COUNTY GOVERNMENT County Government, as established in the Mississippi Constitution of 1890, is organized under a five-district Board of Supervisors who have jurisdiction over roads, ferries, and bridges, and other duties as required by law. Countywide Offices . 253 County District Offices . 255 Mississippi Counties Map . 256 County Listings and Information . 257. Adams – Franklin . .257 George – Lowndes . 276. Madison – Sunflower . .301 Tallahatchie – Yazoo . 324 Planning and Development Districts . 339. Planning and Development Districts Map . 340 COUNTY GOVERNMENT COUNTY GOVERNMENT Organization of Mississippi into county governments began with its establishment as a territory of the United States in 1798 as well as predating its admittance to the Union on December 10, 1817, as the 20th state in the United States . Mississippi’s earliest counties include: Adams (organized in 1798), Amite (1809), Claiborne (1802), Franklin (1809), Greene (1811), Hancock (1812), Jackson (1812), Jefferson (1799 – as “Pickering;” named “Jefferson” in 1802), Lawrence (1814), Marion (1811), Pike (1815), Warren (1809), Washington (1800), Wayne (1809), and Wilkinson (1802) . The last county formed within the State’s boundaries was Stone County, established in 1916 . County boundaries were changed over time to accommodate the formation of new counties . COUNTYWIDE OFFICES BOARD ATTORNEY TAX ASSESSOR AND/OR COLLECTOR Qualifications: An attorney qualified to practice Qualifications: A qualified elector of the county law in Mississippi . in which he or she seeks election . Duties: The Board Attorney is not an elected Fee for party candidates: $100 made payable to office . This person represents the county’s Board the appropriate county executive committee via of Supervisors by their appointment . Circuit Clerk . Independent candidates: 50 signatures and CHANCERY CLERK $100 made payable to the county election Qualifications: A qualified elector of the county commission via Circuit Clerk . in which he or she seeks election . Duties: The Tax Assessor and/or Collector may Fee for party candidates: $100 made payable to serve in both capacities in all counties . This the appropriate county executive committee via official is elected to a four (4) year term and may Circuit Clerk . run for re-election . The Assessor’s role is to Independent candidates: 50 signatures and maintain the personal, real, and ad valorem tax $100 made payable to the county election rolls of the county . The Collector is responsible commission via Circuit Clerk . for keeping the records of tax payments and Duties: The Chancery Clerk is elected to a four depositing the money in the county treasury . (4) year term and may run for re-election . The Chancery Clerk is the Clerk of the Board of CORONER Supervisors and of the Chancery Court . The Qualifications: A qualified elector in the county Clerk is responsible for maintaining the records in which he or she seeks election, at least 21 years of both the Board and the Court . of age, possessing a high school diploma or its equivalent, of the county in which election is CIRCUIT CLERK sought . The minimum education requirement Qualifications: A qualified elector of the county shall not apply to any Coroner holding office in which he or she seeks election . on July 1, 1986, who is re-elected in the 1987 Fee for party candidates: $100 made payable to general election and thereafter as long as he/she the appropriate county executive committee via maintains continuous active service as a county Circuit Clerk . medical examiner or county medical examiner Independent candidates: 50 signatures and investigator . $100 made payable to the county election Fee for party candidates: $100 made payable to commission via Circuit Clerk . the appropriate county executive committee via Duties: The Circuit Clerk is elected to a four Circuit Clerk . (4) year term and may run for re-election . The Independent candidates: 50 signatures and Clerk is the chief officer of the Circuit Court and $100 made payable to the county election chief elections officer of the county . The Clerk commission via Circuit Clerk . maintains the voter rolls and assists the Election Duties: The Coroner is elected to a four (4) year Commissioners in purging the voter rolls, and term and may run for re-election . The Coroner is assists election officials in conducting primary the chief county medical examiner and/or county and general elections . medical examiner investigator . This official is 253 COUNTY GOVERNMENT responsible for issuing declarations of death and Duties: The Sheriff is the chief law enforcement performing or reporting results of autopsies in officer of the county and is elected to a four cases requiring such action . (4) year term . He may run for re-election . The Sheriff is the chief officer of the Chancery and COUNTY ATTORNEY Circuit Courts and maintains the county law Qualifications: A qualified elector of the county library . The Sheriff is in charge of the county in which he or she seeks election and a regular courthouse, jail, and protection of prisoners . licensed and practicing attorney . Fee for party candidates: $100 made payable to the appropriate county executive committee via TYPES OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS Circuit Clerk . Mississippi has five (5) different types of school Independent candidates: 50 signatures and districts: $100 made payable to the county election 1. Consolidated School Districts – lie wholly commission via Circuit Clerk . within one county, but do not include municipal Duties: The County Prosecuting Attorney separate and county; represents the state in all investigations for 2. Line Consolidated School Districts – felony in Justice Court and County Court and in embrace territory in two (2) or more counties, all criminal cases appealed to the Circuit Court but do not include municipal separate school from County Court . The county prosecutor may districts; assist the district attorney, present matters to 3. Municipal Separate School Districts – the county grand jury, and in some youth court encompass the boundaries of a municipality, and proceedings . The county attorney is elected to a may have added territory; four (4) year term and may run for re-election . 4. Special Municipal Separate School Districts – municipal separate districts which COUNTY SURVEYOR have been reconstituted or reorganized with Qualifications: A registered land surveyor and a added territory exclusive of any added territory qualified elector of the county in which he or she which was part of the municipal separate school seeks election . district before reorganization; $100 made payable to Fee for party candidates: 5. County School Districts – lie wholly within the appropriate county executive committee via a county and are not constituted as either Circuit Clerk . form of consolidated or municipal district . Independent candidates: 50 signatures and Superintendents of Education in all districts with $100 made payable to the county election the exception of county districts are appointed . commission via Circuit Clerk . County Superintendents of Education are elected Duties: The County Surveyor executes all orders with the exception of Hinds County . of survey directed to him by any court, all surveys of land within his county at the request of the owners or proprietors, and to survey, resurvey, SUPERINTENDENT OF EDUCATION Qualifications: A qualified elector, the holder measure, and divide land as requested by the of a valid Administrator’s license issued by the county board of supervisors . State Department of Education, and not less than four (4) years of classroom and/or administrative SHERIFF experience . Not a defaulter to the State Qualifications: Fee for party candidates: $100 made payable to or any county or municipality or to the United the appropriate county executive committee via States and a qualified elector of the county in Circuit Clerk . which he or she seeks election . Independent candidates: 50 signatures and Fee for party candidates: $100 made payable to $100 made payable to the county election the appropriate county executive committee via commission via Circuit Clerk . Circuit Clerk . Duties: The Superintendent is elected to a four Independent candidates: 50 signatures and (4) year term and may seek re-election . The $100 made payable to the county election Superintendent of Education is the chief commission via Circuit Clerk . 254 COUNTY GOVERNMENT administrative officer of the school district . The the MS Judicial College within six (6) months of Superintendent serves as the executive secretary the beginning of the term of office . of the county board of education, but has no vote Fee for party candidates: $100 made payable to in the proceedings before the board and no voice the appropriate county executive committee via in fixing its policies . The Superintendent is the Circuit Clerk . director of all schools in the county outside the Independent candidates: 15 signatures and municipal separate school districts . $100 made payable to the county election commission via Circuit Clerk . Duties: Justice Court Judges shall have civil and COUNTY DISTRICT OFFICES criminal jurisdiction of all actions where the principal of the debt, amount of the demand, or CONSTABLE the value of the property sought to be recovered Qualifications: A qualified elector in the county and district in which he or she seeks election . shall not exceed $3,500 . Fee for party candidates: $100 made payable to the appropriate county executive committee via SUPERVISOR Circuit