County to pay Riverwalk in monthly parts

Published 12:02 pm Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Refunds due Riverwalk Casino following its court settlement over its 2009 property tax liability are likeliest to come a little each month, according to Warren County supervisors.

In September, the casino and the county settled a year-old appeal of values set on its four Warrenton Road parcels. Terms reached on the value equaled 35 percent less than originally set, and a $110,536.12 overpayment of county, city and school taxes was calculated based on the new value.

An attorney general’s opinion issued in October allows the county to either recover the refund directly from the City of Vicksburg and the Vicksburg Warren School District at once or a little each month through the Tax Collector’s monthly settlements due to each.

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County costs for assessing and collecting taxes for the city are equalized via state law and interlocal agreement.

A motion offered by District 4 Supervisor Bill Lauderdale to “work out the details” was approved by the board Monday, with the gradual approach favored by a consensus.

The opinion was sought to “deal with the refunds in a manner that would least impact all three entities, according to background detailed in the AG response.

The county’s $14.8 million budget for the year starting Oct. 1 was balanced between spending and revenue, with the latter expected to be about $140,000 richer due to values ending up $20 million more than where talks stood when the casino’s appeal was filed.

Riverwalk was the second casino to settle its 2009 property taxes after filing suit.

In August, county officials settled with Ameristar Casino, resulting in a $3.3 million property tax bill on its 21 parcels of property in Vicksburg, splitting the difference between Ameristar’s tax liability before the casino’s renovation and what the Tax Assessor’s Office originally calculated.