The Pearl River County Board of Supervisors met with Utility Authority Executive Director Ray Scott Wednesday to establish a better working relationship between the two agencies.
Scott said the UA’s Board of Trustees asked him to better communicate with county and municipal governments.
The Board appoints four of the UA’s trustees, while Picayune appoints two and Poplarville appoints one, Scott said. There are no term limits for the trustees, and a few of them have been on the Board since its inception in 2006, he said.
Working with a $4 million annual budget, Scott said the UA prefers to focus on long-term repairs to the county’s sewer and water system, rather than performing quick patches.
The UA has 4,600 customers in Picayune and about 1,600 in Poplarville, Scott said.
Board Vice President Hudson Holliday discussed a desire to install water lines in the Hillsdale area as a way to increase development.
Scott said there are about 50 to 60 customers in that area now.
The UA typically tries to fill a need when it’s found, but doesn’t typically intrude on another water association’s district, Scott said.
In other matters, County Engineer Les Dungan said the annual bridge inspection of non-timber piling bridges will begin on August 1. By utilizing state funding, 79 of the county’s 165 bridges will be inspected.
Dungan said the bridges are on a two-year inspection cycle.
In road matters, County Road Manager Charlie Schielder said the county paved about 13.5 miles of road this year and will present a complete report at the next Board meeting.
In a separate matter, the Board voted to surplus a small amount of property near the Emergency Operations Center and sell it to a neighboring property owner.
As part of the ongoing discussions concerning the construction of two courthouse annexes, District II Supervisor Malcolm Perry said he doesn’t believe meeting with architects on an individual basis next week is necessary.
Perry said the Board should come up with an agreed upon budget before talking with architects again.
Because county expenses fluctuate from year to year, Perry said the county would be “broke” if it didn’t keep expenses from rising. He said County Administrator Adrain Lumpkin is putting together a chart to compare the county’s growth rate, revenue projections and expenditure patterns.
The Board will meet again on July 19 at 9 a.m.