Laptops, televisions, a flatbed trailer and numerous cars were just some of the items on a list of seized property presented to the Leflore County Board of Supervisors on Monday night.
Tabitha Mulvihill of the North Central Narcotics Task Force presented the list. The board approved the task force’s request to designate the items as surplus, clearing the way for the task force to auction off the inventory.
Proceeds from the sale of the items would go toward paying down the task force’s debt to Leflore County. Mulvihill said most of the items would be sold on GovDeals.com, a website that specializes in auctioning government surplus and confiscated items.
The Mississippi Department of Public Safety, which provided the task force with much of its funding, declined to renew the agency’s grant.
Leflore County Chancery Clerk Sam Abraham estimated the task force owes the county more than $150,000. The task force has operated out of the county budget, meaning the county covered the group’s operating expenses.
The task force, which operates in seven counties and three cities, still has some funding through a federal anti-methamphetamine grant. Sheriff Ricky Banks said he’s talking with other sheriffs to see if another county will take the liability for funding the group in the next year.
The task force will have to settle its debts first.
“We’ve got to come up with the money Leflore County is in the red before there can be a task force,” Banks said.
Also Monday:
nThe board approved a contract with the Leflore County Health Center to provide medical services to the county jail and the juvenile detention center. The health center will provide a full-time nurse at both facilities and will also provide a 24-hour on-call nurse. The county will pay the health center $95,000 per year for the services, which Banks said would be a significant savings over hiring nurses in-house.
nThe board also approved several staffing changes at the juvenile detention center. The center’s director, Robert Fitzpatrick, said an abrupt resignation on Friday prompted the moves. Anthony Hammon was promoted from part-time to full time and will now be paid $9.58 per hour with benefits. Barry Smith was promoted to assistant shift supervisor and received a raise to $9.89 per hour. The center also hired Larry Burkhead as a part-time officer at $8.61 per hour.
nAfter tabling the matter after a contentious debate during their last meeting, the supervisors agreed on Monday to renew their contract with C Spire Wireless for the county’s cellphones without further discussion.
• Contact Bryn Stole at 581-7235 or bstole@gwcommonwealth.com.
