Mississippi’s county tax collectors could see up to a $6,500 increase in annual salaries if they complete a series of educational courses and professional certification. A report from The Associated Press released Friday said the Mississippi House gave final passage Thursday to Senate Bill 2505 by a 120-0 vote. It now goes to Gov. Phil Bryant for his consideration.

State legislators are looking at raises across the board for Mississippi said Sen. Sally Doty, R-Brookhaven, who has supported pay raises for teachers.

“There have been quite a few requests for raises across the board in Mississippi,” Doty said. “There’s a lot of need for pay raises across the state, and we realize that. And the bills that are coming along are each funded differently, so they will be considered on an individual basis.”

A report by Jeffrey Hess of Mississippi Public Broadcasting said the state’s lead economist Darrin Webb expects the state’s economy to grow by 1.8 percent this year and will return to a normal 3 percent annual growth by 2015. But pay raises across the board may come gradually, beginning with teachers.

Speaker of the Mississippi House Phillip Gunn said in a column today that, “Everyone needs to realize that the only reason we are even able to talk about a teacher pay raise is because of the fiscally conservative budgeting practices that have been implemented over the last two years during Republican leadership.” (Gunn’s guest column is on page 4A of today’s Daily Leader.)

Doty explained that the state is limited to funding raises and explained that where there is outside federal funding those bills are more likely to pass. She added that when state economist Webb releases his newest report lawmakers will be able to make more informed decisions on who will see raises in the near future.

“We will get an update on our financial standings from our state economist in mid-March,” Doty said. “And we will be able to make the right decisions about raises for other state and county employees.”

Doty said the bill to raise the pay of tax collectors and assessors has been well supported in the house and senate and she believes the governor will likely sign the bill into law.

“It passed the senate a few weeks ago – I think it was unanimous,” she added, “and, then it was sent to the house where it’s gotten good support. I think [the governor] would be inclined to sign it, but cannot be certain of that.”

According to the AP report, the bill would allow tax collectors and deputy tax collectors to earn $2,000 more per year if they complete the first stage of an official training course, another $2,000 if they complete a second phase and a third raise of $2,500 for certification training.

Depending on the size of a county, a collector in Mississippi makes between $41,500 and $64,000 a year. If they serve as both tax collector and assessor they receive an additional $5,000.

Doty said she believes the incentives will pay off for Lincoln County taxpayers.

“We all think requiring education and professional development is good business,” she said of her fellow legislators, “and in the long run it would save the county more money. That’s what the educational courses are about.”

Lincoln County Tax Collector-Assessor Rita Goss could not be reached for comment Saturday.