Supes borrow funds to purchase CCSO cars

The Choctaw County Board of Supervisors held a meeting Sept. 26 where they discussed a variety of topics including how to pay for the two new Sheriff Department's patrol cars, the Solid Waste Department and the Chancery clerk office.

In the August 24 board meeting the supervisors approved to purchase two new patrol cars for the Choctaw County Sheriff's Office in the 2009-2010 budget year. The CCSO now has the patrol cars and the supervisors had a discussion of how to purchase the patrol cars.

Steve Montgomery, Chancery clerk, submitted two lease-purchase quotes with the lowest from Hancock Bank at 3.03 percent interest.

District 3 Supervisor Chris McIntire suggested borrowing the $59,000 from the General Fund and allowing the CCSO to make payments with interest.

"We should borrow against ourselves so we're making money," said McIntire.

After a discussion, the board approved to transfer funds from the Reliant fund to the General Fund to purchase the patrol cars with 3.03 percent interest for five years.

The supervisors also discussed how to access late garbage bills to landowners instead of renters. The board approved this measure earlier this year and printed a notice in March in the newspaper stating it would go into effect on April 1, 2009.

The board told Reba Nowell, Solid Waste administrator, to match known rental property to the landowners so they can receive a notice of late garbage bills and how it can be assessed to their car tags.

Another discussion the meeting was how to advertise for a job opening in the Chancery clerk's office, the job description and who would pay the salary.

The board discussed the legality of the county paying a portion or all of a salary for a deputy clerk who may perform duties that the Chancery clerk is paid by fees for.

After a long discussion, no decision was made.

On a different matter, McIntire asked the board to approve to open a fund to accept donations to build a county sportsplex. He said there are interested parties that want to donate funds for a county sportsplex.

The board approved to open a fund to accept donations and if the sportsplex is not built in a few years, the funds will be refunded to the donors.

In other board business the supervisors approved:

¥ Revised minutes from previous meeting.

¥ Travel for Bent McKnight, Emergency Management director, to attend a conference for first time directors Nov. 1-3 at Philadelphia and registrations fees of $293.

¥ Appointed Chris Coleman, volunteer fire coordinator, as deputy emergency management director by request of McKnight.

¥ To add pickup truck that McKnight was driving to Solid Waste Inventory after he swaps trucks with the Solid Waste director, which is on the emergency management inventory.

¥ To repair the A repeater at a cost of $2,100.

¥ To revise the Pigeon Roost Bridge Project and to add Reform Sturgis Road Project to repair the wash out in the road.

¥ Travel for Coleman and Michael Holmes, deputy volunteer fire coordinator, for training at the Mississippi Fire Academy to learn to inspect buildings.

¥ To cancel the late Don Threadill's bonds due to his death.