Building repairs discussed by supervisors

A number of remodeling or repairs in county office buildings are being made.

At the Feb. 18 meeting of the Marshall County Board of Supervisors, tax collector Rosalyn DeBerry ask the board of supervisors to remove remaining worn out carpet in her office and replace it with laminated floor covering.

Part of the flooring in the office is already laminated, she said.

District 1 supervisor Charles Terry said the carpet is old.

“I recommend we go ahead and remove that old carpet and put down laminate on the rest of the office,” he said.

District 5 supervisor Ronnie O'Neil Bennett asked where the money to pay for it will come from.

“It will be out of my budget, I'm pretty sure,” said Simpson Stroupe, in charge of restoration and repair of offices and buildings.

County administrator Tim Powell said the money likely will come out of Buildings and Grounds.

“It shouldn't break the bank,” he said.

DeBerry asked for a new phone system for her office, saying the phones are outdated.

Terry said he has heard a lot about problems with the phones.

Powell said the long distance, especially calling out, has been a problem in a number of county offices. He said the old and new jails are being set up for a new phone system serving both facilities and the system at the old jail could be put in the tax collector's office.

Susie Hill, with the chancery clerk's office, suggested that the phone system from the old jail may handle the needs of the tax collector's and tax assessor's offices.

Powell said if the two offices were put on the same system, the entire system would have to be changed.

“How many phones?” Terry asked.

“About seven,” DeBerry said.

DeBerry then asked for a small vehicle that she could use to travel back and forth from the collector's offices in Holly Springs and the Substation on Highway 309 North.

“You don't get any mileage when using your own vehicle,” she said.

District 3 supervisor Terry Rodgers made a motion to table the request for a vehicle, the motion was seconded by Distrct 5 supervisor Ronnie O'Neil Bennett, and passed by unanimous vote of the board.

Stroupe advised that changing out the carpet in DeBerry's office is more complicated than just ripping out the carpet.

He said everything will have to be unplugged and the furniture moved out before the vinyl flooring can be installed on by the contractor on a weekend when the office is empty.

Terry Byrd will have to do the disconnect and reconnect of phone lines and computers in the affected areas.

“I'll get them to tell me what weekend they can come,” he said.

Stroupe said he is ready to go to work on the renovation of the old Reynold's Funeral Home for use by Youth Court.

“Seems like you are moving in the right direction,” District 4 supervisor George Zinn III said. “Turn `em loose and let them go to work.”

Sheriff Kenny Dickerson has requested new flooring in the hallway and booking areas and sally port joining the old and new jail.

Stroupe has one quote but asked if he should get a second one.

Terry encouraged getting a second quote.

“It is just concrete, now,” Stroupe said.

“You are doing a great job,” Bennett told Stroupe.

911 coordinator Cathy Hannah requested travel for two dispatchers to get Crisis Intervention Training and for herself to take a class.

She said 911 commissioners asked for a 10 percent raise. Now the commissioners are paid $100 per meeting and meet about six times a year. That would increase the commissioner's compensation to $110 a meeting or $550 per year per commissioner.

“What do we pay all boards?” District 2 supervisor Johnny Walker asked.

“One hundred dollars per meeting,” Powell said. “Your budgets have to be supplemented out of general funds.”

He said the outside office budget “does not float 911.” “The general fund has to float it,” he said.

Bennett said if the county gives the raise to 911 commissioners it will have to give the same raise to the zoning board.

Terry said Hannah is just making a request, but to do this for the 911 board would require the same raise for other boards.

Walker made a motion to give the 10 percent raise to all other boards, including zoning and the Fairgrounds board which has 13 members.

“I second,” Bennett said. “Tim, can we afford it?”

“It gets down to what are yoz