Antonia Flaggs Jones has announced her candidacy for Warren County tax collector.

Jones, 39, won the office without opposition in a 2009 special election after her appointment to the post by the Warren County Board of Supervisors. She is opposed in the Nov. 8 general election by Republican Patty Mekus, an employee of Vicksburg Catholic School.

Jones is a 17-year employee of the Tax Collector’s Office, having held clerk and deputy clerk positions since being hired by former tax collector Pat Simrall in December 1994.

Maintaining the highest performance standards when it comes to accounting principles, proper diversion of tax revenue collections and compliance with state law are of utmost importance, Jones said. A pilot program through the state Department of Revenue to speed up purchasing and renewing license plates was implemented this year, Jones said.

Elected countywide, tax collectors in Mississippi receive payments of property taxes and fees on real estate and vehicles for the county, and, by contract, for the City of Vicksburg.