The Webster County Board of Supervisors investigated options for roadside litter pickup during a recessed meeting Thursday.
The board has expressed concerns at previous meetings about the litter problem on county roads and broached the topic again last week with Acting Sheriff Andy McCants.
Supervisors noted that, in years past, Mississippi Department of Corrections inmates were used for litter collection and that all other counties with such crews are using state inmates, although they have a place to house them.
“They really worked out good years ago,” board President Pat Cummings said.
McCants said the problem would be housing state inmates, pointing out that a jail must meet stringent requirements to do so. The Webster County Jail is not approved by MDOC to house state inmates.
“We’d have to spend a lot of money to be able house MDOC prisoners,” he told the board, which talked about the possibility of preparing and designating one side of the jail for state inmates only.
McCants also mentioned new criminal procedure rules adopted by the state Supreme Court in July 2017. The new rules established the right to see a judge within 48 hours after arrest. If a person is not a flight risk or danger to the community, the judge must release him or her on a written promise to appear or to pay money to the court if they fail to show up. Cash bail continues for those wanting out of jail immediately, or those charged with most felonies.
“We almost never house prisoners longer than 48 hours,” McCants said. “Now all we have are felons. I wouldn’t be comfortable with them (picking up litter on county roads).”
When discussing the possibility of having people work off Justice Court fines by picking up litter, McCants said a judge can only give that as an option and cannot force them to work off a fine. The need to have a large number of such individuals to make up a roadside litter pickup crew was also cited as a problem.
District 3 Supervisor Randy Rico said his road hands pick up litter themselves.
At the board’s request, McCants sad he would contact MDOC about the possibility of housing state prisoners and housing requirements.
“We can get someone to supervise them (during litter collection),” Cummings said.
According to an article in Corinth Today, MDOC started a litter collection program in Alcorn County last May. The article said the state corrections system was going to provide around 20 to 25 individuals along county roads on Saturdays.
Alcorn County supervisors were asked to assist with providing trash collection sticks to pick up the litter, along with water and snacks for those collecting the litter.
Sheriff’s Department
personnel
Also Thursday, the board voted to rehire William Thrasher as a full-time deputy sheriff, effective Feb. 1, as recommended and requested by McCants. He will replace former deputy Jeff Mann.
Supervisors did so after reviewing the Sheriff’s Department budget and considering the court-ordered double payment of the sheriff’s salary for McCants and Tim Mitchell, who is under indictment but remains the elected sheriff. The board has determined that it can only remove Mitchell from office if he is convicted of a felony.
Thrasher’s hiring will fill the six full-time deputy positions that have been budgeted for this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. He had been a part-time deputy until Oct. 8, when Mitchell fired him. McCants told a supervisor who asked about the circumstances of his termination that Thrasher and Mitchell had a disagreement regarding trusties. Thrasher lives in Oktibbeha County and supervisors requested that McCants ask him to consider becoming a resident of Webster County.
In another sheriff’s office personnel matter, the board voted to note the termination of Santana Townsend as a part-time jailer effective Jan. 14. Eudy Morris (District 1), who is her uncle, abstained. Townsend was indicted Jan. 14 on two counts of sexual activity between jailer and inmate, furnishing contraband to an inmate and sale, possession or use of a controlled substance in a jail facility. She pleaded not guilty at her arraignment.
Other business
Supervisors also approved the hiring of Ricky Wilson as a Chancery Court bailiff. They adopted a resolution opposing Senate Bill 2684, which would revise the definition of “municipal solid waste” as used in the Mississippi Regional Solid Waste Management Authority Act to exclude wastes from for-profit entities.
Kyle Grubb of Willis Engineering told the board it needed to advertise for bids to pave the entrance road around the new courthouse. Grubb said he would prepare a scope of work for the project.
Jan. 22, 23
The Board of Supervisors also had recessed meetings Jan. 22 and 23. On Jan. 22, the board voted to:
• enter into a lease-purchase agreement with Axon Enterprises for six Tasers for the sheriff’s office at $1,680 a year with five-year warranties. Axon is a sole-source provider.
• send county Fire Investigator Barry Rushing to the state Fire Academy for certification training Feb. 11-14. Rushing was appointed in late December to replace Mark McCurdy.
• hire Ken Wicha as a part-time deputy effective immediately.
• hire Ian Garrard as a part-time 911 dispatcher to replace Deidre Lott, who resigned from that position.
• accept a lone bid of $10,500 for an International front-end loader belonging to District 4.
• hire Gulf Guaranty to review the medical bills that are generated by prisoners at the jail. The insurance company will be paid 5 percent of the difference between what is billed and the Medicaid rate. Representatives of the company had met with the board Nov. 19 concerning inmate medical services
Hugh Bland of Universal Solutions met with the board Jan. 23 about preparing specifications for telecommunications quotes for the new courthouse. The board also voted to sign jail contracts with other municipalities for this fiscal year.
The board was to meet again Monday and its next meeting is Feb. 19. County offices will be closed Feb. 18 for President’s Day.
