The Sunflower County Board of Supervisors opened its first meeting of the new year with prayer, questions about rising technology and fuel costs, and a lengthy review of grant-funded projects and road work across the county. Supervisors also signaled support for helping the city of Drew repair its public library roof by redirecting previously awarded funds, while weighing future purchases of heavy equipment and a new chip spreader for road improvements.
Board convenes, officials present
The Sunflower County Board of Supervisors met Monday, Jan. 5, at 8 a.m., with Board President and District 5 Supervisor Gloria Dickerson presiding. District 1 Supervisor Glenn Donald, District 2 Supervisor Riley Rice, District 3 Supervisor Roger Anthony and District 4 Supervisor Anthony Clark were all present for roll call, along with Board Attorney Johnny McWilliams, Chancery Clerk Dr. Gloria McIntosh, County Administrator Mary Hart and Sheriff James Haywood. Dickerson opened the meeting with prayer before supervisors approved the agenda and began working through a claims docket that spanned everything from Fuelman fuel charges to phone, internet and copier leases.
Supervisors scrutinize claims docket
During discussion of monthly claims, supervisors pressed staff about large recurring invoices, especially a countywide phone and internet package that totals roughly $10,000 a month and bundles IT support and connectivity for multiple county offices. Several board members questioned whether that figure was “extremely high” and asked for a clearer breakdown of the services covered before future approvals. The board also reviewed extensive Fuelman fuel bills for county trucks, sheriff’s vehicles and solid-waste operations, along with payments to medical examiners, jail food vendors, pest control services, elevator maintenance and various professional service providers, including outside attorneys and investigators tied to court and prosecution work.
Leave policy and holiday time clarified
Supervisors spent part of the meeting clarifying how county employees may use personal leave around state-recognized holidays such as the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The board agreed that employees may be released early only if they use their own personal or vacation time beyond what the governor officially authorizes as paid holiday hours. To avoid confusion, the board voted to authorize County Administrator Hart to send a written notice to every department head, directing them to follow the personnel policy and to ensure that any additional time off around holidays is charged to personal leave or taken without pay.
Reappointments, grants, training and courthouse use approved
Under her report, Chancery Clerk Gloria McIntosh presented the annual slate of county employees for appointment or reappointment for fiscal 2026, which the board later approved in executive session on a motion by District 3 Supervisor Roger Anthony and a second by District 4 Supervisor Anthony Clark, with District 1 Supervisor Glenn Donald voting no and District 2 Supervisor Riley Rice abstaining. On McIntosh’s recommendation, supervisors also authorized her travel to mandatory chancery clerk training in Ridgeland from Feb. 3–6, 2026, and granted the Sunflower County Democratic Executive Committee permission to use the courthouse courtroom Jan. 10 for a general meeting. The board further agreed to allow the city of Indianola to hold its municipal swearing-in ceremony in the circuit courtroom on Jan. 6 and, after noting an increase in the Mississippi Association of Supervisors membership assessment to $1,025 per supervisor, signaled they would maintain participation in the organization despite the higher cost.
Housing preservation grant payments authorized
County Administrator Hart presented a series of invoices connected to the Home Preservation Grant (HPG AY23), a U.S. Department of Agriculture program that funds critical repairs for qualifying homeowners. Supervisors approved payments for project management, home inspections, electrical work, HVAC replacement and carpentry for several houses, including a new American Standard heating and air system installed with a 10-year limited warranty. Questions were raised about ensuring contractor invoices matched approved grant budgets, and Hart said payments were processed through the grant administrator and checked against the remaining balance before submission. The board also approved a final payment to Upchurch Services LLC for Phase I and II work at the county jail, with supervisors noting they intend to walk through the completed project.
Tax rolls, homestead chargeback and reappraisal
Tax Assessor-Collector Cynthia Chandler presented petitions for reduction of assessment on behalf of property owners J.B. Burns and DTN LLC, which the supervisors approved. The board also voted to void a homestead chargeback receipt from the 2023 tax sale for another property owner, removing it from the sale list. Chandler reminded supervisors and the public that state law requires periodic countywide reappraisal of real property, typically on a four-year cycle, which means many taxpayers will see valuation changes reflected in the 2026 tax rolls even if their assessments have been flat since 2022.
Sheriff’s jail report and inmate housing costs
Sheriff Haywood reported that the county jail served 5,449 meals to inmates during December and that the sheriff’s office collected $2,937.50 in fees and other revenues for the month, which were turned over to the county. The board briefly discussed medical, food and housing costs for inmates, including juvenile housing charges paid to Yazoo and Washington counties, where daily rates can reach $200 per youth per day. Supervisors questioned whether more juveniles could be housed in the less expensive facility when space is available to reduce the burden on local taxpayers.
Drew mayor seeks help with library roof
Drew Mayor Melanie Townsend-Blackmon appeared before the board to request assistance with replacing the leaking roof on the Drew public library, telling supervisors the city had received estimates ranging from about $17,000 to $20,000. She said the city board would meet the next day and planned to send a formal letter asking the county to partner on the project. Supervisors responded that approximately $34,000 in federal ARPA-related funds previously earmarked for Drew recreation projects remained unspent and could potentially be redirected.
They advised the mayor to have her board formally request that the county amend its earlier grant allocation so that at least $17,000 of that balance could be applied to the library roof, leaving the remainder available for park improvements.
Road department, equipment and chip spreader
South End Road Manager Tim Howell updated the board on limestone purchases, road repairs and equipment status, including a motor grader undergoing diagnostics for a possible hydraulic pump failure that could cost about $7,500.
Supervisors debated whether to keep investing in graders with 7,000 to 9,000 hours of use or move toward selling them at auction and purchasing new machines with extended warranties, noting that new graders could cost between $375,000 and $400,000 each depending on specifications. Donald recommended inviting equipment vendors to a future meeting to present full cost, warranty and buyback options covering three-, four- and five-year terms.
Road officials and supervisors also discussed using milling material on certain roads and the best technique for “zipping,” shaping and resurfacing failing routes, with members cautioning against applying new surface over poorly compacted base material.
To prepare for the upcoming paving season, Howell urged the board to authorize advertising and a reverse auction for a chip spreader funded with use-tax dollars, explaining that delivery could take 90 to 120 days and that ordering now would ensure the machine arrives by late spring or early summer.
