For substantial cost savings, the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors Tuesday voted to move the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office’s Narcotics Division into the former Justice Court facility, located on Airline Road.
Sheriff Mike Arledge reported utilities in the division’s current home — in a building formerly occupied by Maxxim Medical, located on Yorkville Park Square — range from $4,500 to $6,000 a month and the building’s roof constantly leaks.
“I believe we can save a lot of money on this (move),” Arledge said, noting the former Justice Court facility only needs to be painted and “cleaned up,” before occupancy by the Narcotics Division, which is comprised of five agents and a secretary.
“I think we can go right in there,” he said, adding the older facility could be used for storage.
“The roof has been a constant problem, since we’ve been in there,” County Administrator Ralph Billingsley said of the former Maxxim facility. “The utility bill would go down drastically (with a move). We should see several thousand dollars a month in reductions.”
County Coroner Greg Merchant and his office will remain in the old Maxxim Medical facility, along with the county’s Animal Control office, but in a newer portion of the 135,000-square-foot building. The Narcotics Division was located in an older portion of the facility, where the company’s administrative offices were located.
“My concern is, at what point do we determine that building is of no value to the county?” District 4 Supervisor Jeff Smith asked of the Yorkville Park Square building. “Later down the road, we need to address that issue.”
In other matters, the supervisors:
n Appointed Justin Shelton to serve Dennis Erby’s remaining unexpired term on the Lowndes Port Authority Board of Directors.
Erby, whose term expires March 31, 2013, in April was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as head of the United States Marshals’ Office for the Northern District of Mississippi, in Oxford.
“If people aren’t going to attend (board meetings), we need to get replacements,” District 5 Leroy Brooks said of boards of directors for which the county makes appointments, noting local boards frequently lack a quorum — the minimum number of voting board members needed to take official action on issues — because board members miss meetings.
n Voted to pave an extension of Chubby Lane leading into the American Legion club.
District 2 Supervisor Bill Brigham noted the county owns the gravel road, but the city is willing to split expenses, for a total cost of $10,000, to pave the road.
n Tabled a request from District 4 Supervisor Jeff Smith to develop a plan to hire youth for temporary summer work.
“I’m for hiring summer help,” Smith said. “We need to decide what we’re going to do. (Hiring) young people helps them, but it also helps us.
“They need to clearly understand what the rules are,” he added. “We don’t want to get into a baby-sitting service.”
Board President and District 1 Supervisor Harry Sanders agreed and suggested the county hire 10 youth to pick up roadside litter, on Mondays through Thursdays, for 10 weeks.
He also suggested the Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority supervise and utilize people sentenced to community service, who normally pick up litter, to perform the same services at the county’s community centers, in the interim.
“The budget is so tight this year, we don’t need to be hiring any extra people (in other departments), because there’s no money,” Sanders said.
The board tabled the matter until its June 4 meeting to give Billingsley time to gather more information on applicable issues governing the hiring of temporary, summer employees.
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