A prior discussion regarding the deteriorating condition of Sunflower Road, which crosses districts 3 and 4 in Sunflower County, prompted a discussion that eventually led to the call for a closed executive session to discuss personnel matters concerning workers in the road department.
Earlier, resident Amelia Dawson raised concerns about the potholes in the road and made note of how the road washes out and becomes immersed in water after heavy rains. She also said no work is being done on the ditches, which causes the water from the fields to wash over the road and leaves it for the most part, impassable.
Road Manager T.J. Fairley said the fields along Sunflower Road are much higher than the roads and heavy rain causes water to wash across the road. Donald then asked if the land forming permits that the farmers are supposed to get before land forming would help resolve that problem.
County Engineer Ron Cassada said the farmers don’t always come and get the permits, but when they do, they are instructed on how to properly landform.
District 4 Supervisor Anthony Clark added that the road is a challenge because the left side slants straight to the Bayou and that puts pressure behind the water to push it across the road.
A discussion ensued and various options were surveyed and it was determined that Cassada and Fairley should ride out to check out the ditch situation and look for the best possible solutions.
Also included in the discussion was a concern about the skill level of the road grader operators and other workers and the need for additional training.
President Glenn Donald said it was imperative that they put people on the road equipment that know what they are doing.
“It is ridiculous how some of our roads look,” he said. Donald then suggested hiring two people that District 2 Supervisor Riley Rice mentioned as qualified people and indicated that they may be able to help train the existing crew.
He stressed that the current operators need to be trained well and that backup operators also need to be in place to fill in just in case the regular operators are out. “He can be a tractor driver, but we need to have them trained,” Donald said.
He surmised that although he has never operated a road grader himself before, he could do a better job than some of the county employees who have been operating the machines for six months.
Fairley said some of the operators have been on the machines for a long time, but no one has shown them the proper way to “crown” a road. “They flatten the road,” he said. Fairley said that even after he shows them the proper way, a few days later they revert back to old habits. Donald injected, “They need to go home.”
District 5 Supervisor Gloria Dickerson asked about their skills in pulling ditches and Fairley indicated that he was having the same problems training the workers for that.
Attorney Johnny McWilliams then reminded them that Fairley was initially brought back as a part-time employee to train the operators.
However, Donald advocated for Fairley noting that the former road managers did not use him in the capacity for which he was hired. “They had him out there throwing gravel with a shovel,” Donald said.
Clark suggested using some Saturdays to conduct training sessions, since Fairley has his hands full during the week, only to be told that Fairley had tried that about a month ago and none of the workers were willing to come in. Clark said sternly, “You’re not asking them, if they want their job, they’ve got to attend this training.”
Clark told Fairley that the workers must comply with the training because until the roads are in better condition residents like Dawson and others will continue to remonstrate. Rice concurred. “If those guys can’t do the roads, we need to hire somebody that can do the roads,” he said.
In other business,
The county leaders announced a public hearing on the proposed upcoming budget and tax levy for 9 a.m., September 13. An amount of $17,187,728 is proposed with 61 percent or $10,525,847 being financed through ad valorem tax.
The lawmakers took under advisement an $84,796 proposal from MedStat to supply the county with a new ambulance. Representatives from Southern Procurement announced that MedStat was the lone bidder and apparently they also assisted in supplying the specifications for the bid.
They also discussed ways and means of providing a new fire truck for the Inverness department after EMA Director Denny Evans disclosed that the town received a special appropriation of $150,000 from the state to assist with the purchase.
The lawmakers also agreed to accept the recommendation of the county’s insurance consultant and go with Travelers’ Insurance for the upcoming year’s coverage. Travelers’ submitted the lowest bid of $162,907 to surpass One Beacon Insurance, which submitted a proposal of $188,710. Last year’s premium was $169,746 and it came in from One Beacon.
