DeSoto County Supervisors propose millage rate cut

Aug. 11, 2025 – DeSoto County Supervisors Monday set a proposed millage rate of 34.25 mills for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. That will still be down from the current 41.02 mills. The vote came during a Board of Supervisors meeting Monday which included a group of real estate brokers on hand to speak on the move.

The millage drop comes in response to a Mississippi Department of Revenue directive requiring property to be assessed closer to fair market value. As part of that process, County Assessor Jeff Fitch set the new assessment percentage at 85 percent of fair market value for this year’s countywide reassessment — an adjustment that increased property values by an average of 24 percent. Before the directive, Fitch typically set 56 percent for his level of assessment.  

Monday, Board President Mark Gardner said supervisors have not raised the county’s millage rate in 21 years, but this reassessment left them no choice but to act, if even to drop the millage.

“This year, with the unique challenge of reassessment, we have to lower the millage,” Gardner said. “The question is, how much? We want to keep it as close to revenue-neutral as possible while still funding essential services.”

Gardner said supervisors examined county needs and revenue projections for weeks before arriving at the 34.25 proposal. 

“It’s a balance between giving taxpayers relief and making sure we don’t end up cutting deputies, road projects, or other critical services,” he said. “We can’t just slash it because the next year we might have to raise it back up — and that’s not fair to anyone.”

Real estate broker Jamie Ross, who spoke during the meeting’s public comment period, supported the effort to lower the rate but warned that the reassessment still means many homeowners will see a larger bill. 

“People are hurting, especially with inflation and rising mortgage rates,” Ross said. “Even with the millage cut, some will be paying more, and that’s hard to explain to families who are already stretched thin. We need to keep looking for ways to soften that blow.”

A public hearing on the proposed budget and tax levies is scheduled for the Monday Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday, Sept. 2, at 9:15 a.m. at the DeSoto County Administration Building in Hernando.

Supervisors said the proposed reduction is designed to offset most of the reassessment’s impact while maintaining a growth factor of less than one percent. The county’s $429 million budget covers services from law enforcement and emergency management to road maintenance and court operations. Rising costs in diesel fuel, asphalt, employee insurance, and mandated programs have added pressure to the budget.

Gardner acknowledged the millage cut might not feel like a windfall. 

“If your home’s value went up a lot, you may still see an increase in your bill,” he said. “But without this millage drop, that increase would have been much steeper.”

County figures show that with the proposed rate, the owner of a $312,930 home would pay about $138 more per year in county taxes. Homes valued at $168,000 would see an increase of about $57 per year.

Supervisor Jessie Medlin reminded residents that supervisors are also taxpayers. “We are on your side,” Medlin said. “This decision is very educated, very thoughtful, and not taken lightly.”

Ross said she hopes homeowners will make their voices heard before the board finalizes the plan. “That’s what this hearing is for,” she said. “If people don’t speak up now, they can’t be surprised later when the bills come in.”

The public is encouraged to attend the Sept. 2 hearing to ask questions and provide feedback before the board votes on the budget and millage rate. State mandates require the budget be finalized by Sept. 15 prior to the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1.