JIMMIE LADNER IS TOP TEN ONE COAST COMMUNITY LEADER
Hancock Co., Miss. Apr. 16, 2024 – Jimmie Ladner Jr. is recognized as one of the Top Ten Community Leaders on the Coast. The award was presented to him during the Annual One Coast Awards program on April 16th at the Beau Rivage to a record crowd of leaders across the Coast. Sponsored by the Chambers of Commerce along the Coast, Ladner was one of ten Community Leaders recognized. Also recognized were the Top Ten Community Leaders Under 40.
“This is an honor to be among so many Coast leaders,” said Ladner.
For the past 24 years, Ladner has served Hancock County as the Tax Assessor & Collector. Today he also serves as county administrator. Ladner says one of the most important things he values for his staff is training and continuing education to keep his office up to date on the latest technology to better serve the citizens of Hancock County. In 2003, he recognized the need for GIS mapping in the county which led to the implementation of a county-wide GIS system, one of the first in the State.
He believes the most important accomplishment in his career is the reevaluation of the tax values post Katrina. “Without current tax rolls, the county and governing authorities would not have had a way to set budgets and plan for revenue,” he said. This was critical to the effective recovery of the County.
Ladner was also instrumental in the development of a regional approach for marketing tourism along the Gulf Coast. He was a member of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Tourism Partnership, the forerunner to the now Coastal Mississippi Tourism Commission, serving now as chairman of that commission, previously as treasurer.
“Under the leadership of the Commission, the Coast has flourished as a destination area and has demonstrated that when we come together as one coast, we put all of our individual needs aside and we speak louder and clearer with one voice,” said Ladner.
Those who know him say one of his top skills is he is a good listener. “You must listen to the opinions of others and what others have to say to be successful in government,” said Ladner. Others would say he is truly a dedicated public servant always going above and beyond the call of duty. “When Jimmie gets involved in a project, he gives it 100 percent,” said Scotty Adam, President of the Board of Supervisors. Others would say how accessible he is. “You may not always agree with my opinion,” said Ladner, “but I am going to tell you the truth,” he said. “It is the foundation of my career.”
Ladner says some of his most important accomplishments is when he worked to support and pass legislation to cap home values of senior citizens at the current value when they reach the age of 65. “This is critical for our seniors, particularly in a booming real estate market,” he said. He has also worked to keep tax values fair and through the Coastal Conservation Association, he has worked with others to create reef space and a fingerling release program in the Jourdan River estuary.
Ladner is a member of many organizations like the Mississippi Assessors and Collectors Association, serving as past president and as legislative chair for nearly two decades. He is a member of the Hancock Chamber and is former president of Gulf Regional Planning Commission. He is also a member of the Waveland Civic Association, CASA Cooking Team and a volunteer leader with the OLG Crab fest for more than 15 years.
A graduate of Leadership Hancock, he serves on The First Bank advisory board, and was King not only for the Krewe of Nereids but also for CASA of Hancock County. In 2008 and 2009, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the Mississippi Association of Asssessors and Collectors and the Mississippi Coastal Conservation Association presented him with the Lifetime Member Award. A graduate of Pearl River Community College, he is a Licensed Residential Appraiser with the Mississippi Appraisal Board and a Mississippi Assessment Evaluator.