Supervisors field clean-up orders, illegal dumping

The Marshall County Board of Supervisors continued several clean-up orders and took action on a number of matters at the Sept. 17 board meeting.

Zoning administrator David Johnson and county engineer Larry Britt discussed subdivision bonds.

Johnson said bond was set on Twin Lakes Subdivision Phase 4 at $87,550. Britt okayed the bond and asked supervisors to release the bond on Phase 1 of Twin Lakes that has received its final lift on the subdivision road.

Britt said the road had been finished for about one and a half years. The board approved releasing the bond on Phase 1, put up by John Porter.

Johnson received permission to attend a Mississippi Emergency Management Agency flood plain course in October. He will then be certified to read flood plain maps, he said.

Leland Reed, director of emergency management for the county, presented an update on the contingent operation plan that would name the person in line to cover his duties in case he died suddenly.

Hugh Hollowell, the preceding emergency manager, died suddenly during the COVID-19 epidemic.

“The Emergency Support Function is also covered in the plan,” Reed said.

District 1 supervisor Charles Terry asked Johnson about progress in getting the zoning office computerized.

Johnson said he has two companies, Civic Plus and Civic Serve, who offered quotes and zoning is negotiating prices.

He said the data base would be streamlined and put on iCloud and building permits can be kept up with. Zoning would know when building permits expire.

Supervisors discussed illegal dumping on county rights-of-way.

District 3 supervisor Keith Taylor said there has been dumping on Strickland Road and he wants that checked on.

District 4 supervisor George Zinn III brought up problems with landowners cleaning off fence rows and leaving the debris in the road ditch.

Zinn said he thinks there should be a clause added to the zoning ordinances that addresses illegal dumping.

He said there is a similar problem on Blackwater Road and O’Dell Road where landowners are throwing debris in the road ditches.

Johnson said the ordinance on leaving debris on the right of ways is not clear.

“It’s one of those gray areas,” he said.

Board attorney Amanda Whaley Smith said the county does not have a right to ask someone to clean up a right-ofway, but, if dumping and littering, charges could be filed.

“I think that’s a real concern,” Zinn said. “The county does not have the ability to clean up miles. I hope we can fine tune it. It’s not going to get any better.”

District 2 supervisor Johnny Walker said a right-of-way crew working for the Holly Springs Utility Department is trimming trees under power lines and leaving it.

“They need to clean it up,” he said. Terry said the utility talked about the contractor clearing the right-of-way while the sun is shining and that the contractor will come back and pick up the debris later.

“They are trying to cut as much while it is dry,” Terry said.

District 5 supervisor Ronnie O’Neil Bennett asked Zinn about the landowner junking up the roadside ditch on Blackwater Road.

Zinn said the debris is strung full length of the fencing and it would take the county brush truck hours and hours to pick it up at the county’s expense.