Harrison County authorizes termination notice for diversion-center tenant; board also waives community-center fee and moves to closed session

Harrison County supervisors on an unspecified date authorized the county attorney to give notice of termination to AEL, a month-to-month tenant occupying space at the county diversion center, after staff said the tenant’s presence was preventing contractor access and could produce claims for construction delays.

A board member told the supervisors that the diversion-center tenant occupies a back porch area and has delayed work by preventing the contractor from getting on site. The contractor, identified in the meeting as David Hart, told county staff the situation was already causing delays, the member said.

County staff and board members said the lease has expired and that, under the commercial month-to-month arrangement, the tenant is legally required to receive one week’s notice. The board discussed giving a minimum of two weeks’ notice and allowing an additional two-week extension if the contractor’s schedule would not be affected.

After discussion, a board member moved to authorize the board attorney to give notice of termination to AEL. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

In the same session board members approved a separate request to waive rental fees for the community center for Oct. 6–13 so an entity identified in the meeting as "Outer Bill" (as stated in the record) could lease the facility for what was described in the record as a "Christian coast event for the city." That motion was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.

The board then voted to go into an executive (closed) session on a personnel matter. That motion was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.

Votes at a glance • Authorize county attorney to give notice of termination to AEL (diversion-center tenant): motion moved and seconded; approved by voice vote. The record does not contain a roll-call tally. • Waive community-center rental fee for Oct. 6–13 (for the event described in the record): motion moved and seconded; approved by voice vote. The record does not contain a roll-call tally. • Enter executive (closed) session for personnel: motion moved and seconded; approved by voice vote. The record does not contain a roll-call tally.

What the board said and why it matters County staff warned supervisors that keeping the tenant on the diversion-center porch could force the contractor, David Hart, to claim delays against the county if work is impeded. The board’s authorization for the county attorney to issue a termination notice is intended to clear access so the contractor can proceed. Board members emphasized the lease had expired and described the current tenancy as month-to-month.

Board members discussed giving AEL two weeks’ notice as a minimum and considering an additional two-week accommodation depending on how that would affect the contractor’s schedule; the board did not adopt any formal extension policy at the meeting.

Details from the meeting record • Tenant: identified in the meeting record as AEL; lease described as expired and now month-to-month. • Facility: described in the meeting record as the diversion center (tenant occupying a back-porch area). • Contractor: identified in the record as David Hart; board members reported he said he was experiencing delays because he could not access the work area. • Notice period: board members said commercial month-to-month tenancy requires one week’s notice under the lease arrangement; the board proposed two weeks as a minimum. • Community-center rental: dates given in the record as Oct. 6–13; the organization requesting the waiver was referenced in the record as "Outer Bill" requesting use for a "Christian coast event for the city." The record does not specify the sponsoring organization’s official name or status.

What the record does not specify The meeting record does not include a date for the meeting, roll-call vote tallies, or the full legal name or contact details for AEL or the event organizer. The record does not include a statement directly from David Hart; his delay concerns are reported by a board member. The board did not set a definitive final move-out deadline beyond the minimum-notice discussion.

Next steps noted in the meeting The county attorney was authorized to give notice of termination to AEL. Board members indicated they would coordinate with the contractor about any short extension requests to avoid a delay claim, but the meeting record contains no further formal direction or timeline for enforcement.