The Webster Progress-Times

WALTHALL - Supervisors have accepted a bid for road resealing projects throughout Webster County.

During their first monthly meeting on Oct. 6, the Board of Supervisors voted to proceed with advertised State Aid resealing projects and accept the low bid of $2.02 million from Kines and Stone of Booneville as contractor. The bid was one of four the board opened and took under advisement on Sept. 22.

Present for awarding of the bid were county Engineer Robert Willis, Shane Carrero and Karl Grubb of Willis Engineering; and Jerry Gilliland, State Aid district engineer.

Also last week, board members voted to:

€ note and confirm the hiring of Debbie Bagwell as office associate for the Webster County Extension Service, and to fund her annual salary as budgeted.

€ enter into fire contracts with the existing nine county fire departments for 2008-09 on the same terms as the previous year.

€ approve changes to the homestead roll as requested by the tax assessor.

SEPT. 22

In addition to opening the reseal bids on Sept. 22, minutes show that the three supervisors present approved two motions concerning board officers. Those present were Robert Hitt (District 1), Charles Rivers (District 3) and Charles McClellan (District 5), who was presiding in the absence of the president and vice president.

Unable to attend were Larry Crowley (District 4), who is a leukemia outpatient at University of Vanderbilt Medical Center, and Mart Salley (District 2), who was hospitalized at the time with complications from cancer but is now at home.

Records reflect that Rivers moved to re-elect Crowley as board president for 2008-09 by acclamation and Hitt seconded the motion, which was adopted 3-0. Rivers then made a motion, seconded by Hitt, to elect McClellan as board vice president for 2008-09 by acclamation. That motion also carried 3-0.

Salley had been serving as vice president. Crowley did participate by speakerphone from Nashville during part of the Oct. 6 meeting.

SEPT. 30

During a recessed meeting Sept. 30, Department of Human Services employees met with the board to again request more office space for social workers. Comprising the delegation were County Director Freda Jones, Angela Nichols, Samantha Crimm, Jo Ann Clark and Judith Brown.

They pointed out that the county is obligated to provide space for the agency and that the issue of privacy is paramount.

"We are in desperate need of space to house the workers," said Nichols, social worker supervisor. She also asked for funding from the county for DHS to be able to provide one-time needs for families it serves such as children's medication and utility bills.

Board members present said renovation of the Garan building to house their offices would take much time and money to get into proper condition.

Vacant building space by the Vocational Rehabilitation Services office on Early Grove Avenue was mentioned as a possible site. McClellan said he would review the floor plans and that the board would work at providing DHS some relief.

In other action on Sept. 30, the supervisors voted to:

€ allow Justice Court Clerk Janice Brunty to attend six hours of professional judicial development in Philadelphia.

€ amend the District 3 budget.

€ replay an interfund loan from the District 5 bridge fund: $10,000 each to the District 1 and 4 bridge funds.

€ transfer $18,430 from the general county fund to the Mississippi Burn Center fund to repay an interfund loan. That amount and the remainder of the Burn Center fund accumulated was to be sent to the state treasurer's MBC fund for payment of the county's Burn Center obligation.

€ authorize the signing of a contract for legal services on behalf of the county with Prosecuting Attorney Jan Butler for handling of drug forfeitures.

In previously unreported business, the board on Sept. 2 adopted the tax levy for this fiscal year as proposed in the 2008-09 budget previously approved. Supervisors also voted to submit District 1 and 2 Local System Bridge Projects to the Office of State Aid Road Construction for programming as preferred projects through Dec. 31, 2011.

The board has a recessed meeting at 8:30 a.m. Monday.