Following a public hearing at their April 1 meeting, the Simpson County Board of Supervisors adopted the new comprehensive plan for county land use and heard an apology from the school board to Sheriff Paul Mullins.
Central Mississippi Planning and Development District and the Simpson County Development Foundation have worked on the land use plan for the past three years with an appointed committee of representatives from all over the county.
David Wade with CMPDD explained that 75 percent of the county’s population resides outside incorporated areas, which presents a need for proper planning. SCDF Director Pat Brown emphasized that the county’s landowners have no protection against the effect of an area’s reduced home values on their properties or interests.
Wade said early in the planning process they interviewed county officials, supervisors, department heads, and the sheriff and concluded that the county could benefit from some land use controls. The board adopted the plan and authorized the committee to move forward on land use recommendations and possible zoning options.
School board member Stan Bulger appeared before the board to publicly apologize to Sheriff Paul Mullins for any miscommunications. Bulger said he has been representing the board in efforts to get school resource officers at the the county’s public schools. Bulger said the breakdown reported as slowing the process has not been with Sheriff Mullins, and said he has done a great job working with the school district even through the transition between superintendents. The district is close to working out a deal that will provide SROs.
Bulger said, “I think we have all of the terms worked out. Now where we stand is a matter of the lawyers, our lawyer to work it out with Mr. (Danny) Welch here to finalize the agreement for your board to approve putting the SROs in the schools.”
Bulger added, “Sheriff Mullins has been outstanding to work with… I just wanted to publicly apologize and tell him how much we appreciate his efforts past, present, and future.”
He said SROs are critical to the school system in the future and that many of the schools in the district are isolated from public view, making them easy targets. He shared experiences that supported his point. He said that Simpson Central has a school resource officer, thanks to Mullins. Bulger said he spoke with the officer directly and learned that kids come and tell the officer about things that are happening in their lives and the community.
Bulger said the presence of such officers can head off problems long before they can happen. He said comparing the data from Simpson Central to any other school in the county shows that they have only a third of the in-school suspension and discipline issues of other schools.
Bulger said, “It has historically run that way. That confirms the beliefs that SROs serve a very vital need, not only in terms of protecting from external threats, but also internal in heading off things.”
Bulger stated that even though the district is working to reduce costs, they are committed to spending money in that area due to the vital need for these officers.
Bulger also updated the board on the status of consolidation of the county’s two high schools. He said the case is with the Mississippi Supreme Court, which has given a deadline to the objectors of consolidation to have all their pleadings in by April 15. He said the clerk of the Supreme Court has indicated that the court will make a prompt ruling shortly afterwards. He said consolidation will help the district save money, to better support the size of the population and projected population. Bulger also said the district is currently changing their organizational structure in terms of staffing from the district office throughout the schools. He said no one will lose employment, but that the loss of ESSER funds has made reconfiguration of staff distribution necessary.
County Road Manager Ben Warren presented the road manager’s report and addressed the board with ongoing concerns of loggers who enter the county without getting a permit. Warren asked the board to consider an ordinance or some form of enforcement to make sure loggers get a permit. He said the log trucks are creating problems for the road department, destroying ditches and leaving debris and mud on the roads. County crews are having to repair and clean up after the log trucks. Warren presented the board with a list of ideas to consider for better enforcement.
County Engineer Greg Bonds updated the board on all ERBR and LSBP projects in the county. He also scheduled the yearly inspection of the county roads to begin on May 1. Bonds asked the board to start thinking of upcoming projects that can be done with term money.
Sheriff Paul Mullins was approved on all new hires and personnel changes he presented. The board also approved an invoice in the amount of $6,270 to the Jail 2nd Opp Media Group LLC. Mullins explained that this is a course that the jail is providing to help inmates get GED’s and learn life skills. A portion of the money is reimbursable.
County Emergency Coordinator John Kilpatrick said emergency management has been working with CMPDD. He reported that from Highway 49 near Campbell’s Creek to Simpson County Lake, and near the Highway 13 and Highway 49 overpass is where most major wrecks happen.
Kilpatrick presented an 80-20 grant available for safe streets that would require the help of MDOT to apply. He explained that grant money is available that can be applied for next year. He said securing the grant and improving these corridors would reduce vehicle fatalities in the county by over 50 percent.
Kilpatrick said the county needs to get aggressive on permitting and look into adopting building requirements. He also reported that his department is close to establishing a new shelter for the county. They are waiting on a contractor from the Red Cross to assist with the presentation.
Kilpatrick urged the board to remember safety with all of the improvements being made to D’Lo Waterpark. He shared a situation of a group launching on the river in which their boat overturned and they needed assistance. Thanks to waterpark management which was able to locate them, they were helped. Kilpatrick suggested putting something in place to identify where boaters are. Sheriff Mullins said mile markers could be put up along the river.
Pat Brown, who is on the board overseeing D’Lo Waterpark, said the people were told not to go into the river but went anyway. Brown said the park would assume liability if they started to control when and how people go into the river.
Brown said, “It has been our board’s position that if we tell them not to and they go ahead and do that, it is on them. If we start putting in all these other things, then we are accepting liability.”
Kilpatrick said this was no criticism of the D’Lo Waterpark management or board and that he wanted permission to discuss possible safety concerns and upgrades that could be made. The board approved his request.
IT Director Charlie Welch reported that new audio visual updates are underway in the courthouse. He said there have been no new updates for the BEAM project since the challenge map has closed. Data collections are still ongoing for residents in the county to update the map for Solid Waste collection.
Owners of a medical cannabis lab specializing in genetics and tissue cultures turned in a request to open a lab at 517 Hwy. 49 South, which is a former antique building south of Magee. They plan to provide Mississippi cultivators with pure genetics for their plants, seeds, and clones. They expect revenue to be $750,000 and increase by 20 percent over the next five years. The board agreed to issue the permit if the business is in compliance with all state guidelines.
David Miller and Dylan Sanford with Insurance Associates updated the board on their insurance policies. Miller shared information on the current state of property insurance. He said the property market in the southern states has been terrible and he has never seen it this bad in his career. He said insurance companies have been plastered with high claims over the last five years equaling billions of dollars and that a lot of large companies have pulled out of Mississippi.
Miller said these companies get about 3 percent of their premium from Mississippi, but they have paid out billions in losses here, leading to them leaving the Mississippi market. Miller said they have seen companies raise premiums and cut coverage to provide a market. Sanford said a lot of the claims have been due to weather events, with Mississippi considered to be in “tornado alley.” The pair updated the board on their current rates and coverage.
The board entered executive session to discuss litigation before adjourning.
