Votes on commission members rescinded

Published 11:44 am Wednesday, January 18, 2012

With earlier Warren County supervisor votes officially rescinded, Tom Hill remains District 1’s representative on the Vicksburg Bridge Commission and Johnny Moss chaired the Warren County Port Commission Tuesday, as an attempt by county supervisors to supplant both was rescinded officially.

Supervisors’ unanimous vote to rescind came with a public apology from District 1 Supervisor John Arnold, who steered split votes to replace Hill with Wesley B. Jones, an electrical contractor and his stepson, and to reconsider Moss’ status on the port board.

“I’d like to publicly apologize to Mr. Hill and Mr. Jones for the inconveniences that may have been caused to them,” Arnold said after votes followed his motions to retain Hill, a retired engineer, for a second term on the bridge panel and Moss for a fourth term on the five-member port board.

Email newsletter signup

Sign up for The Vicksburg Post's free newsletters

Check which newsletters you would like to receive
  • Vicksburg News: Sent daily at 5 am
  • Vicksburg Sports: Sent daily at 10 am
  • Vicksburg Living: Sent on 15th of each month

Last week, Hill and Jones showed up at a bridge commission meeting. The county approved the board’s minutes from December and the agenda of items from last week’s unusual arrangement. The actual minutes for January are expected to be considered next month.

New port commissioners Austin Golding, Robert Morrison III and Martin Crevitt joined Moss and returning commissioner John Ferguson. Ferguson was retained as vice-president of the board and Morrison was elected secretary, though commission employees traditionally have taken board minutes.

The board renewed leases with Ergon Marine for harbor space and Kinder Morgan, which operates the port, for storage space. The jobs of executive director, attorney, project manager and engineer were safe — Wayne Mansfield, Mack Varner, Beverly Steward, Katrina Shirley and John McKee were retained.

Moss welcomed them with a coach’s line.

“We’re all here for another year — as long as we win,” he said.

The five-member port board, which oversees and manages development at the Port of Vicksburg and Ceres Research and Industrial Interplex off Interstate 20 in Flowers, are appointed jointly by Warren County, the City of Vicksburg and the governor. Golding, who replaced Rusty Hawkins, and Ferguson are the city’s appointees. Moss and Morrison, who replaced Oren Bailess, are the county’s. Crevitt replaced Mike Cappaert as the governor’s appointee.

On the agenda

The Warren County Board of Supervisors Tuesday:

• Voted 3-2 to re-advertise legal services for ongoing work to secure rights of way to clean drainage bayous in north Vicksburg.

The work, funded by Katrina-related disaster grant money, is dependent on landowners signing away easements for free, as no money to acquire land was included in a $3.9 million grant awarded Warren County in 2008. Consultants were to meet Monday with owners of three lots around Glass Bayou to jump-start paperwork. Grant funds will expire in October.

Former board attorney Randy Sherard had performed legal work on the project, entering its fourth year. The board will have to come up with a reason in writing to the Mississippi Development Authority, which administers the grant.

Supervisors Charles Sel-mon, William Banks and John Arnold — all of whom voted to replace Sherard with Marcie Southerland as board attorney — supported the change.

• Approved to pay Southerland $150 an hour for legal services. The rate is the same paid to Sherard and former board attorney and Vicksburg Mayor Paul Winfield.

• Took seven bids to produce new digital maps of the county under advisement.

• Agreed to interview one of four applicants for road manager. Former department chief Richard Winans retired last month.

The board also agreed to advertise the position publicly after a week of ads gauged interest from county employees.

• Approved Tracey Porter as a clerk in Emergency Management. Also, the board agreed to advertise the Hazard Mitigation Plan, administered by the department.

• Agreed to purchase a $69,400 AS400 computer system server from Premise Inc. on an emergency basis. Quotes on financing will be sought by the Purchasing Department.