Adams County supervisors elected Monday not to act as a fiscal agent for a non-profit organization that teaches children not to smoke.

Bettye Bell, program coordinator for the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi, asked supervisors Nov. 22 to consider becoming the fiscal agent for her organization.

Supervisors said they declined the offer for two reasons: low staffing in the county bookkeeping department and questions regarding how personnel pay and taxes would be administered through the county.

&uot;Our bookkeeping department is swamped,&uot; said Supervisor President Virginia Salmon. &uot;Plus we’re minus one person in bookkeeping, and we won’t be filling that position right away.&uot;

Bell will continue to use the Natchez-Adams School District as financial agent, as she has done since the inception of the program.

&uot;We’ve been administering the grant,&uot; said Natchez-Adams School District Superintendent Dr. Carl Davis. &uot;Mrs. Bell was simply looking at other options.&uot;

The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi is a non-profit organization that seeks to &uot;reduce initiation of tobacco in Mississippi’s youth.&uot;