Massey: 2024 was a good year for Madison County
Two years into his administration as Mayor of Madison County, A.J. Massey has figured out the annual state of the county address.
It's a speech he gives at different civic group and other meetings, and recapping 2024 came naturally for him.
"I kept a running total of our accomplishments throughout the year, and then just to make sure, I sent an e-mail to all of our department heads essentially asking, 'Hey, what did you do this year?'" Massey said when asked how long it takes to write the speech.
Massey didn't forget any of the accomplishments, but if he had, he probably would've been OK since most of the County's department heads had been invited to the Exchange Club's lunch and were present
The accomplishments of the County and various departments rolled off easily - a balanced budget of $304 million, coming in nearly $6 million under budget, increase of the County's fund balance to $24 million, school resource officer positions in the county schools nearly full, Christmas lights at Pugh Bourne Park, $11,000 and 900 pounds of canned food collected from that effort, improvements at Middlefork Bottoms Park and Jackson Regional Airport, beginning of development of Great Wolf Lodge and the Crossings at Exum Place, the coming arrival of the State Games in June and industrial development that includes the planning of a large childcare facility will all go down as accomplishments of Madison County last year.
Then Massey made a pitch for the coming year that he hopes to help make happen.
Madison County Commission Chair Mike Taylor spearheaded the first effort in August and September to work with Jackson Energy Authority to put water and wastewater pipes in the ground out to Providence Road on the western edge of the county.
"I've got a couple County Commissioners in here right now, and I guess I'll begin making the push for this year to start the work to make it happen," Massey said. "We don't want to do annex anybody. We don't want to do anything funny with the town of Huntersville.
"We want to leave everybody alone except putting the pipes in the ground so that we can have the infrastructure in place to begin development on that end of the county. So we can put a housing development out there or a store like Buccee's or something big out there that could generate tax revenue for the County."
Massey took questions after the speech, and two of the handful he got had to do with Pope School and the situation regarding opening the new building - set to happen in August - while being slowed by the City of Jackson's Board of Zoning Appeals.
"I can tell you a few things about that," Massey said. "Mayor (Scott) Conger and I have discussed the issue a number of times.
"He and I have a good relationship and don't see this issue impeding that. I'm confident that we'll get to a resolution for the situation where everyone of us - the County, the City and the school system - all walk away having won in some way."
Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news
