Clay County supervisors entertained the possibility of meeting in the afternoon twice a year, but a motion to enact the policy failed to get a majority vote and was subsequently withdrawn.
Supervisor Lynn Horton seconded Shelton Deanes’ motion to hold a regular meeting in the spring and fall during afternoon hours, but Luke Lummus, R.B. Davis and Floyd McKee voted against it. County chancery clerk Amy Berry said Deanes then withdrew his motion.
Supervisors there will continue to meet the first Monday, the first Thursday after the first Monday and the fourth Thursday of each month. Each meeting starts at 9 a.m. in the county courthouse.
Berry said the idea had recently been pitched by a citizen during the board’s regular meeting Monday but Horton said he’s heard requests for years from constituents. He said he hopes the idea comes back to the table in the future and his colleagues can reach a compromise that will be in the best interest of residents who want to attend meetings but cannot do so in the mornings.
“I’ve had people to come to me in my district and some outside my district wanting to know why we couldn’t schedule a couple of meetings in the afternoon so they can come and see what it’s like,” Horton said. “I don’t have a problem with it myself. It’s all about the people. We work for the people and that’s one of their requests. I think it’s something we should have tried just to respond to the people.”
Oktibbeha County supervisors typically hold one of their two meetings each month in the afternoon. Lowndes County supervisors do not conduct afternoon meetings.
In other business, the board:
Adopted a utility permit and agreed to the relocation of a utility line with the city of West Point for Yokohama Boulevard. Both projects will be paid for out of State Aid funds. Supervisors also transfered some of the State Aid money to the county’s account to help pay for the work. Yokohama Boulevard will be the access road leading directly to the company’s tire manufacturing plant from U.S. Highway 45 Alternate. Eutaw Construction gave the lowest qualified bid for road construction last month at $19,465,284 and must complete the road by the end of 2014;
Agreed to a $14,984 contract with municipal mapping company Surdex to do aerial flyovers for updated property maps. Supervisors also executed a $10,000 grant agreement with the Mississippi Department of Transportation for a portion of the cost. Last year, Clay entered into an agreement with Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Noxubee and 16 other counties in the state to have Surdex fly over each county at a reduced cost than what counties would pay if they entered individually into similar contracts.
Nathan Gregory covers city and county government for The Dispatch.
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