§ 29-3-92. Purchase of easements for access to sixteenth section or lieu lands; use of eminent domain to acquire easement access prohibited

MS Code § 29-3-92 (2019) (N/A)
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(1) The school board of a school district may acquire, in the name of the district, by purchase, all easements that are necessary and desirable for access to sixteenth section lands or lieu lands. Whenever the purchase price for property on which an easement is to be located is greater than Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00), the school board may not purchase the property for an amount exceeding the fair market value of the property, as determined by the average of at least two (2) independent appraisals by certified general appraisers licensed by the State of Mississippi.

(2) In no event shall eminent domain be used against any private land owner by any local school board or local governing authority to acquire easement access to sixteenth section lands or lieu lands. If a landowner objects or refuses to sell an easement right in his or her property to the local school board, the board shall seek another means to gain access to those lands that does not interfere with the landowner’s quiet use and enjoyment of his or her property.