At the Simpson County Board of Supervisors’ May 6 meeting, Road Manager Ben Warren warned of the thousands of dead trees along county roads.
Warren explained that a bad storm could drop these trees in roadways, creating a hazard for citizens and county workers.
Warren explained that the ideal plan would be for the county crews to cut down these trees and push them back into the woods before such a storm occurs. He proposed that all dead trees that can be reached from the road be removed. Warren explained that the trees could be cut and pushed back into the woods in considerably less time than removing them once they have fallen into the roadways. He said the power companies are facing similar problems with dead trees. The issue was that many of the dangerous trees are on private property.
Board Attorney Danny Welch and the board discussed MS Statute 65-7-9 on removing trees that propose a danger to public roadways, which says the board can condemn any dead or dangerous tree near any public roads which endangers the safety of public travel. According to the statute after the failure or refusal of the owner to remove the trees, the board may assess the value of the trees and remove them.
Welch said the statute was old and did not establish a specific timeline for the process. He suggested getting permission from each landowner but understood it would take several hours of research to identify and contact each landowner for permission to remove dead trees.
Warren emphasized that it was a matter of public safety, and that county crews need to be able to remove these trees before they become more of a hazard.
Emergency Operations Manager John Kilpatrick said that if a storm were to down several trees around the county, some federal aid might be available to help fix the issue when it happens.
The board agreed that the county should take a proactive approach in removing the hazards beforehand. They discussed establishing a local state of emergency but questioned whether the situation met the criteria for such a move. After more discussion the board opted to advertise their intentions and notify landowners of hazardous trees near roadways.
The county backhoes are still an issue ,and the board discussed auctioning the older machines to help with purchasing newer ones. The board plans to advertise bids on new equipment.
County engineer Greg Bonds reported that the board completed their road manager ride last week and that he will complete his reports within a month. He also updated the board on projects underway on Siloam Road, Star Braxton Road, Moody Wallace Road, Hayes Gray Road, and Highway 472. Bids will be opened on LSBP-4 Peacock Road on June 7.
County Administrator Eric Bowen reported that the review of Solid Waste addresses for bill collection was completed. Tax assessor Jamie Brewer estimated that there were 500 addresses with an active bill, but no home on the premises. The board plans to suspend the inactive accounts to get an accurate dollar amount of what is owed to the county for solid waste pickup.
Attorney Danny Welch presented the board with a draft of a timber haul policy requiring a permit. The draft contained a sequence of fines for violation of the ordinance of $250, $500, and $1,000. The policy also restricted mud on roadways and proof of insurance. The drivers of log trucks will be required to maintain the permit. The board took it under advisement for further review.
The board entered executive session to discuss personnel and the Mississippi Hub settlement agreement.
