With more and more rough-riding county roads being added to the list daily, the costs to repair those roads are going up again.
During Monday's Sunflower County Board of Supervisors meeting, County Engineer Ron Cassada presented the upcoming annual supply bid amounts along with the declaration, “Everything did go up this year.”
Cassada said hot mix, cold mix, liquid asphalt, stabilizer and gravel will all cost the county more than they did last year and the new prices take effect beginning October 1. After a discussion and strategy session that focused on where to get the best quality and quantities of materials to keep the county roads passable, the members voted to accept the new bid amounts.
Cassada said by the county accepting the annual supply bids it speeds up their material acquiring process because they don’t have to spend 30-45 days waiting for bids to come in unless they determine that another company may have a lower price and opt to reject the annual supply bidder’s price.
Cassada said his firm’s role is to go through the submitted consolidated bid amounts, list the primary low bidder and alternate low bidders in case the primary is unable to fulfill the request for supplies. He said having an annual supply bid also helps the county stay in compliance with the state purchasing law.
In other business,
At the request of Holly Ridge resident Flint Pierce, the board voted to abandon a portion of Fontaine Road and an unnamed alley in Holly Ridge after Pierce told them that a recent survey of his property showed that the unused pieces of county property had him landlocked.
Additionally, he has constructed some additions to certain buildings on his land that based on a recent survey are in fact partially on county-owned property. He said his original survey didn’t correctly reveal the property lines and that he was only informed of the discrepancy when he approached his bank about a second loan.
At the request of Economic Development Director Fred Washington, the county leaders voted to rescind a previous motion that required GreenPoint AG to pay a $705 survey/engineer’s fee for property they reportedly just purchased from the county for $25,000.
Washington said he was respectfully asking the members to reconsider this since they didn't require others who purchased property to make a similar payment and especially since it was not spelled out from the beginning. Apparently the county has a fund set aside for such payments and the fees are calculated into the initial agreements.
However, they were not included with the GreenPoint Ag contract because Washington said he was unaware and the fees were added afterwards. Washington said if the board wants to implement such a policy in the future, it would be good if the clients were informed upfront not after the deal has been struck.
Attorney Johnny McWilliams said that it was legal for the lawmakers to waive the fee.
County Maintenance Director Daniel Kent made his report on the condition of the Levee Board building on US 49 stating that the structure is in need of a septic system upgrade. He said the existing system wasn't designed for the use it is getting as a result of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety’s driver's license bureau being located there.
The county lawmakers discussed it and decided to ask the Mississippi Levee Board commissioners to help with the expense of the system upgrade since the building is actually owned by them and the county only has use of it.
Kent also reported on the condition of an AC / heating unit on top of the building that houses the local Mississippi Department of Health office located on US 49 that needs to be replaced. The county owns that structure and is wholly responsible for its upkeep so Kent was told to get quotes on a new unit.
He then gave an update on the new shed being erected on Allen Road for the Sunflower County Search and Rescue Unit. The board voted to expend $4,500 to install metal siding on the structure.
