Five applicants are being considered to manage the Warren County Road Department, officials said Monday.

The choice will succeed Richard Winans, who retired at the end of 2011 after 22 years in the department and seven as manager.

One current member of the 70-person crew who applied is foreman Buddy Poole, a 26-year employee of the road crew. Four applications came from the general public, three in the construction business, County Administrator John Smith said. Their names were not made public.

Assistant road manager Eugene Deyamport has headed the department as the job was advertised internally, then publicly. Deyamport, 61, did not apply for the position.

Administrative pay in the Road Department is about $75,000 annually. A 3 percent pay hike across all county departments to start the fiscal year grew annual salaries for laborers and helpers to about $17,500.

On the agenda

In their Monday meeting, members of the Warren County Board of Supervisors:

• Discussed in closed session litigation involving Ameristar Casino’s property tax liability for 2011-12.

The casino has argued the pending tax bill for the year is more than $1 million too high due to assessed values that aren’t in line with the local gaming market as a whole. More than $3.1 million in taxes are due from the company in the existing calculation.

• Declared an emergency to repair the water heating system at the Government Services annex building at Adams and Grove streets. A new water heater and boiler system is estimated to cost between $135,000 and $140,000.

Bolton-based Metro Mechanical Inc. was OK’d to be the contractor on the work and Jackson-based Engineering Resource Group Inc. as engineer, based on Buildings and Grounds chief Chuck Thornton’s recommendation touting the firms’ experience. The vote was 3-2, with supervisors Charles Selmon and William Banks voting no. Both favored competitive bids.

In 2010, Metro installed new energy-efficient lighting and air conditioning systems at supervisors’ offices and at Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library, funded with federal stimulus dollars. In 2011, the firm replaced lighting at Vicksburg City Hall, the annex and the police station.

• Approved training for Warren County poll workers for the March 13 Super Tuesday congressional and presidential primary in Mississippi.

• Approved a committee to select legal, administrative and engineering services for the CDBG Public Facilities grant. The panel consists of Banks, Chancery Clerk Donna Hardy, County Administrator John Smith, Purchasing Agent Tonga Vinson and Accounting Department head Loretta Brantley.