WALTHALL — The top two officers on the Webster County Board of Supervisors have been reelected to their positions for the next four years.
Pat Cummings of District 2 will continue as president and Paul Crowley of District 4 will continue as vice president. They were reelected by acclamation during the board’s first meeting of the 2020-23 term on Jan. 6. The other supervisors are Eudy Morris (District 1), Randy Rico (District 3) and Doug Burgess (District 5).
Additionally, the board voted to rehire all county employees for 2020 at the same rate of compensation and on the same conditions with the exception of District 1 road hand Daryl Redd, who no longer works for the county as of that day.
The board voted to rehire the firm of Willis Engineering of Grenada as county engineer for the four-year term, and to hire Karl Grubb as engineer for matters other than State Aid projects and Kyle Grubb for floodplain administration and procedures.
Rated Fire
Protection Districts
Also on Jan. 6, the board adopted the map and description of rated fire protection districts for the county as presented by Toby Sanford, geographical information systems manager with the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District.
Sanford said all fire chiefs had signed off on the districts, and Fire Coordinator Barry Rushing, also present, recommended their adoption. The board had instructed the two in September to begin taking steps to implement rated fire protection districts and improve fire coverage access in the county. The rated districts should reduce the cost of homeowner’s insurance and other types of fire insurance in rural areas of the county.
Additionally, the board accepted changes in the boundaries/coverage area of the Cumberland, Mantee and Mathiston fire departments as presented by Sanford. Fire Chiefs Bobby Jackson of Cumberland and David Brand of Mantee were also present during these discussions.
Other Business
In other business Jan. 6, the board approved motions to:
• accept a grant to Webster County Emergency Management of $18,660 from the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security.
Rushing said the grant will be used to purchase 13 Mississippi Wireless Information Network portable radios with accessories on state contract for law enforcement agencies. The board had voted Dec. 31 to spread upon the minutes a notice of the subrecipient grant award dated Sept. 24.
• readvertise for bids for an Emergency Road and Bridge Repair project on Lollars Grove Road. Bids will be opened Feb. 18.
• hire Kasey Skelton as deputy coroner effective immediately, to be paid $300 a month.
• hire Tim Roberson as a deputy sheriff and administrative assistant at the sheriff’s department effective immediately. Supervisor Crowley, who is Roberson’s brother-in-law, recused himself from discussion and vote on those board proceedings.
• hire Alisha Connell as a part-time dispatcher/jailer at the sheriff’s office effective immediately.
• authorize election commissions to attend associational training.
• accept the resignation of Debbie Bagwell, office associate with the Webster County Extension Service, effective Feb. 28.
• recess until Tuesday, Jan. 21. County offices will be closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Tabled until Tuesday was discussion of whether or not to renew the county’s contract with Mississippi Court Collections for another four years. MCC receives 25% of delinquent fees collected.
Other Meetings
In addition to some previously reported business from December meetings, minutes show the board also handled these matters on the respective dates:
Dec. 4
On Dec. 4, the board approved motions to:
• accept the bid of the Bank of Kilmichael of 1.05% as the county depository for the next 24 months.
• accept bids for goods and services for the county for the next 12 months, excluding janitorial.
Dec. 20
On Dec. 20, the board voted to reject all bids that were received for hauling on Dec. 4 because of a surcharge oversight. Hauling jobs will be assigned by the use of purchasing laws for each job.
The board did so after bidder Steve Coleman of Maben addressed the board concerning bids that were accepted Dec. 4 for hauling products. Tim Lamb Trucking’s bid was accepted as the primary and Coleman’s was accepted as the alternate on that date.
Lara Bowman, director of The Enterprise, addressed the board. She said The Enterprise’s board of trustees has requested that Choctaw and Webster County supervisors meet with them at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 30 at the Eupora Depot regarding a master plan for the organization.
She also informed them that an area job fair will be held in Louisville on Jan. 23 and that the Holmes Community College Adult Education program will hold orientation for a high school equivalency class on Feb. 24-26 at 8:30 a.m. at the Eupora Depot.
Also on Dec. 20, the board approved motions to:
• rebid for janitorial services and receive bids Jan. 21 because all janitorial bids received Dec. 4 were rejected.
• authorize Webster County through its Sheriff’s Department to apply directly for a grant from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation.
• accept the resignation of Richard Love as deputy emergency management agency director and fire coordinator effective immediately.
• reappoint Cummings to represent the county on the board of the Golden Triangle Solid Waste Authority for another four-year term starting Jan. 1.
Dec. 31
On Dec. 31, the board voted to implement a records management program as guided by Section 25-60-1 of the Mississippi Code. Specifically, this will be to implement a schedule for the disposition of records based on administration, legal, fiscal or historical value in conjunction with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
The county will assess a fee of $1 for each document filed with any county official or employee who accepts documents for filing as public records.
Chancery Clerk Russ Turner said 50 cents of the fee will remain in the county, and it will apply to Justice Court, Circuit Court and Chancery Court. Turner said Webster was one of only two or three counties that had not yet implemented the fee.
The board also voted to remove former sheriff Tim Mitchell as a signatory on the Sheriff’s Department’s bank account at the Bank of Kilmichael and to add Sheriff David Gore. Turner remains as a signatory.
