CARROLLTON — The recent rain was welcome but it hasn’t ended the burn ban in Carroll County, Volunteer Fire Coordinator Scott Montgomery told the Board of Supervisors Monday.
Montgomery said he had gotten around 40 calls as of Monday morning asking if the burn ban had been lifted.
He said the burn ban, which covers 78 of Mississippi’s 82 counties, including Carroll and Leflore counties, will remain in effect until it is lifted by Gov. Phil Bryant.
“There is still a deficit. We need two solid days of rain to make it up,” said Montgomery.
With Christmas and New Year’s approaching, Montgomery and the board also discussed the traditional shooting of fireworks around the holidays. They agreed that people who purchase them should save them until the burn ban is lifted.
Montgomery also informed the board that ArTex Truck Center in Texarkana, Arkansas, has begun retrofitting the three 2010 International 4300 trucks the county has purchased. He said the trucks, which are equipped with water tanks, should arrive before Christmas. Montgomery said the trucks will benefit all the fire departments by cutting down on the time and manpower needed to get water refills when fighting remote fires.
Illegal dumping is also a concern in the county. Beat 1 Supervisor Jim Neill said that an illegal dump was found on County Road 77 on county and private property on Saturday. Furniture and household garbage littered the roadside.
Dumping waste on either public or private property without authorization must be addressed on a continual basis, Neill said, adding that local and state governments spend millions of dollars each year to clean up.
Neill said that the Sheriff’s Department has found personal information in the trash and is investigating.
Insurance agent Russell Wilson asked the board to consider him as agent of record for the county. This designation would allow him to represent the county in the purchase, service and maintenance of insurance coverage with designated insurers and make recommendations when negotiating with companies. Supervisors took no action on the request.
In other business, the board:
• Approved bringing the county public defender’s salary in line with the county prosecutor’s salary, effective Thursday.
• Approved the order accepting the contract for the federal aid bridge replacement project on County Road 430.
nApproved allowing Beat 4 employees to enter property on County Road 272 belonging to Henry Gerrish to correct a drainage problem.
The board also went into executive session to discuss undisclosed personnel matters.
