Residents angry at erosion

Two residents appeared before the Marshall County Board of Supervisors requesting help with erosion. Shirley Cato complained about a long standing problem with silting of her pond on her property on the south side of Eddie Lee Smith Drive.

Katie Jones said water is rushing from a pipe steadily eating away at her property and endangering her house.

“I want my pond fixed,” Cato said, saying silt is coming from behind her property. “I can’t believe that Marshall County is the only county in the state that has problems with silt. Every time it rains more silt runs into my pond. We never had any problem until the bypass was built. I know Bob (her late husband) talked with you several times.”

District 1 supervisor Charles Terry remembered the problem the county tried to correct by digging out the pond which was filling in. He said he wanted time to research what the county did.

Board attorney Amanda Whaley Smith said she didn’t have signed copies of the Memorandum of Understanding between the county and the Catos.

“The county didn’t feel responsible but did agree to go in and clean it one last time,” she said.

“We refused to sign that document,” Cato said.

District 5 supervisor Ronnie Joe Bennett said the silting was due to the city’s project.

“We went above and beyond,” he said. “It was solely the city. We patched on it.” He said the city of Holly Springs wanted to get the new Salem Avenue Bridge built first then give it and the Eddie Lee Smith Drive to the state of Mississippi to maintain.

“You need to go to the city to get something done,” he said. “We agreed to do it one time. It cost us $50,000. Personally, I do not think it is our responsibility. It doesn’t belong to Marshall County.”

Terry said there was another pond with silt on Hernando Road.

“Once that situation is resolved, it may not be a county issue. Another is a developer issue,” he said.

“But at that time, if you are willing to sign an MOU, I’m putting it out there I went to the city board meeting at the time. We will come back and discuss it and the attorney will be looking in her (minutes).”

“I appreciate your time,” said Cato.

Katie Jones was next up with a pond issue.

“I’m here regarding my pond,” she said.

A pipe under the road seemed to be sending large volumes of water onto her property washing her soil away

“My house is about to go into the pond,” she said “I didn’t know the pipe was there. I feel my pond is not responsible to take away water from someone else’s (land).”

County road manager Mario Jeffries responded that the situation had been going on for years.

“I didn’t see anything the county did wrong,” he said.

“I need some help. This is a problem,” Jones said.

“It’s been there as long as I remember,” Terry said. “The only thing I can see is we may be able to clean it out. I do not know if the pond was a detention pond.”

He asked Jeffries if there is anything the county needs to do.

“Water is going by my house and washing away soil,” Jones said. “The damage is there now.”

Jeffries said the only thing the county can do is lay about 300 feet of rip rap to slow the erosion.

“On private land?” Bennett asked.

Terry made a motion to table the issue while the county takes a closer look at the situation.

Fire departments

County emergency management coordinator Leland Reed discussed a proposal by a county volunteer fire department that wants to set up a non-profit so it can accept large donations.

“Why would they need it?” Bennett asked.

Susie Hill with the chancery clerk’s office said the board had asked volunteer fire departments if they want to get 501(c)(3) status so the county would not have to use the county’s tax number to do fire department business.

“We didn’t feel comfortable using the county tax number,” said District 4 supervisor George Zinn III.

“If they buy equipment, they have to insure it,” said county administrator Tim Powell.

Bennett said each fire department needs to decide for itself whether to seek non-profit status. He said each department would have to apply to the state for non-profit status individually.

“If they want to do it, they have to be responsible,” Bennett said. “It is totally their baby. Not too many folk are going to give $10,000 to get it off their taxes. In Waterford, Conway (Moore) donated that land.”

He said the county tax number was used to get a tax write off.

“In my opinion, if it is not broken, don’t go there,” said chancery clerk Chuck Thomas.

Bennett said a minimum donation of $25,000 has to be made to get a tax write-off under a 501(c)(3).

Powell said if the county purchases equipment for the fire departments, the county has to insure the equipment.

“We need a motion to execute a rural fire protection agreement,” said attorney Smith

Bennett took the opportunity to complain about the Bethlehem Fire Department in Potts Camp, saying he never sees anyone out there, the building is filthy, spoiled food is in the refrigerator and fire trucks are dirty.

“Who’s responsible for it?” he asked.

“Potts Camp Fire Department,” Reed said.

Bennett said if the fire fighters can’t take care of the building he is for taking the building back and using it as a community center.

“I’m all for stopping it, if they can’t take care of it,” he said. “If they can’t keep that building up to par, we are going to take away $14,000 (fire insurance allotment) from them. If they can’t take care of it, we are not going to support it.”

Board attorney Amanda Whaley Smith said the $14,000 could go to the station at Bethlehem.

Chancery clerk Chuck Thomas said he hopes a fire station can be placed at the new Medic Station #4 under construction in the Chulahoma Community Center area.

Currently Marshall County is sharing the Wyatt/ Chulahoma Fire Department in Tate County - a volunteer department that makes about two to five calls a month, Reed said.

“Staff is the most important issue,” Reed said.

He will bring up the potential station at Medic Station #4 to see if the community will support it.

“If the community won’t support it, we say no, we don’t want it,” Reed said. “We have to decide where the $14,000 is going to Tate County or bring it back to Chulahoma.”

The 1986 fire truck at Wyatt/Chulahoma belongs to Marshall County. Reed said that station has a modern fire truck.

Fire trucks are supposed to be replaced after aging 20 years, he said.

He added that with gasoline at $5 a gallon, volunteering may slow down.