport property that directly serve the function of the airport.
Governor Phil Bryant signed the measure into law on March 6, 2019. The Rankin County Board of Supervisors thanks Governor Phil Bryant, Lt. Governor Tate Reeves, Speaker Philip Gunn and all of the members of the Rankin County legislative delegation, particularly Senator Josh Harkins who spearheaded the legislation, for their diligent efforts to protect Rankin County's investments in public infrastructure and public schools.
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