For the most part, the meeting of the Simpson County Board of Supervisors on May 2 was business as usual.
Road manager Buddy Wolverton updated the board on existing projects as well as road plans on the drawing board. He reported that the bridge replacement on Sofa Road was 99 percent complete and the contractor will be requesting final inspection. The State Aid Project for Star to Braxton Road has kicked off on schedule.
Plans are being completed on the bridge project on Shorter Road. A State Aid bridge repair project on Shorter Road has all rights-of-way in order and workers are currently waiting for utility agreements. The plans for a bridge replacement on Dry Creek Road have been submitted to the state, and the county is awaiting approval from the Corp of Engineers for a wetland permit. Field work has started on a bridge replacement of Peacock Road.
The 2022 county road resurfacing project has started and is well underway. A complete list of roads involved is printed elsewhere in this week’s newspaper. Buddy Wolverton reports that the contractor is making good progress on the roads that were planned for repair.
Road Manager Ben Warren reported to the board that the county is having issues with their tandem wheel dumptrucks with four of the trucks out of service. He suggested that the board consider leasing some trucks if they can be located. The rates he reported were $6,500 per month for a tandem trailer and $4,000 per month for a single axle truck. He reported that the department normally has 11 trucks in service but is currently down to seven.
The board discussed declaring an emergency situation to avoid the bid process, which requires about a month to complete. The attorney advised that it must be an issue of health and/or safety to buy under an emergency declaration and avoid the bid process. The board determined that an emergency situation exists based on the fact that roads were in the process of being contracted and having the trucks available is critical to being able to complete the projects in a timely manner.
The board authorized acquiring up to four trucks if they could be located. The action was completed with a motion by Randy Moore and a second by Donnie Welch.
County Tax Assessor Jamie Brewer reported a total of 317 new applicants for Homestead Exemption, which will lower taxes for the new tax year. The board also approved Freeport Warehouse Exemption for Howard Industries.
Chief Deputy Greg Reynolds presented the Sheriff’s report in the absence of Sheriff Paul Mullins. The board approved the hire of Davante Middleton as a worker at the jail and Bruce Rosse and Kia Feazell as part time jail hires. The board approved Skyla Morrow and Sharon Fewell to attend class in Pearl and Taylor Haise to attend a communication course in Collins.
The next scheduled meeting of the board is set for Monday, May 16, at the county board room.
