Trees being down and logs falling into the road are a constant problem for those who travel Mississippi Highways 17 and 35, and the Carroll County Board of Supervisors want something done about it.
Supervisor Jim Neill said the conditions of Highways 17 and 35 are concerning and wants the supervisors to help him reach the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) about fixing the problem.
“It’s really concerning to have logs up and down the road and trees in the road,” Neill said. He said a resident wanted Supervisor Claude Fluker’s number to complain about Highway 35.
“I told him there wasn’t anything Claude could do because we have no jurisdiction over that road,” he said. Neill also said the trucks that currently are doing work on Delta’s Edge Solar Farm are tearing up the road off Highway 82.
He and Fluker said they reached out to Northern District Transportation Commissioner John Caldwell and another MDOT official who told them that MDOT is low on manpower, but they know it’s a point of concern. They’re working on getting the manpower for Highways 17 and 35.
“We are aware of the issue, and we have discussed it. But we are very short handed,” Caldwell said in a text message Fluker read to the board. In the message, Caldwell thanked Fluker for making him aware and that it served as a reminder to do something about the situation.
Neill said, “These are some of the worst roads and it’s such a shame because it’s a real pretty drive.”
In other Board news:
• Supervisor Rickie Corley asked about the Veteran Service Officer position. Neill said they’ve allowed it to fall through the cracks. He said that Montgomery County gave a really good name, but their candidate has a full-time job. Corley said there’s a Carroll County woman who’s interested in the position.
• The board discussed the justice court clerk’s overtime compensation.
“It’s my understanding that sometimes the judges call them in for certain things sometimes,” Neill said. He asked Fluker what happened during the discussion at the board meeting in Carrollton.
“Nothing really happened. There was a difference of opinion between the Supervisors so I wanted to table it until today so all five of us could discuss it,” Fluker said.
Northern District Judge Greg Avant told the board the job of a justice court clerk is not a nine to five job and it’s not a Monday through Friday job.
“If a person comes in with a domestic violence case and they want a protection order, and it’s 4:55, the clerk can’t leave until all the paperwork is done and it’s after five when it’s completed,” Avant said. “Or if the sheriff’s department arrest someone on a felony case, we [justice court judges] have 48 hours to hold the initial appearance or that person that be released on their own recognizance. So, they have to be called in to have all the paperwork done or that person will be released on their own recognizance.”
Neill said the board understood that, the issue was the clerks working through lunch.
“I thought we had decided to stop the working through lunch,” Neill said.
The board again tabled the matter until the Aug. 12 meeting in Vaiden.
