Three takeaways from Pearl River County Board of Supervisors Meeting
Updates on economic development and property ordinances were among the items discussed at the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday morning. Here are three major takeaways from that meeting:
1. Constables request additional funding for process serving
Danny Joe Slade and Jason Hunt asked the board if they could help the constables. Slade explained that the constables get paid $35.00 to serve papers in civil process cases to people, but if the person has moved out of the area, like a different county, the constables do not get paid unless the papers are actually served on the individual.
For example, Slade said he and Jason had 17 to serve lately, but 4 were no longer living where the papers were listed to go by address.
The constables pay their own expenses and only get paid for delivery to a person. He is asking the board to consider if they could be pay for diligent effort vs only getting paid for actually serving. Board attorney Joe Montgomery said he would like to look to see if there is a legal opinion in the state of Mississippi that could allow the supervisors to be able to pay as Slade suggested.
2. Junk yard ordinance to be enforced on property located at 60 Charlie Daughdrill Rd.
The Board opened a public hearing to discuss non compliant property owners in the Henleyfield area. After receiving several complaints about the property located at 60 Charlie Daughdrill Rd., the board of supervisors began the process of enforcing the property owners to clean up their property back in January of 2017.
Pearl River County Code Enforcement Officer Kolby Davis told the Board the property owners have refused to work with them and have in fact been rather “unfriendly.”
Because of their lack of compliance the board ruled in favor of Davis’ recommendation to adjudicate the property due to it being a menace to the public’s safety and health. This ruling allows the county to go on to the property up to six times over the course of a year to clean it up if need be.
Davis explained that most of the cases he sees are willing to work with him and follow the Junkyard ordinances, which states that property owners with up to three or more “junked” vehicles erect some sort of fence or other structure so that they are not visible from the public road.
“For every one I bring to y’all I handle 50-60 by just talking to people,” Davis said. “Under the junkyard ordinance that we started enforcing last year I’ve had three so far comply without any questions and some were worst than this one here.”
No one representing the property or the property owners showed up for the hearing.
3. Board of Realtors requests update on the Board of Supervisors’ plans for economic development
Before the end of the meeting, the Pearl River County Board of Realtors met with the Board of Supervisors to discuss where they are with their plans for an economic development committee. Many of the realtors have been meeting with advisors and discussing their own plans for economic development in the county.
The Board of Supervisors explained they are in the process of finalizing their by laws and working on developing a steady funding stream for the committee.
“Our idea is that for this to work, it’s going to have to be something that everybody who might stand a chance to grow, can get in of it.” Local realtor, Richard Teague said. “And if it’s not something like that, it won’t work.”
The Realtors went on to explain that the purpose of the meeting was to let the supervisors know that they are interested in what they are doing and want to be part of it.
The next Board of Supervisors meeting is scheduled for Nov. 6 at 9:00 a.m.