The Pearl River County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing Tuesday to discuss the violation of the county’s junkyard ordinance by an automotive repair shop on Ceasar Road.

Pearl River County Code Enforcement Officer Kolby Davis told the Board he’s been working with the owner and renter of a property located at 393 Ceasar Road to remove or hide more than 80 vehicles.

Davis said the mechanic shop on that property is in violation of the county’s junkyard ordinance because that many vehicles should not be visible from the roadway. Over the past four months, Davis said he’s asked renter and owner to either move the vehicles or erect a fence.

A partial fence was erected over the Fourth of July weekend, but Davis said it was not adequate. Since then, Davis said more efforts have been taken to complete the fence, but it still does not meet the county’s guidelines.

“The first fence was an insult,” District IV Supervisor Farron Moeller, said. The property is within in his district.

Moeller said he’s received numerous complaints about the property starting more than four months ago.

“There are hundreds of cars that go up and down Ceasar Road and have to look at this,” he said.

Across the street from the shop is Woodridge subdivision, Moeller said, where property values are likely decreasing because of the number of cars.

Davis said about 20 of the vehicles were removed from the property and taken to the scrap yard. Yet, he estimated that more than 60 remain on the property.

However, Davis said many of those cars don’t belong to the over of the property or shop owner.

“He can’t legally haul them off,” Davis said.

Although a fence is slowly being erected, Davis said they’ve been warned for too long and he will begin to issue citations.

“The guy’s trying to make a living, he’s not a bad guy, but the complaints have just become overwhelming,” Moller said.

The Board authorized Davis and Pearl River County Litter Control Officer Danny Joe Slade to move forward with the matter, taking it to the county prosecutor.

Davis said there are four other major sites he’s working on, one of which he said is worse than the property on Ceasar Road and the other three are a little less worrisome.

He said one property on Highway 43 North may have already complied and two others have responded positively. Yet the fourth may result in legal action.

In a separate matter, the Board received copies of a Pearl River County coloring and puzzle book from resident Valerie Livengood.

Livengood said she and two of her children, Abby and Cody, finished the first volume and are already working on a second.

“We started a second volume because there’s that many things,” she said.

The Board also asked them if they would be interested in creating an anti-litter book to distribute to schoolchildren.

Livengood agreed to put together a rough draft for the Board’s review. The book would be printed at minimal expense to the county.

More information from Tuesday’s Board meeting will be published in Thursday’s Item.

The Board will hold another meeting on Sept. 15 to discuss the annual budget.