On Monday, the Sunflower County Board of Supervisor made a cool decision.
The county leaders heard a presentation from a vendor about purchasing baseball-style caps with cooling devices installed.
County Administrator Fred Washington said the item would be beneficial for workers in the road department and the sanitation department because working in the heat creates a safety issue and they are trying to keep the employees hydrated while working out in extreme heat.
The headgear costs $34.95 each not including a reported discount and comes with a rechargeable battery that runs for several hours. The county leaders voted 3-1 to purchase 75 of the items. District 3 Supervisor Ben Gaston voted no.
Mentioning the August heat, Washington said, "I recommend we do this out of general accounting, now." Gaston asked how many heat related incidents he has experienced and Washington said they have one potential, but have not had any actual incidents as of right now.
"I'm not for it because we have not had any heat related injuries and I'm not sure we're going to. You can accomplish the same thing by putting a wet rag on the back of your neck, so I think it's a waste of money," Gaston said
District 1 Supervisor Glenn Donald stated that since they were not the ones who are out working in the heat at the various duties, they could not fully appreciate the benefit of the caps and said that since Washington and Road Manager T.J. Fairley were for the purchase that he was also. "I want to be proactive instead of reactive," Donald said.
The hats come with a six-month guarantee and it was also noted that since the items were being purchased with county funds the hats should be considered as county property. Board attorney Johnny McWilliams said, “When you issue items to county employees it remains county property.”
In other business,
At the request of Justice Court Clerk Patricia Strong, the county leaders received and approved a request to appoint a special judge to hear a matter on August 31, at a cost of $250. The amount is to be paid from general accounting until such time as the justice court is able to reimburse.
Additionally, Strong requested freestanding temperature check devices and disinfected sprayers for the court facilities in Ruleville and Indianola.
The county leaders also decided to renew its existing property insurance policy despite a $36,000 premium increase. Insurance agent Doug Russell said the annual premium increased from $174,000 to approximately $210,000. However based on a low loss ratio, Russell suggested that they raise their deductible from $2,500 to $5,000 because it would save $3,500 per year. Both items were approved with a unanimous vote.
