Oktibbeha County weighs use of hospital sale proceeds after Starkville letter, legal opinion

Oktibbeha County supervisors met to discuss how to allocate proceeds from the recent sale of the county hospital, a discussion shaped by a letter from the City of Starkville asserting the city would be entitled to 50% of county road spending if the county uses general‑fund dollars for roads, and by an Attorney General opinion read at the meeting that concluded the hospital proceeds were not ad valorem tax revenues required to be shared with municipalities.

County Administrator White Gardner told the board he had provided a packet of materials, including the City of Starkville letter and an Attorney General opinion arising from a Lafayette County hospital sale. Reading the opinion aloud, White Gardner summarized its conclusion: "No. Since those proceeds are not ad valorem tax proceeds collected by the county within those municipalities," the opinion said, indicating the Lafayette County opinion did not require sharing hospital‑sale proceeds with cities. White Gardner said he would travel to Jackson after the meeting to seek additional clarity.

The C…