Madison County tax assessor Norman Kennedy presents 2026 tax roll showing 53.7% assessed-value increase; board acknowledges receipt

Norman Kennedy, Madison County tax assessor, told the Board of Supervisors that the preliminary 2026 true value of the county tax roll is $24,800,000,000 and the total assessed value is $3,504,899,033 — "an overall increase of 1,200,000,000 or 53.7% over the 2025 tax roll," he said.

Kennedy said the assessor’s office has filed all required documentation with the clerk of the board "as required by Mississippi Code 27-35-81," placed a hard copy of the roll in the boardroom and published it online for inspection. He walked supervisors through assessed-value totals by class: Class 1 and 2 real property at $1,998,675,013 (up $504,900,000 from 2025); Class 3 personal property at $1,029,109,420 (up about $685,500,000); Class 4 public utilities at $114,874,240; and Class 5 motor vehicles and motor homes at $362,240,360.

The assessor attributed the largest portion of the increase to the addition of initial improvements for an Amazon data center and noted that 2026 is a countywide reappraisal year. "During a reappraisal year, we review and update property values to reflect current market conditions," Kennedy said, adding that the process is intended to ensure fairness and compliance with state requirements.

Kennedy also provided parcel and exemption counts: the roll covers 59,353 real property parcels and 5,166 personal property accounts, with 528 single-family residences added and 3,010 homestead exemption applications processed between Jan. 1 and April 1 of this year.

Supervisor Baxter asked what extra revenue would result from the increased assessed values; Kennedy deferred revenue questions to Mr. Higginbotham. The county administrator explained that revenue depends on both assessed value and the millage rate and that the board can lower the millage rate to offset higher assessed values. He cited a state statutory constraint limiting the county from collecting more than a 10% increase year over year, noting the details and exemptions can be nuanced. "If the assessed value has gone up 20%, then we're gonna have to start looking at what all that entails," Higginbotham said, adding that it was early to determine individual taxpayers' bills.

Baxter said he will work with staff to propose a tax cut in response to the jump in values. The chair and other supervisors said the roll and its implications will be reviewed further during upcoming budget discussions.

The chair moved to: acknowledge receipt of the 2026 real and personal property tax rolls for Madison County; adopt and enter the July order; authorize the equalization process to proceed at board meetings in July 2026; establish Aug. 3, 2026 as the date the board will hear objections and set that date as the deadline for filing written protests with the clerk (to be advertised in the Madison County Journal); and accept the assessor's affidavits and draft recap sheet. Supervisor Banks seconded the motion. The board voted in the affirmative and the chair stated the motion passed "100%." No roll-call vote or individual tallies were recorded in the transcript.

Kennedy closed by thanking his staff and the board for their time. The board also noted logistics items following the vote and moved on to the next agenda item.