The town of Inverness may soon get a new fire truck to put in its newly constructed fire station since the Sunflower County Board of Supervisors voted on Monday to initiate the process of applying for a $210,000 short-term loan to pay their portion on the $356,147 truck.
A motion to buy the truck was never officially made because Board Attorney Johnny McWilliams requested that additional documentation be submitted first.
Sunflower County Emergency Management Director Denny Evans submitted two quotes to the board on Monday and since both bids fall under state contract guidelines it's not necessary to seek bids.
The board voted to accept the quote from SunbeltFire, headquartered in Fairhope, Alabama, and make the purchase from them contingent upon securing written documentation that the $150,000 appropriation given to the Inverness Fire Department by the state can be used to purchase the truck, which will be county owned, but assigned to the town.
In addition, since the money was likely given to the town to be used by the department, McWilliams also asked that the Inverness aldermen submit in writing that they agree that it is to be used in that manner.
The second quote came from Pierce EEP and although Pierce’s bid was $4,293 lower, Evans said he recommended the SunbeltFire truck because even though the equipment is basically the same, the breathing apparatuses on the SunbeltFire quote that is an part of the specs for each truck came with a better warranty.
The county plans to borrow and contribute $206,147 towards the purchase. Normally, the money would have come from a fire rebate fund where it is saved up for such purposes, but that money was used earlier to buy two new Jaws of Life rescue apparatuses for fire stations on the northern and southern ends of the county.
In all they will borrow $210,000, which will cover the county’s outlay plus any associated fees. The lawmakers did agree to purchase the fire truck pending receipt of written documentation from Inverness and the state. It could take 10 to 12 months for the truck to be delivered from the date it is actually ordered.
In other business,
During his monthly report Evans also disclosed to the county lawmakers that a construction crew working on a site across the street from the North Sunflower County Medical Center in Ruleville discovered some old, unstable dynamite wrapped in plastic in a styrofoam cooler.
State ATF officials were called in to dispose of the explosives, which were contained and burned to neutralize them. No one knows how long the dynamite was there, but Evan said it had crystals on it, so diesel was poured on it to stabilize it.
The county lawmakers heard a proposal regarding the cost and coverage of insurance from representatives of their Blue Cross Blue Shield employee health insurance plan for the upcoming year.
The representatives said that the county would not have an increase in premiums; however, the members voted to take the proposal under advisement and make a decision before the upcoming deadline.
Later, the members appeared to be in favor of accepting the proposal, but President Glenn Donald asserted that they should check with other companies first to see if they would offer a better price. County Administrator Gloria McIntosh said another company had contacted her about submitting a proposal but never followed through and this was the only proposal received.
Donald said they should seek out companies to make bids, however McIntosh maintained that the companies should be coming to the county. The policy has to be renewed by December 1 and supervisors Gloria Dickerson and Riley Rice mentioned the closeness of the deadline since the contract reportedly states that the county will notify the company at least a month in advance.
Nonetheless, Donald stressed, “If you get you four or five quotes, you gone have something to compare to, right now you don’t have nothing but this here.” It was determined that they would put notices on the county’s website that they are seeking proposals. Donald stressed that this is an $830,000 decision.
The board also heard a review of the 2018 audit from a representative of Bridgers and Goodman PLLC. Karl Goodman said overall, “They did good, I think they are doing great.”
The county lawmakers also voted to accept the resignation of Attorney Jimmy Sherman as youth court attorney and hire two part-time attorneys as his replacement.
Based on an order that came in from Chancery Court Judge Debra Giles, Sherman stated that his other duties will no longer afford him the time necessary to fulfill his obligations as youth court attorney. Giles appointed attorneys Alicia Thomas and Darnell Pratt to serve in the position.
The county leaders also approved acceptance of an agreement for an Eastmoor Subdivision storm sewer system rehabilitation grant and set a date to submit and open bids for the project.
