Oktibbeha supervisors authorize ARPA re-obligation, approve bridge repairs and redevelopment agreements

Oktibbeha County supervisors on Dec. — during their regular meeting — authorized the county administrator to obligate about $1.6 million in unobligated ARPA funds before the federal deadline and approved a string of infrastructure measures, including emergency repairs to Dry Creek Road bridge, notice-to-proceed packets for multiple bridge and road projects, and a regional redevelopment agreement with the city related to a proposed hotel development.

The board voted to give County Administrator Carlton authority to obligate unobligated American Rescue Plan Act funds before the federal deadline so the money is not returned, and asked the administrator to report back on which projects were funded and what county dollars, if any, were freed as a result.

The action matters because the ARPA funds are time-limited: the administrator told the board that unobligated funds must be under contract, purchase order or subaward by the federal cutoff or the county risks returning them. The board set a process deadline for entities with pending allocations to provide documentation by Dec. 21 and directed the administrator to obligate remaining funds by Dec. 31, 2024.

In other business, the board approved several immediate and planned public-works measures. Road Manager Vincent Thompson briefed the board on a structural repair needed at a bridge on Dry Creek Road and described the work as an emergency to avoid a permanent closure; supervisors approved emergency authority to authorize repairs and for the county to use county forces supplemented by a contracting welder.

Thompson also asked the board to approve a pilot to test a granular chemical dust suppressant on gravel roads. The board approved getting quotes and pursuing a trial section on Clifford Lane (a single-pilot segment was discussed), with staff to return with comparative pricing and implementation timing. Thompson said the vendor offers material in 50-pound bags or bulk totes, with one tote estimated to treat about one mile at an 18-foot road width.

The board accepted performance and payment bonds from Phillips Contracting and authorized the county to issue notice to proceed for the Morgantown Bridge project, with supervisors noting that mobilization line items in bids reflected the contractors’ approaches to access and logistics. Separately, the board accepted contractor bonds for Douglas Town Road and Sturgis Maiden Road and authorized notices to proceed March 1, 2025 (with the caveat that a good work window could allow some earlier base repairs).

On economic development, a county representative and a private representative (identified in the record as Joe McSeed) briefed the board on a redevelopment agreement and related documents tied to a proposed hotel. The representative explained the proposed financing structure, discussed a 29-mill levy referenced in the agreement and year‑by‑year share estimates presented in the term sheet. In the presentation staff gave example year‑one shares — roughly $38,791 for the county and about $57,057 for the city under the consultants’ calculations — and noted those contributions would change over time under the deal model; the board adopted a resolution approving a regional economic alliance and to make the application with the MVA, and approved a reimbursement agreement between the county and the developer as presented.

The board approved routine equipment purchases and maintenance items including purchase of a skid steer (the board had been renting the unit and moved to buy it), replacement of a long-serving welding machine, repairs to two private driveways damaged by county work, and a right-of-easement agreement to repair a ditch at 450 Cambridge. The airport manager submitted a payment request for runway/field work that came in under budget; supervisors approved payment of the submitted invoice.

Supervisors also authorized additional tree removal work across the county, instructing staff to proceed with another round of tree-cutting contracts up to $100,000 subject to budget constraints and further review.

The meeting included public comment from a resident who asked about the location of the proposed hotel and whether it would compete with an existing Main Street hotel; the speaker was directed to the city meeting schedule for additional details on city approvals. Mississippi State University (MSU) was cited in discussion of traffic around the roundabout; county staff said they would develop a schematic design for a possible right‑turn lane change and pursue funding once a schematic and estimate were available.

Votes at a glance (adopted items and outcomes recorded during the meeting): - Resolution approving regional economic alliance and application with MVA; motion by Supervisor Williams, second by Supervisor Traynor/Trainer — motion passed (record: unanimous). The board also approved a reimbursement agreement with the developer tied to the project (motion passed unanimous). - Emergency repairs for the Dry Creek Road bridge; motion by Supervisor Traynor/Trainer, second by Supervisor Little — motion passed (unanimous). - Pilot procurement (quotes) for granular dust-suppressant material and trial on Clifford Lane; motion to solicit quotes and pursue pilot, motion passed unanimously. - Purchase of skid steer (lowest quote from rental unit); motion by Supervisor Trainer, second by Supervisor Williams — motion passed unanimously. - Acceptance of insurance and performance/payment bonds from Phillips Contracting and issuance of notice to proceed for Morgantown Bridge; motion passed unanimously. - Notice to proceed for Douglas Town Road and Sturgis Maiden Road awarded with March 1, 2025 start; motion passed unanimously. - Authorization for county administrator to obligate approximately $1,600,000 in unobligated ARPA funds by Dec. 31, 2024, with affected entities to provide contract evidence by Dec. 21, 2024; motion passed unanimously. - Additional tree‑removal contracting authority up to $100,000 subject to budget; motion passed unanimously. - Payment authorization for airport runway/field invoice (approx. $42,000, submitted under budget) — motion passed unanimously.

Quotations and attributions used in this report come directly from meeting remarks recorded in the public transcript. Where staff-provided numbers or calculations were presented to the board (for example, year‑one shares tied to the redevelopment model, or the $1.6 million ARPA unobligated figure), the article reports those figures as presented to the board without independent verification.

The board adjourned after a closed-session motion. Supervisors scheduled no further votes on the record beyond the items listed above.