Y’all Politics brings you a Bill of the Day from the Mississippi Legislature that just may pique your interest.
Salaries for the five supervisors in each county in Mississippi are set by the Legislature and based on the total assessed valuation of the respective county for the preceding taxable year. However, those salaries are not to be reduced as a result of a reduction in that assessed valuation.
State Representative Larry Byrd (R) has filed a bill to give county supervisors a pay raise and to provide an avenue for them to raise their own pay even more after January 2024.
But there is a catch Byrd includes in the bill: “No state revenue shall be used to pay any salary increase authorized under this section.”
HB 527 would raise county supervisor pay rates as follows:
- For counties having a total assessed valuation of less than $30 million, the current salary of $29,000 would increase to $33,500 – a $4,500 increase.
- For counties having a total assessed valuation of at least $30 million but less than $50 million, the current salary of $32,300 would increase to $37,500 – a $5,200 increase.
- For counties having a total assessed valuation of at least $50 million but less than $75 million, the current salary of $33,700 would increase to $40,500 – a $6,800 increase.
- For counties having a total assessed valuation of at least $75 million but less than $125 million, the current salary of $34,700.00 would increase to $41,500 – a $6,800 increase.
- For counties having a total assessed valuation of at least $125 million but less than $300 million, the current salary of $40,400 would increase to $45,000 – a $4,600 increase.
- For counties having a total assessed valuation of at least $300 million but less than $1 billion, the current salary of $44,700 would increase to $50,000 – a $5,300 increase.
- For counties having a total assessed valuation of $1 billion but less than $2 billion, the current salary of $45,700 would increase to $52,000 – a $6,300 increase.
- For counties having a total assessed valuation of $2 billion or more, the current salary of $46,700 would increase to $54,000 – a $7,300 increase.
This change would affect all 410 county supervisors in the state.
In addition, Rep. Byrd’s bill would allow the county supervisors’ salaries to be increased by an amount not to exceed $2,000 over the amounts set out above after January 1, 2024. It also allows another increase not to exceed $4,000 after January 1, 2028.
The bill says if members of the board of supervisors approve a salary increase pursuant to this subsection in any year, then the members of the board of supervisors would not be eligible for any additional salary increases for such fiscal year.
It also states that the salary of the members of the board of supervisors shall not be increased in the last year of the supervisors’ term.
You can read the full version of the bill here.
Frank Corder
