County supervisors, city board consider jail discussions

The city of Philadelphia is willing to consider a per-use, per-fee, per-inmate agreement with Neshoba County to house prisoners in the county jail, Mayor James A. Young told the Board of Supervisors on Monday.

The city currently transports prisons to Winston County and rising costs like transportation have city officials considering options, Young said.

The city is currently incurring significant travel expenses and investing substantial time in transporting inmates to Winston County, Young said.

Young noted that in the last few months of 2023, jail costs per inmate have been rising. He believes that Sheriff Eric Clark’s initial proposal for the city to pay $20,000 a month to help house both city and county prisoners in the county jail is not financially viable.

“We are looking at the jail issue,” Young said. “We are willing to contribute, but it must be based on a per-use, per-fee, per-inmate agreement.”

District 5 Supervisor Obbie Riley suggested forming a board, similar to the one recently formed by the city, to examine issues surrounding the jail, such as inmate population, inmate costs, and future expenses.

“As a city and a county, we need to stop planning only for today,” Riley said. “We need to plan for the future and leave something better than how we found it.”

Riley agreed with Young on the necessity of an inmate housing arrangement that benefits both the city and county and proposed setting meetings to discuss community needs and develop strategies for handling individuals who violate the law.

The mayor then requested that the supervisors ask surrounding counties about their inmate housing agreements, hoping these discussions would lead to a mutually beneficial outcome for both the city and the county.

In other action, supervisors voted to:

• Approve the Sheriff’s Department payment request of $1,200 for an undercover narcotics investigation;

• Approve pay increases for deputies Barry Truett, Priscilla Castro, Davirius Miller, and Jonah Flake to $18 per hour;

• Accept a $500 donation from Woodmen of The World Lodge to help fund year two of the Sheriff’s App;

• Accept the resignation of Deputy Sheriff Wesley Hazelwood effective May 17;

• Approve paying an invoice from OCV, LLC in the amount of $11,280 for the Sheriff’s Department;

• Accept the termination of correctional officer Tyesha Davis effective May 8 and approve hiring Crysta Ladd as correctional officer effective May 10 at $13 per hour;

• Approve promoting Lillian Tucker to shift supervisor at the jail effective May 13 with a $1 per hour pay increase;

• Approve a road bore along 11040 Road 286 for Central Water Association;

• Approve paying travel and conference registration at the cost of $350 for coroner Myron Williams to attend the MS Coroner/Medical Examiner Association conference in Biloxi from June 25-28;

• Accept the resignation of telecommunicator Chloe Matthews effective May 26;

• Approve a travel request for Emergency Management Director Josh Burt to attend MEMA WebEOC training in Starkville on May 23;

• Approve paying a Pryor Morrow $6,194 invoice for professional services and testing on storage building project;

• Approve an amendment for design and constructive administration for the replacement of the fire alarm system at the Coliseum at the cost of $5,000 and approve advertising for bids for the replacement of the Coliseum fire alarm system;

• Approve a pro-forma order for MSU-Extension office to employ the position of Extension Agent I with Agriculture and 4-H responsibilities;

• Approve a travel request for purchase clerk, receiving clerk, and inventory control clerk to attend certification training at the Gulf Coast Coliseum on June 10;

• Approve recognizing Monday, May 27 as a Memorial Day Holiday for county employees.