Leflore County supervisors unanimously approved the purchase of four new fire trucks for $1.1 million on Monday.
The county will receive the trucks in about two years.
Bobby Norwood, the county’s fire coordinator, told the board that three county fire trucks, each of which is 31 years old, need to be replaced with new vehicles to be used in Minter City, Morgan City and Money.
One of the new trucks will be suitable for use on fires three stories above the ground. That truck is needed in Itta Bena because of the tall structures at Mississippi Valley State University and a nearby apartment complex, Norwood said.
In other business, the board directed Perell Westbrook, the county’s ordinance officer, to issue tickets as needed to a professional tree cutter, who, according to county officials, does not pick up the debris he has left after tree-cutting jobs. Because of this, the county ends up having to pick up the debris later, District 2 Supervisor Reginald Moore said.
“Whatever it costs the county — manpower, vehicles, hauling debris — needs to be charged to this individual,” District 1 Supervisor Sam Abraham said.
Abraham, along with other county officials, did not name the individual.
Under the county’s ordinance, a professional tree cutter is responsible for hauling off debris, Abraham said.
The county can pick up a truckload of debris if a resident cuts tree limbs at his or her own residence, the supervisor said.
Westbrook said that he will handle the issue but added that there had been a reason he did not issue a ticket to this tree cutter. Supervisors asked him to elaborate, but he did not.
The board also went into two closed-door sessions, although no action was taken in either case.
In the first executive session, the board met with Tracy Shelton and Emma Bell, two county-appointed members of the Greenwood Leflore Hospital Board, to discuss aspects of the hospital, County Attorney Joyce Chiles reported.
The board went into its second executive session after Abraham had said that he had recently gone to the office of Chancery Clerk Johnny Gary to look up minutes for past board meetings but was not able to get them.
Chiles said the board discussed the matter of public records and access to those records during the executive session.
- Contact Gerard Edic at 581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
