Supervisors to ask for lower millage

By Vershal Hogan (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Tuesday, June 23, 2009

NATCHEZ — The Adams County Board of Supervisors met for approximately five hours Monday, most of which was in executive session.

The executive session was to discuss personnel matters, potential litigation and economic development, President Henry Watts said.

Other business the supervisors addressed in open session included:

4The board voted to re-approve the inter-local government agreement between the City of Natchez, the county and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office that forms the Metro Narcotics unit.

4Supervisor S.E. “Spanky” Felter told County Engineer Jim Marlow to add a portion of Foster Mound Road to the county’s road repair list.

Foster Mound Road is a state aid road from Morgantown to the Rand Subdivision, but the portion of the road from the subdivision to the bottom of the hill is designated as county road, Felter said.

“It is a main thoroughfare, and it is in bad shape,” he said.

“It would definitely qualify for some asphalt.”

• The supervisors voted to accept an agreement with local businessman Jerry Paul Ogden for the repair of a county parking lot, pending final approval from the county engineer and road manager.

Heavy machinery Ogden owns had damaged the parking lot near the old pine tech building at the former International Paper site.

The agreement was that Ogden would pay the county $22,500 for the work.

Both parties would then execute hold harmless agreements for any future work on the parking lot.

• The board voted to adopt a procedure requiring all county employees to undergo a background check and drug testing prior to employment.

• The board voted to authorize Watts to send a letter to the City of Natchez and the Natchez-Adams School Board requesting they consider reducing the millage they collect in proportion to the amount the tax assessor increases property tax assessments.

The request would mean that, if all of the government bodies rolled back their millage, even though property values increased taxes would not.

• The board voted to authorize travel expenses for three members of the county bookkeeping staff to attend the Public Employees Retirement System seminar in July in Jackson.

• The board opened and accepted bids for road supplies, except for those which might be affected by the bidding process for the upcoming road program, such as asphalt.

• The board voted to approve a utility agreement with Entergy that would allow Entergy to move their utility line on Government Fleet Road.