County News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Board Addresses Magnolia Materials Purchase Option
SEPT. 9, 2026 | LAFAYETTE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS | OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI
OXFORD, MISS. — The Lafayette County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took up agenda items related to Magnolia Materials’ written request to exercise its option to purchase the property the company leases in the county’s Industrial Park.
This property has drawn real interest from the community, and residents have raised thoughtful questions about how county land is valued and how these decisions get made. State law does not require a public hearing on this type of sale. That is why there was no public forum on this agenda item, and why the Board is addressing the questions it has heard from the community here.
How the County Got Here
On Dec. 15, 2025, the Board entered a lease/purchase agreement with Magnolia Materials that gave the company the right to purchase the leased property during the lease term. The Board’s minutes from that date include a resolution approving the lease under Section 19-7-3 of the Mississippi Code. In that resolution, the Board determined that the property would not be used for a county purpose but was instead intended for private economic use, given its location in the Industrial Park, and was therefore “surplus property” within the meaning of that statute. The Board further found that the lease/purchase would promote the economic and industrial welfare of Lafayette County. The agreement required a fair market value appraisal and tied any purchase price to it.
The County’s Authority
The county’s authority here comes principally from Sections 19-7-3 and 57-7-1 of the Mississippi Code. The Attorney General has interpreted both to allow a county board of supervisors to sell county property without advertising for public bid and without selling to the highest bidder, provided the board finds that the property is surplus, that the sale fosters the community’s economic welfare, and that the terms constitute “good and valuable consideration.” Under that framework a board may sell surplus property for less than fair market value.
Two Appraisals, Not One
State law would permit a below-market sale, but the December agreement does not; in this case, the price must be based on a fair market value appraisal. Board President Brent Larson said he will ask the Board to obtain two independent appraisals rather than the single appraisal the agreement requires.
“The folks asking questions about this property are asking because they care about Lafayette County, and I take that seriously. One appraisal would meet the terms of the agreement. I would rather we get two, so we can show our neighbors exactly how the number was reached.”
— Brent Larson, Board President
What the Board Can and Cannot Decide
Because the agreement gives Magnolia Materials a contractual right to purchase, the Board has little, if any, discretion to decline the sale so long as the company has met its contractual requirements and remains in good standing under the lease. The Board wants to be straightforward about that: the decision point was the December 2025 lease, and what remains now is carrying out an agreement the county is already a party to.
The Pending Lawsuits
Neither of the two pending cases involving this property challenges the validity of the lease/purchase agreement.
The rezoning appeal challenges the Board’s denial of a request to rezone the property from I-2 to I-1.
The Duchaine quiet and confirm title action seeks roughly 1.3 acres inside the leased property on an adverse possession claim, and asks the court to declare that the lease term may be voided by a subsequent Board. It does not challenge the current agreement’s validity.
A Tuesday agenda item authorized County Engineer Larry Britt to revise the legal description of the property subject to sale to remove the acreage the Duchaines claim. Ownership of those acres will be settled in that case.
What Happens Next
Once both appraisals are complete, the county will offer the property to Magnolia Materials at the determined fair market value. The company may accept or reject. If it rejects, the property remains under the existing lease.
Board agendas and minutes, including those from Dec. 15, 2025, are posted at lafayettems.com/board-of-supervisors/#minutes.
###
MEDIA CONTACT
Beau Moore
Public Information Officer
Lafayette County MS
662.801.8323
bmoore@lafayettecoms.com
