VAIDEN — Lack of a personnel policy is causing difficulties in the county, Beat 1 Supervisor Terry Herbert told fellow board members Monday.
Herbert said the board needs to create a policy before a new year begins, either in October or in January, for the sake of accountability. He said that it was “past time” to do this.
“We’ve got people coming and going,” he said. “Court clerks have been working 36 hours a week. All of them should be working 40 hours a week. I assume we are the only county in the state without a policy. People need to know what is expected of them.”
Jimmy Powell, who was substituting as county attorney in place of Kevin Horan, told the board they should “be careful what goes into it” because “it can hurt both ways.”
Herbert also reported to the board on progress in getting elected officials’ attention about problems with lack of maintenance of the county’s many dams. Board President Honey Ashmore said he had received a letter from U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran about the matter.
“They are checking with the Natural Resource Conservation Service to see what plans have been made for the levees,” he said.
Officials of the NRCS have also responded and want to come speak to the board, Herbert said.
“What we need is to hear from (U.S. Rep.) Bennie Thompson,” he said.
Ashmore said drainage districts “haven’t wanted to get involved in maintenance of the dams.” The districts were created when the dams were built so that a local agency could tax property near the dams to maintain them, but there has not been enough money to sufficiently maintain them, Herbert and local citizens have said.
In other business, the board:
• Heard from Subramonia Pillai, owner of Hillview Mobile Home Park, who said he wanted to see landowners notified when a lease has not paid garbage fees. Pillai said he would pay the $1,200 that was not paid by a lessee, Robert Givens, who Pillai said was responsible for the bills, but he encouraged the board to see that landowners would be notified.
• Discussed use of the $2 million in bond funds the county has issued. Ashmore asked supervisors to consider paying off any vehicles they have on a lease purchase plan.
• Voted to advertise for the sale of a 125-foot antenna located at the Carrollton courthouse and no longer in use.
• Heard a report from Sugar Mullins, board clerk, that insurance funds combined with disaster relief funds combined to pay for a new roof for the Department of Human Services in Vaiden.
• Discussed liability insurance for Dent Turner Air Condition Sales on a water heater installation at the regional jail. Board members agreed to try to get a rider added to the policy to cover Turner’s installation — or, if they cannot, to purchase the boiler already bought by Turner and have it installed by a company certified to do the work.
