The Choctaw Plaindealer

The Choctaw County Board of Supervisors added a 13.5 percent late fee to all residential and commercial garbage bills, effective Jan. 1.

Reba Nowell, with the Choctaw County Solid Waste Department, attended the board meeting and submitted a list of prices for dumpsters for commercial use compared to Mississippi Industrial Solid Waste.

The board has dumpsters they would like people and businesses to start using. They discussed prices and what services that should be offered to customers for using Choctaw County dumpsters/

Nowell suggested setting Choctaw County prices slightly under MS Industrial Waste because the county still has to make the trip to the dump including mileage and tonnage price to dump.

District 3 Supervisor Chris McIntire suggested setting the price $5 under MS Industrial Waste and a set up charge for any temporary cans.

The supervisors discussed options of charging one month in advance vs. pay for this month for commercial cans and discussed the residential charge.

They approved a 13.5 percent late fee for both residential and commercial cans per month. The late fee will be approximately $1.50 per residential bill of $11 and approximately $10 for a commercial bill of $80 per month.

Marty Crowder, county engineer, attended the meeting to discuss a variety of topics with he board. He told them that Jack Jackson, with the Mississippi Department of Transportation, found Green County that is willing to swap their state-aid funds for the board's $201,000 STP funds as proposed on Nov. 10 by Jackson. The supervisors agreed to swap the money.

"That gets us in good shape with our Reseal and stripping project," said Crowder.

The board approved to award the lowest bid to Riverside Traffic Systems, Inc. of New Albany with a bid of $79,822.81. The board took the bids on Nov. 10 but took them under advisement.

Crowder and the board discussed the Airport Project then approved the pre-application for the project. Crowder said the project would pay for land acquisition, right of ways and legal expenses for the project.

This project will cost Choctaw County and the Town of Ackerman $176,000 each.

They also discussed other projects, surveying land for the Airport Project and Pearson Road Project and discussed a meeting with the Red Hills Mine about Salem-Bywy Road Bridge.

Steve Montgomery, Choctaw County Emergency Management director, informed the board that Union Volunteer Fire Department was awarded a $58,000 FEMA grant to purchase equipment.

The grant is 95 percent or $56,000 with five percent matching by the county or $2,900.

Montgomery said the grant is the same as Bywy Volunteer Fire Department received for their fire truck.

He also told the board that anyone directing traffic in Choctaw County needs to wear a vest with reflective strips. Montgomery said that includes all fire departments, emergency workers and road crews.

The board discussed whether the county will buy them or the fire departments. No action was taken.

Don Threadgill, Chancery clerk, informed the board that their FEMA disaster money from Hurricane Katrina has arrived in the amount of $13,757 of which $1,530.56 will go to him for administration services.

The $12,227.56 will be distributed between all five districts compared to amount of damage in each district they reported.

The supervisors discussed then approved to accept the only bid that was from Thompson Equipment for a 2006 Caterpillar Vibratory Compactor for $44,984 with an extended warranty.

In a 3-2 vote, the board approved to purchase the compactor out of countywide funds. District 2 Supervisor Larry McClain and District 5 Supervisor Eric Chambers voted against purchasing it with countywide funds.

Before the vote, Chambers made a motion, with McClain's second, to purchase the compactor out of each district's road maintenance funds. It was not approved in a 2-3 vote.

In other business the board approved:

€ For the Choctaw County Sheriff's Department to clear account and issue $25 to Winston County for a bond fee collected at CCSO that was not suppose to be collected.

€ The following holidays for Choctaw County employees: Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Nov. 28, Dec. 26 and Jan. 2.

€ Change order number two to work being completed at the Ecoplex.

€ To advertise for bids to purchase generators. The county was awarded a grant to purchase them.

€ Travel for Keith Coleman, county coroner, and Chris Coleman, county deputy coroner, to attend Medical Examiner Conference, Jan. 14-16 in Jackson.

€ Acknowledged Lori Fiebig, Justice Court clerk, certificate of attendance to a Justice Court clerk conference.

€ Travel for SSCO Deputy Scotty Scott to attend a taser instructor course Dec. 15-16 in Lee County.