Supervisors Meet New ECCC President

Winston County Supervisors met with several officials from other organizations and dealt with numerous business items in their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday. Leslie Payne from CareLodge in Meridian asked the Board for continued financial support. CareLodge is a domestic violence center that serves our area. Payne indicated that the center served 11 Winston Countians in 2011.
Staff from NFusion, a local non-profit affiliated with Community Counseling also presented information about the organization. NFusion provides services to at-risk youth from the ages of 14-21.
The Board also received a report from current ECCC President Dr. Phil Sutphin concerning the status of the school.  Sutphin indicated that the school year saw record enrollment of 3223 students, an increase of 7%. He also indicated that there would be a small tuition increase for the upcoming school year. Supervisor Parkes questioned Sutphin on the statewide policy that provides scholarship funds to students that live outside of the school's defined district or out of state. Parkes' concerns centered around the use of local tax dollars to provide educational and athletic opportunities to students that were not local. Sutphin indicated that that policy like others were always subject to review.
The Board was also introduced to Dr Billy Stewart, who will take over for the retiring Sutphin as President of ECCC on July 1. Stewart previously served as Chief Financial Officer for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
Supervisors approved a tax exemption request from MetroCast concerning some broadband equipment. The previous owner, MediaCom, had never applied for the state mandated exemption. After legal review the  10 year exemption was granted based upon the date of equipment installation. The Board also approved a 10 year exemption for equipment and expansion costs for Polo Industries.
The Board reviewed several road and bridge construction projects including a bridge project in the Lobutcha area and the Simms Road project, both of which should be complete shortly.
Courthouse staff raised concerns about vehicles currently on  the insurance roll but may no longer be in service or have been sold. Numerous vehicles including trucks, cars and trailers could not be identified. It is likely that inventory rolls had not been updated as vehicles were removed.  
New EMA Director Buddy King was in attendance along with retiring Director Clarence Kelly. King indicated that he was ready to get started and had begun searching for possible grants for the county.
Supervisors reviewed and chose from bids previously received for materials and chemicals prior to entering into executive session for personnel issues.
The full agenda is available at the Chancery Clerk's Office  and once approved, minutes of the meeting are available to the public.