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Real Estate Commission seeks modest increase to retain staff and expand outside counsel hours
Summary
The Mississippi Real Estate Commission requested about $120,000 total—mainly for staff pay increases and additional hours from long‑standing outside counsel—to retain experienced staff and handle disciplinary work and FOIA responses.
Brian Lee, director of the Mississippi Real Estate Commission, asked the appropriations subcommittee for about $120,000 in additional authority for the coming fiscal year: roughly $70,000 for salaries and fringes to retain staff and $50,000 for contractual legal services. Lee said the commission has been drawing down a reserve to pay past obligations and continues to operate with revenues from license fees rather than general funds.
Lee explained the contractual increase would pay additional hours to the firm Maxi Juan, which provides outside legal counsel on disciplinary matters, FOIA requests and occasional court work. Lee said the commission now combines in‑house legal work with outside counsel and that the requested funds would cover an uptick in legal needs while preserving institutional knowledge.
Committee members discussed whether rehiring in‑house counsel was preferable to relying on outside counsel. Lee said he and the firm share legal duties and that the current mix of in‑house and outside counsel had worked to address a backlog created during earlier staffing gaps. The subcommittee asked standard follow‑up questions about scope and cost before any final budget action.
