MISSISSIPPI CO. DECISION HAS BEEN MADE

Although voter turnout was extremely light, Mississippi County voters have spoken in favor of a half-cent sales tax for three years to help pay for a new Mississippi County courthouse in Charleston.

The 839 voters who favored the tax decided it would be better to come up with the money in three years rather than use general revenue funds over 20 years and repay it with between $100,000 and $150,000 in road and bridge money each year. That would cost the county about $900,000 more in interest and rob it of needed road and bridge money. It is sound fiscal reasoning, particularly considering the amount of road and bridge money that would be earmarked to repay the general revenue fund over a two-decade period.

No doubt many, if not most, of the 640 voters who rejected the sales tax did so because they figured its defeat might somehow lead to renovation of the 96-year-old courthouse. A strong movement for renovation -- including a petition drive containing signatures of almost 1,000 Mississippi countians -- developed soon after the courthouse was heavily damaged by an arson fire Feb. 10.

The renovation effort was admirable and in keeping with Charleston's proud tradition of preserving its historic places. But the three-member Mississippi County Commission felt differently: It already had decided to demolish the building and build a courthouse on the same site and was intent on doing so regardless of how the Aug. 5 sales-tax vote turned out.

Intent on preserving the burned-out courthouse, Mississippi County farmer Hugh Hunter Byrd filed a court petition seeking to restrain the Commission from demolishing the courthouse. But the low voter turnout -- just 15 percent of registered Mississippi County voters cast ballots -- annoyed him, and he withdrew his request for a restraining order.

The county will combine the $1.2 million to $1.5 million that will be raised through the sales tax with a fire insurance settlement of $1.7 million and embark upon building a courthouse.

Mississippi County's courthouse dilemma is a good lesson in how democracy should work. The commission carried out its function in deciding a new courthouse is best for the county. The preservationists' did all they could to try to convince the commission otherwise, and the voters spoke.

Now it is time to lay the matter to rest.