The Simpson County Board of Supervisors held their recess meeting on May 15. Road manager Ben Warren said that the department has been busy as they prepare to start their rock and tar program and ditching project. He presented the board with options to upgrade the county’s packers as the rock and tar project is underway. Warren presented prices on used packers that he believed would be a good deal to upgrade the department’s equipment before their existing machines break down.
The Director of Central MS Regional Library System Mara Polk appeared before the board to update them on the growth of public libraries in Simpson County. Polk shared data that over 21,000 citizens are registered library card holders with Simpson Count libraries. She said 21,480 people attended programs and the community makes good use of internet and computer services provided by the library. The libraries in Simpson County were also award winning. Polk highlighted the Magee’s Frances Meadows was awarded for outstanding leadership in management and Barbara Gauthier was awarded for outstanding leadership in circulation. Alice Green was named Simpson County Employee of the year for 2024.
Polk said, “Simpson County is indeed blessed to have such a great team. That’s a credit to you (supervisors) and your continued support and because of that we can do a lot for your community. I hope we can continue this partnership and continue bringing great services to Simpson County.”
County Administrator Eric Bowen discussed the ongoing leaks at the Simpson County Courthouse. Bowen explained that leaks are still prevalent in spots. The roof projects cost approximately $401,090 and there are still leaks. Sheriff Paul Mullins said the leaks are worse than they were before.
Mullins said, “They may have fixed what they fixed, but they diverted the water somewhere. We’re past water and are headed to structure damage. We have ceiling tiles falling out and water dripping while we’re having trial.”
Mullins said this water damage brings with it the threat of mold. Mullins said the problem is most prevalent in the District Attorney’s office, and the damage is continuing to worsen. The contractors are scheduled to return this month but have already said the ongoing issues were outside of their scope of work. The board moved to have George Owens inspect the roof and provide a second opinion on what needs to be done.
Covington County Hospital Ambulance presented a new contract for the board to consider that raised their monthly price from $19,000 to $20,900. Emergency Operations Manager John Kilpatrick spoke highly of the service and said they are available at any time to handle any issues and said the ambulance service does an outstanding job. The board took the contract under advisement and will discuss it further at the next scheduled meeting.
The board entered executive session to discuss litigation before adjourning the meeting.
