CARROLLTON — Carroll County starts 2016 with new leadership on the Board of Supervisors and in some county positions.
Rickie Corley of Vaiden, the Beat 5 supervisor, was elected president of the board, and Claude Fluker, Beat 4 supervisor, was elected vice president, both unanimously. The three other members of the board are newly elected: Jim Neill, Beat 1; Terry Brown, Beat 2; and Dill Tucker, Beat 3.
Board Attorney Kevin Horan was unanimously rehired, as were: Gayle Beard, E-911 and civil defense director; Scott Montgomery, fire coordinator and assistant civil defense director; Robert Willis of Willis Engineering, county engineer; Sherry Blaylock, purchasing clerk; Sugar Mullins, comptroller; and Stephanie Gillespie, receiving and inventory control clerk.
The only controversial change was in the veterans service officer job. Fluker nominated Percy Norwood of Vaiden to the position, and he was appointed, on a vote of 3-2, with Brown, Fluker and Corley voting yes and Neill and Tucker voting no.
He replaced S.H. “Buster” Mullins Jr., who had held the job since 1996.
Fluker told the board Norwood is very qualified for the position because of his years of service in the Coast Guard, where he rose to the rank of captain. He later said he nominated Norwood because of his qualifications and because he has had many calls from his district about the current service.
“When you’ve got constituents calling you, I had to do something,” Fluker said.
After his appointment, Norwood said he would “do my best to see the veterans of this county get the benefits they deserve.”
In his nomination, Fluker said Norwood would serve without any benefits. The salary is $14,109 per year.
The board also approved the hiring of Brandon Marshall Smith as warden of the Carroll Montgomery Regional Correctional Facility. Sheriff Clint Walker read a letter from Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Marshall Fisher that highly recommended Smith (no relation to former warden Arthur Smith) and approved his contract.
Walker told the board Smith has more than 20 years of corrections experience, including extensive training in riot control by the FBI. He comes to the position from the federal prison in Yazoo City, where he has worked as an officer for the past 15 years.
On the recommendation of George Johnson, the chairman of the county’s recreation board, the board voted to fire the current park director, Carey Wayne Moore. Johnson said the two parks in North Carrollton and Vaiden are “something we need to keep up” and that the board has had many complaints about the current director.
Both Fluker and Corley told Johnson the park board should recommend someone for the position, since they were more familiar with what is needed there. Johnson said the volunteer board “is the best we’ve ever had” and “they have agreed to do the work until we get someone.”
Johnson said the board will take applications and come back with a recommendation. “We need someone who is really interested in improving the park and who wants to do the job,” he said.
The board again had lengthy discussions about mapping and appraisal services. Mike Sanders of Sanders & Associates told the board that the work of appraisal is technical and that his company deserves the $79,000 yearly fee.
Fluker and Neill asked Tax Assessor/Collector Wilton Neal whether his office could do more of the work. Neal said his employees are not trained to do the work of appraisal, only to be able to understand the process and explain it to citizens. Each one who is trained for that job earns $3,500 per year in addition to a regular salary, Neal said.
Sanders said he prefers to be hired for the four-year term, and that would lock in the price at $316,000, whether or not expenses such as fuel increase. “Counties have to submit a four-year plan to the Department of Revenue. We have already submitted the plan on your behalf,” he said.
“We’re tracking sales annually, tracking values. In the fourth year we look at new homes, the cost to build, sales data, and do a ratio.”
He also explained the difference in appraising agricultural and timber lands as well as small tract properties.
To supervisors’ questions, Sanders said, “Mr. Neal would need extra personnel. This is technical work.”
“It’s a very important office,” Neal said. “The better job we do of creating value for the county gives you what you operate on here. We need a company like Mike’s. They’ve been doing this for 20 years on all the roads of our county.”
Neill made a motion to hire Sanders for one year, with Neal reporting back to the board in June as to whether any more of the work could be done within his office.
On a motion by Neill, the board voted unanimously to hire Sanders for one year, with Neal reporting on any cost savings he can find through his office. Neal reminded the board he is working at 25 percent of salary because he is retired but will be working full time.
The board also discussed the county’s health insurance with consultants Les Smith and Mark Bailey, of L.S. & Associates.
The coverage is now with Blue Cross Blue Shield. Smith said the cost of insurance will go up and it’s just a matter of how much. BCBS has said the company paid out claims worth 140 percent of premiums. The company had said it would raise the county’s premiums by about $185,000 yearly but called Smith earlier Monday and said it will consider his assertion that several high-claims individuals will no longer be on the county’s plan this next year.
Smith also told the board he has a lower bid by United Health Care but that if the county should change and then be unhappy with the change, BCBS has a reputation of not taking an entity back the next year, citing Natchez as an example.
The board agreed to hold a special called meeting Friday to consider bids by United Health Care and any new bid by Blue Cross Blue Shield, as well as what portion of premiums should be paid by employees. Smith said in order to stay “grandfathered in” and not be affected by the Affordable Care Act, the county cannot transfer to employees more than 5 percent of the premium cost of their high-deductible medical policy and must keep the same benefits.
Also Monday, the supervisors heard from landowner Preston Cantner, who asked them to close a 100-foot county road to his house. Canter said the board took the land 15 years ago, and he needs it closed so he can control who goes onto his property.
Neill told Cantner he is sympathetic but said Cantner must consider the needs of another resident who lives at the end of the road. Horan told Cantner he will research the legal details of such a move.
