Adams County Board of Supervisors consider recreation bond

Published 6:41 pm Thursday, July 8, 2021

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NATCHEZ — The Adams County Board of Supervisors is considering a general obligation bond for recreation improvements.

The board recently passed a resolution regarding their intent to enter a bond or loan agreement not to exceed $5 million for capital improvements at recreational centers and parks within the county. The amount borrowed my actually be less than $5 million, board attorney Scott Slover said. The board is still in the early stage of deciding what funds are needed for improvements.

“You always ask for more than what you end up borrowing,” Slover said. “I think the actual amount when all is said and done will actually be (just over $4 million) at the most depending on what the board decides to do.”

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Supervisors said they could use the amount budgeted for the recreation agreement between Adams County and the City of Natchez to finance the bond.

The Natchez Board of Aldermen and supervisors both discussed their intention to adopt a new recreation agreement that focuses on the swimming pool and soccer field on Liberty Road and leaves each governing body responsible for the upkeep and improvements at their own parks.

“We talked about doing a bond for recreation using the funds that we set aside for the recreation commission since the city has pulled out and wants to do their own parks,” Slover said. “The annual amount that we have budgeted for that is $334,000.”

Funds from the bond may also be used to digitize records kept in the Chancery Clerks office and in storage, officials said.

“That would basically pay for itself because you would use the money that we are currently using to lease space for storage,” Slover said.

Slover said Board of Supervisors has not made any binding decisions on borrowing the funds but has issued a public notice that allows the public time to object to their intent to do so if necessary.

“No decisions have been made as to whether they will borrow the money or anything,” he said. “It’s in the preliminary stages. … Some bond issues require public hearings and others do not. No matter what, there is going to be a protest time in case individuals want to object to it.”