PICAYUNE — Gov. Haley Barbour was campaigning for reelection in Picayune Wednesday on a trail that also had stops in Jeff Davis and Harrison counties.
“I come to Pearl River County a lot. My wife’s family is from here. It’s an important county for a Republican,” Barbour said.
Barbour came to town to walk Canal Street from the Magnolia Coffee House to the corner of Canal and Main, where the Republican party had set up a voter registration table. Barbour was encouraging people to register to vote and support him in November’s election, as well as answering questions from voters.
At a stop at Gulf Coast Homecare, one worker expressed concern about the future of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIPS).
Barbour said that while the CHIPS program was only a 10-year program initially started in 1997, there has been a 48-day extension granted while efforts are made to find new solutions.
“What Congress has passed so far is terrible for Mississippi. We have over 60,000 children enrolled in CHIPS, but we have over 70,000 children who are not enrolled. We don’t get enough money for half of those that are below the poverty level,” Barbour said.
Another GCH worker expressed concern about the difficulty some people have qualifying for Medicaid or disability programs.
Barbour said that while Medicaid and disability are strictly federal programs, “We’re not getting as much federal funding as we used to. $900 million is what our state allocates for healthcare. But people fall through the cracks for disability.”
The Item asked Barbour about the need for the Pearl River County Utility Authority, and his opinion on why it was needed. The legislation requiring the utility authority was developed at his direction and passed by the Mississippi Legislature.
“In order for people to move inland to get away from the threat of damaging hurricanes, it was recognized that infrastructure was needed, such as water, sewer, and wastewater treatment. You can only allow a certain number of septic tanks in an area. Then you develop other environmental problems that are not acceptable by law and because of the harm they do to human life,” Barbour said. “We were allotted around $642 million of Community Development Block Grant funds to build infrastructure so people can build away from harm.”
Barbour said the federal government determined that there needed to be a regional authority in place to oversee the new infrastructure, and the state legislature deemed that one governing authority per county was needed.
“There are over a hundred utility districts in the lower six counties. I think each district worried about the loss of their authority and rate setting when we started this, but those problems are working themselves out,” Barbour said.
Barbour said he understood that the cost to individuals was increased at first.
“It does increase cost some. But federal clean water and safe water laws require sewage treatment at a certain density. You can’t build without water. We’re trying to find ways to help the county utility districts bear administrative fees through federal funding rather than local funds, and I’m comfortable that we will be successful with that,” Barbour said.
Local News
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By Amanda Shelby
Gov. Haley Barbour campaigns in Picayune
- Local News
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SAFETY DAY
Picayune Police officers made a visit to the First Baptist Church of Picayune’s preschool class for their Community Helpers Safety Day. During the event the kids got to meet police officers and trigger lights and sirens in patrol vehicles.
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Poplarville aldermen honor Holliday, get audit report briefing
The city board of aldermen honored former District Three Supervisor Hudson Holliday at its Tuesday night meeting.
Mayor Billy Spiers presented Holliday with a framed resolution of appreciation for his dedication and service to the city while serving as county supervisor.
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MRI INSTALLED
This $1.2 million Magnetic Resonance Imaging equipment was installed at the new location of Highland Community Hospital.
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Hall suspected of robbery after escaping
A man who escaped from jail after attending his father’s wake is suspected of having carried out an armed robbery on the Texas-Arkansas state line. Johnny Hall escaped from Mississippi Department of Corrections custody on Friday while attending his father’s wake in Picayune.
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City Hall expansion groundbreaking held
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday at the construction site for the expansion of the historic Picayune City Hall. “You can see our future when you look down Goodyear Boulevard. You see Chimney Square, our high school, The Link at First Baptist Church, Jack Read Park and then our historic City Hall.
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PRC athletic director says he’ll recommend random drug testing
Pearl River Central athletic director Andy Kivlan told the school board at its Monday night meeting that he will most likely recommend that students participating in extracurricular activities, including band and ROTC, be subject to random drug screening.
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Supervisors adopt resolution encouraging more economic development in South Miss.
Following a short presentation by State Sen. Tony Smith (R-Picayune), the board of supervisors adopted on Monday a resolution encouraging state officials and agencies to exercise “fairness and parity” regarding location of new industries in Mississippi.
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MDEQ wants comprehensive waste disposal plan from county
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has told Pearl River County it wants a comprehensive waste disposal plan for the county. Supervisors indicated at their Monday meeting that they are not happy with the request.
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