By Josh Mitchell
Corinth Today News Editor
State Sen. Rita Potts Parks, R-Corinth, plans to co-sponsor a bill in this year’s legislative session to allow cities to keep more sales tax revenue to improve infrastructure such as roads and bridges.
Currently, Corinth and other cities only get back 18.5 percent of the sales tax revenue from the state, Parks noted.
The bill over three years would increase the amount of sales tax revenue cities would receive to 20 percent.
The additional 1.5 percent over what the cities get now would be directed to infrastructure improvements.
This is money that could help improve infrastructure in the city ranging from streets to sewers, Parks noted.
“That would go strictly to infrastructure, whether that’s sewer, roads, what is needed in the city limits of Corinth,” Parks said, adding, “I think that would be wonderful for Corinth.”
Cities have fallen behind in infrastructure upgrades she said, noting that this is a way to help the municipalities.
Corinth Mayor Tommy Irwin has proposed that the Legislature pass a bill to allow the city of Corinth to put to a vote of the people a quarter-cent sales tax increase to improve roads and bridges in the city.
Medicaid Fraud
Parks also plans to sponsor a bill to ask the Department of Medicaid to remove deceased people from the Medicaid rolls as well as people who do not live in the state. This is an effort to save public funds and cut down on fraud within the Medicaid system, she said.
“Medicaid is growing 13 percent every year, it has for the last four years in a row in the state of Mississippi,” Parks said. “Almost one third of our population is on Medicaid.”
Costs need to be cut, she said, adding that she does not want to take away from those who need Medicaid.
“We have got to get to the bottom of those who don’t need it who are abusing it,” Parks said.
Be First to Comment