The Pearl River County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing during Wednesday’s meeting to discuss amendments to county subdivision regulations.

County Administrator Adrain Lumpkin said the Board decided to have a public hearing to gather questions or comments regarding the regulations.

Lumpkin said the amendments would allow for the subdivision of large tracts of land. Subdivisions will not require platting but instead can be described by the metes and bounds method, he said.

He said a common issue with the current regulations involved the subdivision of a 10-acre or more tract required them to undergo the complicated process of plat changes. Although the current subdivision regulations are find in regard to subdivisions such as North Hill or other high-density subdivisions, for larger plats of land, it does not fit, he said.

While making the amendments, the Board concentrated on ensuring all parcels have proper road access, Lumpkin said.

Vice President Hudson Holliday said Pearl River County is a big county and he wants people to be able to buy any size of land they choose.

“I don’t know if it fixes everything but it is a big step forward… there may be more changes in the future, but this is a big step forward and long needed,” Holliday said.

The Board approved a motion to adopt the changes.

In another matter, the Board received four bids for the construction of the Pearl River County Courthouse Annex. After reviewing the bids submitted the Board awarded the project to the lowest bidder, Hanco Corporation, for a total cost of $7,247,000.

Estimates by the Board state the project could cost as much as $9 million. During a previous meeting, the Board approved a motion to establish a bond not to exceed $12 million, to be paid over a period of 25 years at an interest rate of 4 percent.

For more about Wednesday’s meeting, see Friday’s edition of the Item.