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The Quorum Court discussed Social Security and Supplemental Insurance Monday night. The court mentioned group insurance is not always the best because numerous claims can make rates skyrocket. One way to maintain the lower rates is to move people 65 and older from the group plan to Medicare.

There was a motion to cap the group rates at $350 since the average cost per person is $300. The motion was cancelled and a new motion was made to cap payments at$572, which is the current monthly insurance expense per employee, and that motion passed..

 The Drew County Conservation District on Beaver Management requested a renewal of funds at Monday night’s Quorum Court meeting.

The program has caught 393 beavers to date using 26 clients. The recent high water has slowed work but all is working well and with good results for farmers.

The Court again approved $3,000 in funds for this program.

The Drew County quorum court met in a budget session Monday night, to discuss fiscal year 2010’s finances. Read the rest of this entry »

“When the dust and the rain cleared after the rear of the building at the corner of Gaines and South Main fell, passersby noticed a door suspended over the rubble that read “Patrick Henry”.

A little research yielded several facts about Drew County’s Patrick Henry. A Mississippian by birth, Henry came to Monticello in 1900 after completing his law degree. He practiced in law firms with several local lawyers, including Walter Weatherford, H. W. Wells, and Joe Lee Harris.

Patrick Henry also had a varied political career, serving as mayor from 1903 through 1906. He ran for the office of prosecuting attorney that year and lost. In 1931 he was elected Circuit Judge for the 10th Judicial District and served when the current courthouse was built. He died suddenly in 1935.

Thinking that the door should be in the museum, Sheilla Lampkin, chair of the museum commission, approached property owner Leslie McKiever, who so graciously offered it to the museum if it could safely be removed.

Sheriff Mark Gober rescued the historic door for the museum where it is now on display.”

The Drew County Quorum Court met in it’s regular session Monday night. 

The recent property reappraisals have led to many phone calls being made to the assessor’s office and quorum court members.  Taxpayers have until August 18th to notify the assessor’s office of their intention to present their case to the Drew County equalization Board.

Justice of the peace, Danny Lloyd , presented photos of local deer camp.

The building is located out in the county, has an exterior made of galvanized tin, and has a concrete floor.  The photo to the left shows a window unit for air-conditioning, and a stove pipe.

The deer camp’s interior, as shown here, is made of particleboard.  The 60 x 30 foot building is located on one half acre of land.

This property now has an appraised value of $55,500.

Lloyd described the whole reappraisal project with the phrase, “It seems like a tax increase without giving the county  a chance to vote on it.”  He then added, “They can’t sell their property for what it’s assessed for.” 

County Attorney Cliff Gibson told the court that the objective of the reappraisal is to determine the “fair market value”, and then described that as, “What a willing buyer will give a willing seller for their property.”

Again it was pointed out that taxpayers have until August 18 to request a hearing with the equalization board, by contacting the assessor’s office.

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In other business, Judge Damon Lampkin told the court that he recently became aware that some county taxpayers who use CenturyTel telephone service have been having their taxes paid to Desha County, instead of Drew County, by CenturyTel.  CenturyTel has been contacted, but isn’t providing information due to “privacy issues”.  The court said the public needs to be aware of this problem, and Judge Lampkin told them that MonticelloLive published the story Monday morning, and KHBM radio broadcast it as a part of their morning newscasts.

Read the rest of this entry »