By Billy Davis

Panola County supervisors will meet Monday in Batesville to review their current budget, fulfilling a plan to more closely watch money matters during the year.

The meeting is set for 4 p.m. in the county boardroom.

Supervisors will compare the county’s cash balance to last year’s figures; review department budgets; and see figures that show a decrease in tax collections, said County Administrator Kelley Magee.

“People are slow to pay their land taxes and pay for their car tags,” Magee said, referring to a slowdown of revenue.

The county board will also see figures that show Panola County government “overspent” during the 2007-2008 fiscal year, said Magee, who did not elaborate because supervisors have not seen the figures.

Panola County is presently five months into a new fiscal year and Magee, who was hired in August, has instructions from supervisors to help them maintain a tight budget county.

The Board of Supervisors, facing a budget crunch, raised county millage rate five mills in August for the first time in recent memory.

Also on Monday’s agenda is discussion of a $1 million CAP loan that has been approved by the Miss. Development Authority. Supervisors, cooperating with Panola Partnership and the City of Batesville, sought the funds to develop a new industrial park near the airport.

Magee said supervisors on Monday can accept the loan, which would jumpstart development, or opt to turn it down and pursue state grants once an industry commits to the site. 

The CAP loan would cost between $60,000 to $70,000 a year to pay back, she said.