Supes hire architect for new annex

A new building for the Tax Collector and Tax Assessor is being considered in south Madison County.

The Board of Supervisors authorized hiring an architect to look into options citing the need for more space.

Board President Gerald Steen said he’s spoken with both Tax Assessor Norman Cannady and Tax Collector C.J. Garavelli and each expressed the need for more space because of the county’s growth. 

Steen made the motion to have the county administrator work with an architect to bring together a couple of options in the next 60-120 days, noting this was not a motion to purchase any property at this time. 

District 5 Supervisor Paul Griffin said he also spoke with both the county officials and they also stressed the need for more space because the county continues to grow. 

He said that he was hoping that with a new Tax Collector employing new systems and with many online alternatives for taxpayers to conduct business, there wouldn’t be a need for another building. 

District 1 Supervisor Casey Brannon said he was given a tour of the current annex located in Madison in an old bank building across from Mama Hamil's and he “recognized the issues there.”

He asked Steen to amend his motion to include options other than constructing a new building like maybe leasing space. 

“That’s a good thought, good suggestion,” Steen said before amending his motion. 

In June 2013, supervisors voted to abandon the original annex on U.S. Highway 51 in Ridgeland where CC's Coffee House is today to buy the Community Trust Bank building at 171 Cobblestone Drive in Madison saying it had more space and would better serve the county. 

The county spent $2.3 million on the building after abandoning proposals to build an annex estimated to cost between $2 to $3 million. 

Steen voted against the purchase at the time along with then-District 2 Supervisor Ronny Lott, who currently serves as Chancery Clerk. 

“We need to build a building that will satisfy the needs for the next 15-20 years, instead of purchasing another building that does not fit our needs for that time period,” Steen said in 2013. Then-Tax Assessor Gerald Barber argued the Community Trust Bank building would be able to accommodate the growth for 15 to 20 years. 

The county has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars renovating, repairing, and upgrading the current annex.