Oktibbeha supervisors prioritize road repairs and technology upgrades, approve spraying and tree-removal contracts

A resident urged the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors to address a visibility and speeding hazard near his home, and the board approved several road projects, vendor contracts and steps to pursue state cybersecurity funds during its meeting. Supervisors voted unanimously on motions to acknowledge public comment, program bridge work, accept contractor bids for roadside spraying and tree removal, and to pursue cybersecurity assessment funding, among other routine business.

James Welch, who identified his address as 1498 Pool House Road, told the board that approaching traffic is difficult to see at the curve where Cohath Road meets Hale State Road and South Montgomery, and that drivers often speed there. "When I left my house . . . this car ran up behind me and it just stayed on its horn," Welch said, asking the board to consider signage, enforcement or traffic-calming measures "before somebody get hurt." The board directed the road manager to inspect the location and explore remedies, and voted 4-0 to formally acknowledge Welch’s comment.

The board received a report from the county road manager and the county engineer on planned and in-progress road and bridge work. The county engineer reported that plans to advertise SAP 53 21 S (Lehi–Robinson–Crawford Road) are expected to be ready soon; the board also approved programming the replacement of Bridge No. 156 on Sun Creek Road using SABP funds when available. The engineer said the bridge has headwall and erosion issues and is “basically too short,” and recommended replacing it; the board voted 4-0 to allow the project to move forward with the required signatures.

Supervisors discussed a countywide approach to pavement maintenance, including creating a prioritized reseal program. The county engineer and road manager described a proposed grading and inspection schedule to identify paved roads needing seal coat or deeper reclamation, noting that timely resealing can extend pavement life and delay much-more-expensive rebuilds. The engineer estimated that a large-scale reseal project (roughly 20–30 miles) could be done with a multimillion-dollar investment and explained the trade-offs between scrub/slurry seal and full reclamation.

On procurement, the board reviewed three written quotes for annual roadside spraying (paved and gravel roads). The suppliers and prices reported to the board were Helena Chemical (total on quoted items reported as $85,500), TNT Specialty Applications (paved $88,500; gravel $57,500), and ChemPro/ChemProchemical (paved $71,685; gravel $46,652). After discussion, the board approved a motion to accept the recommended quote (recorded in the minutes as "accept Kim Bro's quote"). The motion passed 4-0.

The board opened bids for tree removal and selected Wilson Tree Service at $600 per tree (other bids: B & H Tree Service at $625 per tree, Chandler Tree Service at $700 per tree, American Arbor at $800 per tree). The supervisors approved a contract structure that allows two renewal options of 50 trees each so the county would not need to rebid immediately; the motion passed 4-0.

Bids also were opened for a replacement trash body for a county truck; the single responsive bid came from PacMac for $124,737.28 (recorded in the minutes as $124,737.28). The board approved moving forward with that purchase using funds previously set aside for truck outfitting; the motion passed 4-0.

County IT manager Donald Zitter presented a four-week progress report on discovery of county systems and data collections and proposed a plan to bring more of the county’s assets into a GIS-backed inventory and inspection schedule. Zitter said he has reached out to the state and other counties, and that a state-run cybersecurity grant pool (described by staff as about $12 million available for qualifying counties) requires participating entities to complete an assessment to be eligible for follow-on funding. Zitter reported that the county submitted expressions of interest by the state deadline and asked the board to acknowledge that action; the supervisors voted 4-0 to record the county’s submission and to move forward with next steps toward assessment and potential grant funding. "We managed to get every department into that program," Zitter said, adding the process could allow the county to compete for 100% grant funds to address identified deficiencies.

The board also approved several routine or administrative items related to roads and county operations: utility-installation permits requested by the Warrior Water Association; a subcontractor agreement allowing Atwood Fence to install guardrail for the Sturgis West Point Bridge contract; temporary short-duration closures at four locations on Douglas Town Road to replace culvert covers (to be done one location at a time); and reappointment and other personnel actions noted in the consent items. All motions recorded in minutes for the items above carried on unanimous votes (4-0).

Most motions in the meeting were seconded and carried unanimously; the board closed with reminders about a Boys & Girls Club event and other routine calendar items. The board president and county staff indicated they will follow up on Welch’s traffic-safety concerns with a field visit and coordination with the sheriff’s office and Mississippi State University for possible increased enforcement and signage.

Votes at a glance

- Acknowledged public comment from James Welch (address 1498 Pool House Road) and directed inspection/response: motion by Supervisor Little, second by Supervisor Howard; outcome: approved 4-0. - Programmed replacement of Bridge No. 156 on Sun Creek Road with SABP funds and authorized signatures to begin planning: motion approved 4-0. - Awarded or accepted roadside spraying quote (recorded in minutes as "accept Kim Bro's quote"): motion approved 4-0. - Awarded tree-removal contract to Wilson Tree Service at $600 per tree (50-tree lots with two renewal options): motion approved 4-0. - Accepted PacMac bid for a truck trash body ($124,737.28) from funds set aside for truck outfitting: motion approved 4-0. - Approved temporary closures on Douglas Town Road for culvert/cover replacements (one location at a time): motion approved 4-0. - Acknowledged county submission of interest in state cybersecurity assessment/grant pool and authorized follow-up steps: motion approved 4-0. - Designated county administrators for SAM.gov (Wayne Carpenter and Capt. Sean Ward): motion approved 4-0.

Ending

Board members directed staff to return with project lists, cost estimates and a road-grading prioritization at the next meeting so supervisors can identify funding requests for the legislative session and potential state-aid projects. County staff said they will follow up on both the resident’s safety complaint and the timeline for advertising and programming the bridge and paving projects.