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Choctaw County hires two road crew members, authorizes chairman to sign McCarty’s Ferry funding forms pending attorney review
Summary
The commission approved two hires for the road department, authorized the chairman to sign federal funding forms for McCarty’s Ferry resurfacing pending county attorney review, and heard engineer updates about bridge inspections and upcoming road work.
The Choctaw County Commission approved two hires for the road department and gave the chairman authority to sign federal funding forms needed to pursue resurfacing funding for McCarty’s Ferry, pending review by the county attorney.
During the engineering report, the county engineer described difficulty filling vacant positions after a recent health-related departure and recommended hiring two candidates. The commission approved hiring Zach Taylor as a medium equipment operator at $17.30 per hour and Christian Napier as a vehicle equipment operator at $15.95 per hour. Commissioner Dahlgren moved to hire Taylor; Commissioner Moseley seconded. Commissioner Jackson moved for Napier; Commissioner Cheery seconded. Both motions carried with unanimous voice votes recorded as “Aye.”
Earlier, the county received forms from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and related federal grant paperwork connected to a resurfacing project at McCarty’s Ferry. The county engineer asked the commission to authorize either the chairman or the judge to sign the required verification or federal forms so the county can proceed with project funding, subject to county attorney review. Commissioner Mosse moved to grant that authority; Commissioner Daugherty seconded. The motion carried by voice vote.
The engineer gave additional road updates: initial state inspection of the Miller Road bridge is expected and staff recommended opening the road pending the bridge inspector’s sign-off. Construction on Melvin Cutoff Road was reported to start the following day and may require temporary one-lane traffic for several weeks. The engineer also described a private-road emergency: flooding and a breached beaver dam have eroded a privately owned road off Turner Town Road; staff said the road does not meet county criteria for adoption and that any county assistance would likely be one-time and limited.
Commissioners asked for transparency on hiring rates and start dates; the engineer said paperwork should be completed and the new employees could start by the end of the month.
No litigation or binding federal agreements were signed at the meeting; the signature authority granted was expressly conditioned on county attorney review and the engineer’s review of any forms before signature.
