Officials speak at 2023 Jackson County State of the State address

Jackson County Board President Ken Taylor presented the 2023 State of the County Address during the Pascagoula Rotary Club Meeting.

Taylor talked about the county’s finances and economic growth moving into 2023, while also updating ongoing partnerships and projects geared toward improving the quality of life for people living in Jackson County.

Taylor touched on 2023 road projects including Ocean Springs Road overlay, Highway 90/Audubon turn lane, and Old Fort Bayou/ Highway 609.

Taylor also covered the excitement around the new Jackson County Justice Court, which construction is set to begin in May of this year, as well as the new emergency operations center with engineering in progress and is estimated to be completed by December 2024.

Taylor mentioned the county-wide watershed management plan which began in February 2022 and is estimated to be completed by September this year. “Overall, I think we are doing extremely well. We got a lot of projects going on all the time. People are mad at us all the time because we are tearing up some roads and repairing, but it’s got to be done. If anything we are in an environment now where there is a lot more money available in this grant process and working through the state and federal government, there is more money available. So, we need to be even more aggressive about going out and getting money for infrastructure improvements. We really do.”

Taylor also talked about the continued growth and partnership within the industrial job industries.