In their first meeting of 2020 the Jones County Board of Supervisors elected Beat 1 Supervisor Johnny Burnett as board president. Beat 4 Supervisor David Scruggs was chosen as the vice president of the board. Both men were elected unanimously.
The supervisors approved Danielle Ashley, who also occupies the seat of county administrator, as board attorney, and they reappointed Ronnie Clark as county engineer for this year. Bart Gavin retained his position as board records manager and comptroller, and the board appointed Rhonda Williamson as county purchase clerk, Chastity Gray as county receiving clerk and Charles Miller as county inventory clerk. Miller is also the CFO of Jones County.
COUNTY SPENDING IN FIRST QUARTER
Miller informed the supervisors of how the outgoing supervisors of beats 2, 3 and 5 and former Sheriff Alex Hodge performed with their budgets as they were leaving office. Because the county’s fiscal year runs from October through September, outgoing officials actually oversee the first quarter budget of the incoming officials. All of the outgoing officials operated within acceptable financial parameters, noted Miller, as Beat 2 spent 25 percent of the annual budget in the first quarter, Beat 3 spent 24.1 percent, Beat 5 spent 24 percent, and the sheriff’s office spent 25 percent of the annual allocation. Miller noted that the adult detention center spent 26.8 percent of the annual appropriation in the first quarter that was alloted for medical expenses. Of the $100,000 designated for the fiscal year for prisoner medical expenses, nearly half ($47,000) was spent in the first quarter.
“I don’t know how we can get a handle on the medical for the prisoners in the future,” stated Miller.
“It’s hard to judge doctor bills because you never know what’s going to happen,” added new Sheriff Joe Berlin. “We’ll work on trying to lower that.”
Berlin did not oversee the first quarter expenses for the adult jail, but he is now tasked with trying to figure out how to stretch out the dollars for inmate medical care for the rest of the fiscal year.
JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER UPDATES
The new sheriff also forewarned the supervisors about some impending expenses for the Jones County Juvenile Detention Center. Berlin said that in order for the facility to keep its certification, some changes would have to be made to comply with mandates coming in the next month or two.
“It’s going to entail some money to change out some tables to have rounded corners, and we must have two female officers per shift instead of one,” he added. “I just wanted y’all to be aware of that.”
During the meeting the supervisors allocated the sheriff’s office the second quarter of their annual budget. That three-month total is $1.482 million.
BIDS APPROVED
Dunn Roadbuilders (bituminous materials), G&O (culverts), Vance Brothers (slurry seal) and McCraney (striping) were all given six-month term bids by the supervisors. First State Bank gave the county the highest interest rate on its money (1.61%) and was chosen as the primary repository for Jones County. Five other banks made a bid for the county’s business. The bank’s term with the county will last two years.
The county conducted a reverse auction bid for garbage trucks, and Burroughs Companies was the only bidder. Burroughs’s bid was for $138,939.00 per truck, with a three-year buy back option of $65,000. The supervisors approved purchasing two of the trucks. The county will sell back two trucks in order to get some rebate money on the purchases.
OTHER ACTION
In other action taken by the board:
*The supervisors agreed to advertise county resources through the Mississippi Association of Supervisors magazine by buying a $400 black and white full page ad.
*Approved removing $7,780.00 of uncashed checks from the tax assessor-collector books. The money comes from checks that are six months are older and have not been cashed by the recipients.
*Voted to approve the cancellation of a bridge project on Phillips Road in Beat 4, due to that project being completed by State Aid.
*Agreed that contractor Ellis Dozer could add Simmons Erosion as a subcontractor for Local System Bridge Program work on Will Knight Road.
*Gave CFO Miller permission to request lease-purchase quotes on a new truck the county purchased for Beat 5. The board approved the purchase of the new truck at the last board meeting of December.
*Approved a change order for the replacement of a broken window that an inmate shattered at the Jones County Adult Detention Center.