County leaders from around Mississippi are stepping upcommunications with statewide elected officials in preparation fornext year’s legislative session, and one of Lincoln County’s own isplaying an important role in that process.

District Four Supervisor Doug Moak is serving as chairman of theMississippi Association of Supervisors’ Legislative Committee,helping the statewide organization of 410 county supervisorstransmit their needs and concerns to legislators and make surelocal voices are heard when laws are molded beginning in January.Moak and his contemporaries began the dialogue Tuesday during ameeting with Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant and Speaker of the House BillyMcCoy.

“We had a meeting to let them know where we stand before thesession starts,” Moak said. “There’s going to be some issues comeup next year, and we just wanted to let them know we’d like to havea voice at the table.”

Moak said the primary issue for MAS heading into 2010 wouldadjustments to homestead exemptions, a popular motion in 2009 thatgenerated several bills in the House and Senate.

Although none of the bills passed during the session, suchadjustments would impact county revenues, and Moak said supervisorshad no input into the legislative process. He said supervisors wereparticularly concerned with Senate Bill 2300, which would haveraised the exemption for citizens disabled or 65 and older from$75,000 to $100,000.

“It would have been pretty tough on county budgets, especiallysmall counties,” Moak said. “There are 10 or 12 counties thatexperience 10 percent growth, and it wouldn’t hurt them that bad,but there are several counties that have experienced losses inappraised value, and it would hurt them.

“And, indirectly, it would make it harder on senior adultsbecause we would have to probably adjust a little bit if our advalorem taxes,” he continued. “There’s really no such thing as atax exemption, there’s just a tax shift.”

Legislative committee members also lobbied the lieutenantgovernor and speaker of the House for counties’ Local System BridgeProgram funding – a primary source of money allotted annually tocounties for repairs – to be maintained, and discussed methods foracquiring fire trucks for volunteer fire departments.

One item not yet suggested by MAS but is basically an annualpoint of interest, Moak said, is a local option sales tax.

It would allow counties to collect a percentage of sales taxeslike municipalities do. A sales tax for counties would givesupervisors the option of lowering ad valorem levies.

“It’s really the most fair tax, because everyone pays itequally,” he said about sales tax. “Most of the time it’s tied inwith some kind of tourism or indirect business development.”

Moak said MAS representatives suggest the option almost everyyear, but it is usually “shot down in the Legislature.” Even if theLegislature approved it, county voters would have the final say onits implementation, he said.

Moak said concrete policies would begin developing at MAS’ fallworkshop in October.

“Our committee is proactive, and (Tuesday) we just kind of letthem know we have some thoughts and we’d like a voice,” Moak said.”Things will start heating up once the session starts.”