NATCHEZ — Adams County Tax Assessor Reynolds Atkins told the board of supervisors Tuesday real and property tax values would see a small increase of $2,080,981.

Atkins said the slight valuation growth was not as much as the county has experienced in the past, but it was better than having a decrease. Personal property tax valuations are increasing from $82,419,806 in 2015 to $83,229,856. Real property tax valuations increased from $169,626,992 to $170,897,923.

Supervisors President Mike Lazarus said this was the year when the Isle of Capri Casino left the tax rolls.

“We made up a lot of that ground, somehow,” he said. “We gained some this year, but it is not as much as it usually is.”

Lazarus said for the board, an extra $2 million on the tax rolls only equates to approximately $20,000 in additional revenue.

“But the assessed value has gone down before in the past, so (this year’s increase is) still good,” he said.

Atkins said the county should expect a larger bump in 2017 with more than 20 houses going on the rolls as well as some industrial development. Lazarus said one of those houses being built has a $7 million value, and Von Drehle Corporation is investing more than $100 million in the community. Improvements to the hospital will also help, Lazarus said.

“I anticipate a huge increase next year,” Lazarus said. “One year it was so high we had to cut eight mills to keep taxes from going up.

“It didn’t affect our revenue — we got the same — but we didn’t feel it was right to raise taxes.”

In other news, E-911 board member Everard Baker updated the board on the latest in the consolidation of the Natchez Police Department and Adams County Sheriff’s Office dispatch.

Baker said he felt good about the dispatch center meeting the October 1 deadline. The center will be located behind Emergency Management Director Robert Bradford’s conference room at the sheriff’s office.

Baker said the center would have 12 dispatchers and one supervisor on 12-hour shifts. Baker said current NPD and ACSO dispatchers would receive first consideration for any hires.

Attorney Scott Slover said he’d start working up a draft of the interlocal agreements to facilitate meeting the October 1 deadline.

Supervisor David Carter said the office of the attorney general released a statement that the county could not have a sole provider for both emergency and non-emergency ambulance providers in an effort to have better response time.

Carter said the county could have a sole provider for 911 related emergencies, but could not rule other ambulance services out for non emergencies. Carter said he was going to bring the matter up for vote at the next meeting.

Lazarus said the county would not hire a private investigator to search for out of state car tags being housed in Adams County, but he did encourage neighbors report to the board of supervisors any violations.

On notice of the offense, deputies or the constable will deliver a warning that the resident will have 30 days to get an Adams County tag.

“We can’t pick and chose what laws to follow,” Lazarus said. “I’m not trying to be a bully, but we have people calling in complaining they have to pay for an Adams County tag, so why don’t they?

“It’s OK if you want to have a Louisiana lake house, but if you are parking your car here, it’s where you have to have it registered.”