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  • Adams County board meets to discuss census, trash pickup and more

    Adams County board meets to discuss census, trash pickup and more

    NATCHEZ. Miss. –  County supervisors are urging more Adams County residents to complete their U.S. Census forms to ensure their community gets a fair share of federal funds for essential services.
    About 57 percent of Natchez-Adams County  households have responded so far to the national population count done every 10 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s most recent report. Mississippi’s response rate as a whole is also 57 percent. The 2020 Census is to be completed Oct. 31.
    “I’m disappointed in 57 percent. That’s unacceptable. That’s going to hurt us in the long run,” said Ricky Gray, president of the Adams County Board of Supervisors.
    Census data helps inform the federal government how billions of dollars in funds are to be distributed to communities’ health clinics, school-lunch programs, disaster-recovery initiatives and other critical programs and services for the next 10 years
    While 57 percent of Adams County’s households so far have answered the U.S. Census questionnaires posted earlier this year, that’s not much lower than the 59 percent fulfilled in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
    Gray has asked Adams County Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford to issue a public notice on the county’s Code Red community-alert system telling people to fill out the census forms if they haven’t already.
    —
    Many Adams County residents’ trash hasn’t been regularly picked up in recent weeks because new garbage-truck drivers are trying to get familiar with their routes. The county’s privately contracted trash collector is Metro Service Group of New Orleans. (Natchez has another collector: Arrow Disposal Service of Alabama.) County supervisors noted Monday they’ve been getting many complaints from constituents but received assurances Metro’s trash collection will soon return to its normal twice-a-week service on appointed days as drivers learn their way.
    —
    The county board Monday allocated an extra $55,000 to purchase medicine for Adams County Jail inmates. The costs of prescription drugs have escalated in recent months due partly to one HIV-infected inmate, whose drug expense is about $3,000 a month, said county Administrator Joe Murray.
    He noted the county in the past has normally budgeted about $27,000 a year for jail inmates’ medicine. The $55,000 approved by supervisors Monday is just for the jail drug costs the county faces through September, when the current fiscal year ends. In addition to the expenses of treating the HIV-infected inmate, Murray attributed the higher drug costs to the coronavirus and inmates who are old or have mental problems. There’s also the expense of giving inmates flu shots.
    The Adams County Jail can hold about 80 or so inmates.
    —
    Adams County supervisors closed the public out of discussions Monday about the former county-owned Natchez hospital that went bankrupt and was sold in 2014 to the corporation that runs the medical center now known as Merit Health Natchez. Adams County board attorney Scott Slover said the six-year-old bankruptcy litigation is winding down for what was once known as Natchez Regional Medical Center.
    The Adams County Board of Supervisors sold the public hospital to Community Health Systems of Tennessee for $10 million plus $8 million in upfront property tax payments to cover 17 years in the future. The hospital earlier in 2014 filed for bankruptcy protection in federal court claiming it had about $21 million in debts.
    State law allows government boards to hold closed-door meetings for “strategy sessions or negotiations” related to court cases if  “an open meeting would have a detrimental effect on the litigating position” of the board.
    As the board on Monday closed its meeting to the public, no explanation was given on how an open session would impact the board’s litigating position, and no information was openly provided on how the former county-owned hospital’s bankruptcy case is being resolved.
  • Adams County mask mandate likely to remain as covid cases soar

    Adams County mask mandate likely to remain as covid cases soar

    NATCHEZ. Miss. – Adams County supervisors today delayed deciding whether to extend into August the county mandate ordering people to wear masks in public places to restrain the worsening outbreak of the coronavirus.

     

    They said they’ll wait to collaborate with Natchez Mayor-elect Dan Gibson and city aldermen, who take office Friday to begin their new term.

     

    County board President Ricky Gray said he expects city and county officials will agree to extend this order. The county Board of Supervisors and city Board of Aldermen jointly adopted the existing local mask mandate July 3  to be in effect until July 31.

     

    According to the state Department of Health, 429 Adams County residents tested since March have been infected with the highly contagious COVID and 22 have died. The total number of cases is a sharp spike from the beginning of this month, when 280 that had been tested positive;18 people had died as of July 1. Half of the covid deaths are nursing-home residents.

     

    As of July 11, about 65 percent of the total who’ve been infected are black, 25 percent are white and 10 percent are other races, according to the Department of Health. (Adams County’s population was about 53 percent black and 42 percent white, according to the 2010 U.S. Census.)

     

    More Adams County coronavirus statistics can be viewed on the state agency’s website: msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/resources/9811.pdf

     

    As of this past weekend, 58 Adams County residents are currently sick with the respiratory disease and 328 have recovered, according to Adams County Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford.

     

    People in Adams County caught by police not wearing masks in public places can be ticketed and fined $50. Businesses allowing customers in without face coverings could be fined $100 and also lose their city business licenses for repeat violations.

     

    The Natchez-Adams County mandate requires people to wear some type of covering over their mouth and nose inside and outside of public places where person-to-person contact occurs. There are exceptions to the mandate, such as for patrons eating and drinking in restaurants and bars.

     

    Bradford said today another round of free drive-through covid tests will be held Wednesday at the Adams County Safe Room parking lot on Liberty Road near Natchez High School. People who believe they might have covid and want to be tested can phone Bradford’s office for more information: 601 442-7021

     

    More COVID-19 information can be seen on the state Department of Health website: www.msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/14,0,420.html

  • Natchez board agrees to hire more public works employees, holds final regular meeting with Grennell as mayor

    Natchez board agrees to hire more public works employees, holds final regular meeting with Grennell as mayor

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Board of Aldermen agreed today to hire more workers for the Natchez Public Works Department, which has a manpower shortage that’s “almost paralyzed” the city’s ability to cut grass and maintain streets.
    While the city is suffering a decline in tax revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic, aldermen voted to allocate at least $16,400 to hire four maintenance employees for the next two months.
    Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell said evidence of the Public Works Department’s depleted work crew is glaringly apparent. “I’ve driven around the city and it is in bad shape. . . .We’re in the worst shape we’ve been in a long time,” said Grennell, who’s in his final days as mayor.
    The Public Works Department is below 50 percent of the number of employees it should have, said Alderman Dan Dillard, who noted the department’s depleted workforce could have it “almost paralyzed.”
    The department has lost several workers in recent months for various reasons, but the Board of Aldermen had imposed a hiring freeze as city revenues slumped because of the economic slowdown.
    The Public Works Department currently averages 10 or less workers a day in the field, said department head Justin Dollar
    “The city is going down the drain if we don’t get any new employees,” said Alderman Billie Frazier.
    The board voted 3-1 to hire more public works employees. Alderman Sarah Carter Smith was the lone dissenter.  Unconvinced of a dire need for more public works employees, Smith said she doesn’t “know if we have the money for this.”
    Other aldermen indicated money could be squeezed out of other municipal departments and from funds the board had earlier set aside for summer youth workers who wound up not turning out.
    —
    The National Park Service’s takeover of the Natchez Visitor Reception Center is expected to be a done deal next week. Natchez gave the facility to the federal government with plans for much-needed upgrades the city can’t afford.
    The visitors center will become part of the Natchez National Historical Park and continue to be the central place for tourists to get information about Natchez and purchase tickets for various attractions.
    Park Superintendent Kathleen Bond said all official paperwork could be formally executed July 23 to make the visitors center officially owned by the National Park Service. She said the NPS will be working out leases for future visitor center tenants.
    Natchez National Historical Park administrators, Visit Natchez tourism bureau staffers, Mississippi Welcome Center workers, and Natchez Pilgrimage Tours employees have occupied the building in recent years. Bond said NPT will no longer be a visitors center tenant, but the park service will be seeking proposals from other tourism-related commercial ventures interested in occupying the now federally owned building.
    Located by the Mississippi River bridges, the visitors center was constructed in 1997 with about $8 million in mostly federal funds as the city-owned hub of Natchez tourism. It’s only had piecemeal repairs in past years. A report presented to the Board of Aldermen four years ago estimated more than $600,000 worth of work is needed for the 25,000-square-foot structure. The board decided in 2017 to donate the property to the state or federal government.
    The National Park Service is also assuming ownership of the city’s historic Forks of the Road — once the site of a large slave market. However, Bond said more property-acquisition work remains before the NPS officially gets the land, which covers several acres by St. Catherine Street, D’Evereaux Drive, and Concord Avenue.
    The National Park Service plans to develop the area into a historic site commemorating what was from 1833 to 1863 the second-largest slave market in the South, according to the state Department of Archives and History. Slaves were bought and sold there. When Union troops during the Civil War took control of Natchez in 1863 and freed slaves, hundreds of them took refuge at the old market site.
    —
    Today’s meeting was the last regular session of the Board of Aldermen with Grennell as mayor. He opted not to run for re-election for a second term. Today’s election between Dan Gibson and Phillip West determines who replaces Grennell when the new administration takes over July 24. Grennell is Natchez’s fifth mayor in a row since 2000 to serve just one four-year term.
    —
    The Board of Aldermen agreed to let the Adams County Circuit Court use City Auditorium for jury trials. With the social-distancing practices now imposed due to the coronavirus contagion, the Adams County Courthouse isn’t large enough to accommodate the crowds that trials attract. That’s especially the case as prospective jurors are called to pack a courtroom as a 12-member jury is selected prior to trial. Adams County Circuit Court is scheduled to hold trials in August.
  • Adams County spikes in Covid cases

    Adams County spikes in Covid cases

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – County supervisors today stressed the importance of wearing face coverings to restrain the spread of the coronavirus in Adams County, which saw a 13 percent spike of new cases this past week compared to the previous seven-day period.
    According to the Mississippi Department of Health, 35 county residents tested positive for COVID-19 last week. This brings the total to 313 people in Adams County who’ve been infected by the respiratory disease. The death toll remains at 18, as it’s been in recent weeks.
    The Adams County Board of Supervisors and Natchez Board of Aldermen on Friday enacted local mandates requiring people to wear some type of masks in public places.
    While two county supervisors said some people “were offended” or “up in arms” about being ordered to wear face masks, the board-enacted requirement deems itself essential “to protect the public health, safety and welfare of the community” in the midst of a worldwide pandemic.
    People caught by police not wearing masks as required can be fined $50, but Adams County board President Ricky Gray expressed hopes that’ll be rare. “We don’t want to get into a ticket-writing mode for not wearing a mask. We just want to keep people safe,” Gray said.
    Adams County Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford said he’s identified a few Adams County “hot spots” of people with the coronavirus. Those areas include Martin Luther King downtown, Woodlawn, Morgantown, Broadmoor, Cranfield and Lagrange.
    Of the 313 Adams County residents who’ve been infected by COVID-19 since data collection began March 11, 201 are black and 80 are white, according to the state Department of Health’s most recent count.
  • Adams County board deals with Robins Lake dam, public defenders

    Adams County board deals with Robins Lake dam, public defenders

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – A plan to fix a small, imperiled Adams County dam that could break will be submitted to state officials with hopes it’ll be approved at a cost much less than what had been estimated.
    The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality had imposed a June 30 deadline for Adams County officials to develop a remedy for the Robins Lake dam. It’s been labeled by the state a “high hazard” dam that could break and flood parts of south Adams County.
    While a plan and cost estimates have not been presented yet to MDEQ, the “good news” is steps are being made that won’t cost the $1 million or so that had previously been estimated, said county Board of Supervisors attorney Scott Slover. County officials have come up with remediation measures that could cost an estimated $70,000 or so, Slover said Monday at a telemeeting of Adams County’s five supervisors.
    He said he talked last Friday with  MDEQ officials, who had earlier made recommendations that are “cost-prohibitive.”
    The Robins Lake dam’s failure could cause “loss of life, serious damage to homes, industrial or commercial buildings, important public utilities, main highways or railroads,” according to MDEQ’s definition of such high-hazard dams.
    Remediation options presented to the county board in recent months include rebuilding the earthen dike or just tearing it down and drain the small lake it retains.
    While the dam and lake are privately owned, the county board took ownership of the public road atop it several years ago. There are several landowners at Robins Lake, but countless numbers reside downstream who could be flooded if the dam breaks.
    Robins Lake is located about 10 miles south of Natchez and west of U.S. 61 and Lower Woodville Road between the Cloverdale and Sibley areas.
    —-
    Adams County supervisors said they agree with circuit judges on the need for establishing an office of county-paid attorneys to defend indigents accused of crimes. However, they’ll wait to see what funds are available for it. The proposed public defenders office with five lawyers could cost as much as $320,000 a year, said Circuit Judge Lillie Blackmon Sanders, who met with county supervisors Monday.
    This would replace the current practice of retaining nine private attorneys the court calls on to represent criminal defendants who can’t afford to hire their own. The lawyers now retained as public defenders are paid $2,800 a month by the county.
    As proposed, Sanders would appoint a chief public defender, who would hire four other attorneys who would work part time to represent defendants accused of crimes in Adams County. Sanders is the Circuit Court’s senior judge. Debra Blackwell is the other circuit judge.
    Sanders said establishing a county public defenders office would improve the current system.
    A 2018 report for the Mississippi Legislature cited a study of public defenders in Adams and nine other Mississippi counties. A key finding of that study was that they had “no method to ensure that its local governments are fulfilling the state’s constitutional obligation to provide effective assistance of counsel to the indigent accused in felony cases in its trial courts.”
  • Adams County board deals with Robins Lake dam, public defenders

    Adams County board deals with Robins Lake dam, public defenders

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – A plan to fix a small, imperiled Adams County dam that could break will be submitted to state officials with hopes it’ll be approved at a cost much less than what had been estimated.
    The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality had imposed a June 30 deadline for Adams County officials to develop a remedy for the Robins Lake dam. It’s been labeled by the state a “high hazard” dam that could break and flood parts of south Adams County.
    While a plan and cost estimates have not been presented yet to MDEQ, the “good news” is steps are being made that won’t cost the $1 million or so that had previously been estimated, said county Board of Supervisors attorney Scott Slover. County officials have come up with remediation measures that could cost an estimated $70,000 or so, Slover said Monday at a telemeeting of Adams County’s five supervisors.
    He said he talked last Friday with  MDEQ officials, who had earlier made recommendations that are “cost-prohibitive.”
    The Robins Lake dam’s failure could cause “loss of life, serious damage to homes, industrial or commercial buildings, important public utilities, main highways or railroads,” according to MDEQ’s definition of such high-hazard dams.
    Remediation options presented to the county board in recent months include rebuilding the earthen dike or just tearing it down and drain the small lake it retains.
    While the dam and lake are privately owned, the county board took ownership of the public road atop it several years ago. There are several landowners at Robins Lake, but countless numbers reside downstream who could be flooded if the dam breaks.
    Robins Lake is located about 10 miles south of Natchez and west of U.S. 61 and Lower Woodville Road between the Cloverdale and Sibley areas.
    —-
    Adams County supervisors said they agree with circuit judges on the need for establishing an office of county-paid attorneys to defend indigents accused of crimes. However, they’ll wait to see what funds are available for it. The proposed public defenders office with five lawyers could cost as much as $320,000 a year, said Circuit Judge Lillie Blackmon Sanders, who met with county supervisors Monday.
    This would replace the current practice of retaining nine private attorneys the court calls on to represent criminal defendants who can’t afford to hire their own. The lawyers now retained as public defenders are paid $2,800 a month by the county.
    As proposed, Sanders would appoint a chief public defender, who would hire four other attorneys who would work part time to represent defendants accused of crimes in Adams County. Sanders is the Circuit Court’s senior judge. Debra Blackwell is the other circuit judge.
    Sanders said establishing a county public defenders office would improve the current system.
    A 2018 report for the Mississippi Legislature cited a study of public defenders in Adams and nine other Mississippi counties. A key finding of that study was that they had “no method to ensure that its local governments are fulfilling the state’s constitutional obligation to provide effective assistance of counsel to the indigent accused in felony cases in its trial courts.”
  • Adams County spikes in Covid cases

    Adams County spikes in Covid cases

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – County supervisors today stressed the importance of wearing face coverings to restrain the spread of the coronavirus in Adams County, which saw a 13 percent spike of new cases this past week compared to the previous seven-day period.

     

    According to the Mississippi Department of Health, 35 county residents tested positive for COVID-19 last week. This brings the total to 313 people in Adams County who’ve been infected by the respiratory disease. The death toll remains at 18, as it’s been in recent weeks.

     

    The Adams County Board of Supervisors and Natchez Board of Aldermen on Friday enacted local mandates requiring people to wear some type of masks in public places.

     

    While two county supervisors said some people “were offended” or “up in arms” about being ordered to wear face masks, the board-enacted requirement deems itself essential “to protect the public health, safety and welfare of the community” in the midst of a worldwide pandemic.

     

    People caught by police not wearing masks as required can be fined $50, but Adams County board President Ricky Gray expressed hopes that’ll be rare. “We don’t want to get into a ticket-writing mode for not wearing a mask. We just want to keep people safe,” Gray said.

     

    Adams County Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford said he’s identified a few Adams County “hot spots” of people with the coronavirus. Those areas include Martin Luther King downtown, Woodlawn, Morgantown, Broadmoor, Cranfield and Lagrange.

     

    Of the 313 Adams County residents who’ve been infected by COVID-19 since data collection began March 11, 201 are black and 80 are white, according to the state Department of Health’s most recent count.

  • Natchez-Adams County mandates masks in all public places

    Natchez-Adams County mandates masks in all public places

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – The city and county boards today imposed a face-covering mandate for people in Natchez-Adams County as the coronavirus’ infection rate rises to alarming levels.
    “This is real serious. We’re going in the wrong direction,” Adams County board President Ricky Gray said in response to reports showing a 16 percent increase of COVID-19 cases in Natchez-Adams County within seven days.
    Gray and other Adams County supervisors met today with Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell and city aldermen to adopt measures requiring people to wear masks in public places — or face fines if they don’t. People caught maskless by police can be ticketed and fined $50. Businesses allowing customers in without face coverings could be fined $100 and also lose their city business licenses for repeat violations.
    People must wear some type of covering over their mouth and nose “inside and outside of public places where person-to-person contact occurs,” said Adams County Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford.
    This includes all businesses and outside public gatherings. This mask-wearing mandate – which reimposes the one the city had that expired a month ago — was adopted as the July 4 weekend begins and the annual Natchez-Vidalia fireworks display takes place Saturday over the Mississippi River..
    There are exceptions to the mandate, such as for patrons eating and drinking at restaurants and bars.
    While the city and county boards are mandating people wear face coverings in public places, they’re encouraging them to stay home, “unless it is essential to your health, safety and welfare to leave your home.” If people do choose to wander out, they should adhere to social-distancing guidelines and not gather in congregations exceeding 20 people.
    Natchez-Adams County has had 280 people confirmed to have been infected by the COVID respiratory disease since March 11, according to the Mississippi Department of Health’s most recent statistics. That’s a 16 percent increase from the 242 reported June 24. While 18 Adams County residents have died from the coronavirus, no recent deaths have been reported.
    With the pandemic worsening throughout the United States, Natchez-Adams County is on a growing list of communities requiring face coverings in public – an issue that’s become socially and politically divisive. Natchez Alderman Sarah Carter Smith noted “a lot of people will be happy by this and as many will be frustrated by this.”
    Today’s joint meeting of the mayor and two boards was conducted as a teleconference to avoid person-to-person contact. The boards have been meeting separately via telephone and the internet since March, but today was the first joint meeting of the two boards.
    The city’s newest “Stay at Home” order is a revised and extended version of what Natchez aldermen initiated March 24 and gradually eased since then to allow businesses to be open with various public-health regulations in place. The order expires July 31 unless revised.
    To read the full mandate click here
  • Adams County supervisors begin search for new county administrator

    Adams County supervisors begin search for new county administrator

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – Applicants wanting to be Adams County’s next administrator have until July 24 to submit their resumes for county supervisors to review in deciding who to appoint.
    Long-serving County Administrator Joe Murray is retiring in a couple of months after running Adams County government’s day-to-day operations the past 10 years.
    The Board of Supervisors on Monday set the qualifications, duties and salary range for prospects to see in various job postings for a position that’s to pay $70,000 to $90,000 a year.
    Supervisors noted they want someone with sufficient experience to perform multifaceted duties in managing a $30 million annual budget and about 230 county employees under the governance of the five-member county Board of Supervisors.
    After receiving resumes from applicants, the supervisors will decide who to interview before deciding who to appoint. Murray is expected to stay on through September to prepare the new budget for the fiscal year that starts in October.
    Murray was hired by the board as county administrator in 2010, left briefly and returned in 2011.  He turns 54 this year and is retiring after 30 years in government. He previously worked for the state Department of Revenue.

  • Natchez aldermen put off pool upgrades as revenues fall

    NATCHEZ. Miss. – City aldermen have put off the much-planned upgrades for the Natchez-Adams County Aquatic Center amid concerns about the city’s flagging revenues caused by the coronavirus’ crushing impact on the economy.
    While the Board of Aldermen was well on its way to getting proposals for heating and covering the two-year-old pool, it voted Tuesday to stall expenditures for that along with other pool improvements.
    Since the coronavirus pandemic began crippling economic activities in March, Natchez sales tax collections are down about $200,000. About $4.53 million in sales taxes has been sent to the city’s coffers, according to the state Department of Revenue. That’s less than the $4.73 million the city had collected this time last year.
    While the local economy appears to be perking up after the March-to-May economic slowdown, it’s unlikely revenues will pick up enough, said Alderman Dan Dillard.
    “The money is not going to materialize, and we’re going to have to revise our budget,” Dillard said.
    He pointed to the ongoing efforts by aldermen and Mayor Darryl Grennell to find ways to save money and avert having to furlough or lay off city employees: “We’re going to do everything we can to save everybody’s jobs.”
    At Tuesday’s meeting of the mayor and city board, aldermen decided to reject bids submitted to heat the swimming pool and install a panel cover. Total costs as proposed: $114,500. They also agreed to delay plans for installing lockers, bleachers and a pool-chlorination system. While pool improvements are budgeted to cost about $345,000, much of it is to be funded with state-federal money. However, about $84,000 is to be footed by the city and while an equal amount is to be paid by Adams County.
    The aquatic center at Liberty Park opened in June 2018, giving Natchez-Adams County its first public swimming pool since the one at Duncan Park closed in 2001.