County May Purchase Supervisor of Elections Building

Purchase would pay for itself in only seven years

By Sid Riley

At Tuesday’s regular meeting of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners, County Manager Ted Lakey presented a proposal for sale from the owner of the facility which currently houses the Supervisor of Elections function. The asking price for the building is $250,000.

This facility has been the home for Supervisor of Elections, Sylvia Stephens and her staff for six years. Mrs. Stephens spoke briefly to the Board, stating that she favored the purchase, and that the facility was completely adequate and well served her needs. Based on existing rental costs paid to the owner, Mr. Dwight Dykes, the county would retire the debt in only seven years, and from that time forward would be saving the taxpayers of the county some $35,000 per year.

Additionally, since the function is already located in the building, there would be no cost of moving and equipping the building for the use of this specialized function. The board looked favorably on this option, and instructed Lakey to proceed with pre-purchase inspections of the facility.



Potential Expansion of Administration Space-

At the same time the Commission is considering purchase of the existing Supervisor of Elections building, they are also considering purchase of the corner building which adjoins the existing Administrative offices. This building, located at 2862 Madison Street is available for $225,000. This building would provide needed additional room for County Administration, Finance, and record keeping storage.

The county is currently having this facility inspected for structural integrity, asbestos, and other potential drawbacks.