New jail on bypass would cause tax hike

By STEVE SWOGETINSKY

A new jail out on the bypass would imply a tax raise, some officials believe.

Sheriff Eric Clark talked over various ongoing issues about the Neshoba County Detention Middle through Monday’s conference of the Board of Supervisors.

Any everlasting solution is heading to be highly-priced, all people agreed.

“It has been talked about, but at the stop of the day, there is likely to have to be a tax improve to construct a new facility,” reported board President Kevin Cumberland of District 2. “The Sheriff has found a quick-phrase remedy by relocating inmates to other facilities.

“We procured some land around the device building (across from the Neshoba County Coliseum) for likely expansion. But it will imply a tax raise to fork out for a new jail. Which is why there has not been any quick movement. It would choose a tax raise to retire the personal debt.”

Clark mentioned overcrowding proceeds to be a critical problem. In an work to relieve some of the overcrowding, he has begun housing inmates in Winston and Kemper county detention services.

“I gave the supervisors an update with the billing report and meal log,” Clark said. “That’s the place they see how substantially it has expense for the thirty day period of January.

“This morning, we have 96 on the census in a 66-mattress facility. We have a different 15 currently being held in other facilities – eight in Kemper County and seven in Winston County. We did have 26 currently being held in distinct facilities thanks to overcrowding problems.”

The Sheriff explained it expenditures the county around $25 per working day to home inmates in other counties.

The census is a single of lots of issues being raised. The past wave of COVID has taken its toll on the jail staff members. 

Clark reported that most of the jail team has been unwell with COVID or tested constructive and had to be quarantined. 

They have utilized up all of their sick go away. Now, if they skip perform, they really don’t get paid.

“We asked for five additional COVID sick times for workforce,” Clark claimed. “We have been hit really hard. We asked them to glance at the plan about extra depart days.”

No motion was taken by the board.

Jail Administrator Brad Stuart was on hand to discuss diverse troubles with the making alone. Supervisors were being invited to go to and conduct a website inspection.  

Clark recommended supervisors of various matters going on in his division.

He advised a number of fork out raises for deputies who have completed training and taken on further responsibilities.

The sheriff is also deleting a number of goods from his stock checklist.

The section is receiving its share of $3,740 in seized money and $500 from the District Attorney’s pre-trial disbursement software.

In other actions, supervisors:

• Authorized marketing of a single or two new dump vans for the Highway Division. County administrator Jeff Mayo explained the department has various dump trucks that have been in use for 25 decades and are no lengthier repairable. Supervisors also approved the choosing of an employee for the department.

• Accredited paying an invoice totaling $22,752 for the last design Of the County Highway 236 Compact Municipal and Restricted Population County Grant Application Venture. Supervisors have been notified that Lonnie Taylor, P.E., is the new  condition support district engineer.

• Permitted having to pay $209 to Conduent Image Solutions for storage and dealing with service fees for the Chancery Clerk’s Business.

• Approved faculty bus turnarounds for the Neshoba County and Union Community Faculties.

• Approved letting Neshoba Common to advertise for bids for the Nursing Home Renovation Undertaking.

• Approved the appointments of  Curt Rate and Lee Phillips as commissioners of the  Hope Hearth Safety District replacing – Nelson White and Bobby Winstead, who resigned.

• Approved the county employee payroll totaling $243,394 and ending January 24.

• Approved the elected officials payroll totaling $41,543 and ending February 1.

• Supervisors considered and agreement with Allen & Hoshall for Specialist Companies.

• Declared Washington’s Birthday be celebrated as a county holiday on  Monday, February 21.