House Bill 1028

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 27-35-101, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF EVERY COUNTY TO ADVERTISE FOR REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS FOR CONTRACTS FOR SURVEYS, APPRAISALS, MAPPING AND THE RELATED MAINTENANCE OR UPDATES FOR AD VALOREM TAXATION PURPOSES AND GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS PURPOSES; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 27-35-101, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

27-35-101. The board of supervisors of any county in this state is hereby authorized in its discretion, to have the cultivatable, uncultivatable, or timbered lands of any owner, or of the entire county or any part thereof, surveyed and the acreage thereof determined and the value of the lands and of any timber, buildings or improvements thereon appraised by a competent person or persons, to be selected by the board of supervisors, the cost thereof to be paid from the general county fund. The board of supervisors of any county is hereby authorized to have the lots and blocks or other tracts in the municipalities of the county surveyed and the area determined, and the valuation thereof and of any buildings, structures, or other improvements thereon, appraised for the purpose of taxation in the same manner and at the same time that lands outside of municipalities are surveyed and appraised. Before entering into any contract for surveys, mapping, appraisals and the related maintenance or updates for taxation purposes or for geographical information systems purposes that involves an expenditure of more than Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00), the board of supervisors shall issue publicly a request for proposals concerning the specifications for such services. The request for proposals shall be advertised in the same manner as provided under Section 31-7-13(c) for seeking bids for purchases that involve an expenditure of more than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00). A request for proposals shall contain terms and conditions relating to price, financial responsibility, technology, legal responsibilities and other relevant factors as determined relevant by the board of supervisors. All factors determined relevant by the board of supervisors or as required by this section shall be included in the advertisement to elicit proposals. After responses to the request for proposal or proposals have been received, the board of supervisors shall select the most qualified proposal or proposals on the basis of price, technology and other relevant factors and from such proposals, but not limited to the terms thereof, shall negotiate and enter into contract with one or more persons or firms submitting the proposals. If the board of supervisors deems none of the proposals to be qualified or otherwise acceptable, the request for proposals process may be reinitiated. When such survey and appraisal is made, a permanent record thereof shall be made and preserved by the clerk of the board of supervisors, to which the tax assessor of the county shall at all times have access.

The board of supervisors of any county in this state having within its boundaries a municipality with a population in excess of one hundred fifty thousand (150,000) according to the latest federal census, is authorized to secure from such municipality surveys, appraisals and related materials made or caused to be made by it for the valuation for assessment purposes of property located in such municipality, and to pay to such municipality therefor out of the general county fund such sum or sums as may be agreed upon between such board of supervisors and the governing authorities of such municipality, all of which may be done without the necessity of publication of notice for or the reception of bids.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2002.