The Cumberland and Clarkson volunteer fire departments are combining, according to county officials.
The merger agreement was announced at the May 7 meeting of the Webster County Board of Supervisors. The board took no related action but discussed the need to prepare and approve the necessary board order or orders to make the merger official.
Webster County Fire Coordinator Barry Rushing told the Progress-Times plans are to dissolve the Clarkson Fire Department, with its fire station serving as Cumberland Fire Station No. 2.
He said the process should be the same as when the Walthall and Bellefontaine fire departments combined last year, when Walthall took over the entire Bellefontaine Fire District, station and trucks. Supervisors authorized the dissolution of the nonprofit corporation for the Bellefontaine FD in January 2017.
Other business
Also on May 7, Hudson Ford of the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District addressed the board about the website that the agency set up for the county a few years ago,
www.webstercountyms.org. Ford said the “bare-bones” website has been averaging 30-40 hits a week and that more information could be added to better engage citizens. He offered to either train someone to update the website occasionally or do so himself if provided the information. Supervisors indicated they would work on coming up with additional information.
Additionally on May 7, the board approved motions to:
• allow Justice Court Clerk Lisa Dean and Deputy Clerk Shay Holmes to attend a domestic violence workshop June 27 in Louisville.
• direct the chancery clerk to transfer the road district money to the blacktop fund in the amount budgeted.
• pay attorney Robert Gambrell $400 for bankruptcy court work to have a bridge project released so the county can buy the right-of-way for the project.
• terminate the employment of Isaiah Smith as a part-time deputy and hire Christine Vanderford as a part-time jailer at the Sheriff’s Department, both effective May 7.
• grant a 10-year industrial ad valorem tax exemption to Plymouth Tube Inc. for personal property tax additions in the amount of $1,127,533.88.
• advertise for semiannual bids for goods and services, up to a maximum of $50,000, for furnishing to the county various materials and services. The six-month period will be from June 5-Dec. 5. Bids will be opened June 4 at 9 a.m.
• instruct the clerk to write a check to Burchfield Law Firm for $1,723 for serving as guardian ad litem in the Chancery Court case of Catrina Graham vs. Brian Graham. It will be paid from the guardian ad litem line item in Chancery Court or Special Court/Youth Court.
• enter in a lease agreement with John Keith Perkins of Mathiston, retroactive to Feb. 28, to lease 0.145 acres of real property immediately adjacent to the site of the District 4 county barn for 24 months and to pay him $200 a year as rent.
The board recessed until 8:30 a.m. Monday.
April 2
On April 2, minutes show the board approved motions to:
• allow and authorize the circuit clerk to enter into a copier lease agreement with Heath Co. of Winona.
• accept a quote from E Z Auto Sales for $5,500 for replacing the motor in the Emergency Management Agency pickup.
• approve a disbursement request by Willis Engineering for $779.52 from Golden Triangle Public Buildings Leasing Corp. dated March 22.
• allow Tax Assessor Barbara Gore to attend her tax assessor recertification April 12 in Verona.
As previously reported, Clint Townsend, director of business development with Hospital Wing, addressed the board about membership for the county in its airlift program.
April 16
On April 16, the board voted to purchase a K-9 dog from the city of Charleston for $3,000. The dog will be used by the Sheriff's Department for drug detection purposes.
The money for the purchase of the dog came from private donations to the general fund to be used for this purpose. Expenses for the dog will be paid from the Sheriff's Department budget in the general fund and charged to the canine care line.
The clerk was also authorized to write a special check for the purchase of the dog, named Zeus, which was picked up that day.
In related action, the board voted to delete from county inventory a K-9 trained police dog that died years ago but was never removed from inventory.
These motions were also approved April 16:
• to allow Constable Jeremy Kilgore to attend an associational convention June 4-9 in Gulfport.
• to allow Election Commissioner Etoile Herrod to attend a mandatory training session April 17 in Brandon.
• to allow EMA Director Barry Rushing and Deputy EMA Director Richard Love to attend the Mississippi Partners in Preparedness Summit, which was May 7-10 in Biloxi
• to allow David Ellison to attend the County Veteran Service Officer School in Pearl on May 30-June 1. This is for the 2018 convention and training seminar.
• for District 2 Road Maintenance to buy a 2000 Peterbilt truck for $20,000 from Parker Bros. in Calhoun City plus a $3,500 trade-in of a surplus 2001 Volvo truck, which will be deleted from the county inventory. The Volvo was declared surplus property on April 2 because of a blown engine.
• for District 1 Road Maintenance to buy a new John Deere rotary mower from Wade Equipment at state contract price.
• to pay all landowners in the District 2 Surface Transportation Program/Federal Aid Bridge Replacement project $1,500 an acre for the land needed to be deeded to the county for right-of-way.
• to advertise for an engineer to provide services for work related to the implementation of an Appalachian Regional Commission grant approved for the sewer system at the new courthouse. Proposals must be submitted by 10 a.m. Monday.
April 30
Minutes of the April 30 meeting reflect that Circuit Clerk Sherry Henderson and Election Commission Joyce James appeared before the board to discuss reducing the number of voting precincts in the county.
The board authorized the District 2 road crew to go upon the property of Mitchell Scruggs in District 2 at 13375 Hwy. 404 to take down an old building that has deteriorated to the point that the concrete walls sometimes fall into the public road. In return the concrete blocks that are removed are being donated to the county to be used as riprap.
Supervisors also voted to allow Coroner Steve Wells and Deputy Coroner Scott Dean attend an associational conference June 19-23 in Biloxi.
