Coahoma County Supervisors are seeing the cost of everything they touch go up, from gravel and asphalt to heavy equipment and the labor to operate that equipment.
Sheriff Mario Magsby and Emergency Management Agency Director Charles Hale have come before the board seeking new vehicles and plans for a new 911 system and, while this newspaper supports these needs, they are going to cost money that is not in the county's 2024 budget.
On the other hand the county has hired their buddies over the past four years and have handed taxpayers a monthly county payroll of more than $600,000 and even hired an ARPA Consultant to spend our money for $200,000 a year.
So how are they going to pay for all this?
As your Clarksdale Press Register has said before, we urge supervisors to go after those who have unpaid fines from a conviction in county court.
It would solve two problems: It would avoid a tax increase, and it would make those who have a debt to society pay up.
Most of us have probably “run afoul of the law” and been given a citation or hauled into court and justice served with a fine. The good folk in this world, admit their blunder, promise the judge they will be more careful and then pay their fine.
But there are some people in Coahoma County Justice Court who admit their infraction, promise the judge anything and then walk out never intending to pay the court.
That is not right and that is not justice.
What could the county do with an extra $2 million dollars?
They could make needed repairs to county boat ramps and buildings. They might hire a couple of extra deputies to patrol rural areas. And if they looked real hard they could probably find a road or two that needs paving.
People are getting their tax refund checks this winter and there is a program to garnish that money.
Your Clarksdale Press Register urges our supervisors, judges, constables and sheriff to look once again at their list of unpaid fines.
Turning up the heat on those who have unpaid fines will certainly help Coahoma County’s bottom line.
We would like to point out these fines would be collected from people who have already been convicted, sentenced and fined by the court.
We hope smart people will just pay the debt they owe society. We also hope smart county officials will put pressure on those who don’t.
And we hope that revenue will be used to make our county a better place to live.
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