Pearl River County supervisors extend cleanup deadline after code‑enforcement hearing, approve hires and contracts

The Pearl River County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Feb. 18 to give owners of multiple properties cited for code violations a 30‑day extension to remediate conditions, setting a new deadline of March 18, 2026, after conducting the required public hearing under MS Code Section 19‑5‑105. The board opened and closed the hearing during the meeting and said the county litter officer will issue citations if properties are not cleaned within the extension period.

The extension followed public presentations that included a petition from Stonebridge Estates and two citizen comments: Bradley Duncan raised drainage concerns and Rich Hoffman raised trespassing issues; the board recorded both items but took no action on them at the meeting. President Malcolm Perry and other supervisors emphasized adherence to the statutory hearing process before authorizing the extension.

Beyond the code‑enforcement action, supervisors approved a slate of routine personnel and procurement measures across county departments. Actions included accepting the resignation of Morgan Rollins (transport officer) and the termination of Lucas Head (correctional officer); promoting Gloria Saucier from part‑time correctional officer to full‑time transport officer; and hiring Quincy Rogers as a full‑time correctional officer, all effective Feb. 18 unless otherwise noted. The board also approved hiring Mckenzie Hassell as a full‑time dispatcher for Central Dispatch.

County administration reported procurement results: the board accepted the lowest quote from Malone to re‑roof the Drug Court Building and awarded vehicle financing for two 2026 Ford Explorer Utility Police Interceptors to Trustmark Banking and Financial Solutions as the best and lowest rate, authorizing execution of the lease agreement. The board also authorized signing an ECD‑MECA NG911 agreement.

Public‑works and construction items included acceptance of road‑striping quotes, approval of payment application No. 4 in the amount of $8,950.50 to Wilco Construction, LLC for the Walkiah Pilot Channel Project, and approval of Change Order No. 3 on the Highway 26 widening project to add barricades at the entrance of an industrial site. The board approved Program Form LSBP for four bridge replacement/rehabilitation projects (Old US Hwy 11 SA55‑057; Ashe Rd. SA55‑024; Olive Church Rd SA55‑01; Burge & Reyer Rd. SA55‑018) to pursue Local System Bridge Program funding eligibility.

Administrative items and routine approvals included: acknowledgement of official bonds and oaths for circuit and tax office deputies; approval to purchase food and drinks for election night workers for the Federal Primary on March 10, 2026; acceptance of the sole‑source ESRI licensing maintenance agreement for 2026–2027; removal of Asset #6081 (Cradlepoint router) from the sheriff's inventory; and the spread of multiple monthly reports on the minutes, including building permits for January 2026 (232 permits generating $32,414.00 in revenue) and a Waste Management host fee payment of $9,576.26 for Q4 2025.

The board approved a correction to the 2026 road index (adjusting North Hill Drive length) and agreed to haul 100 tons of 610 limestone for Poplarville School District, provided the school purchases the material, for construction of two new running track lanes. An agenda amendment authorized hiring Brandy Usey as full‑time litigation support for the district attorney's office and acceptance of a $12,000 quote from Alison Spray Foam Insulation to replace damaged insulation at Station 21 on behalf of North Pearl River County Fire & Rescue.

Supervisors recessed for lunch and later entered an executive session under Mississippi Code 25‑41‑7 to discuss personnel, litigation strategy and economic development matters; they returned to open session at 4:15 p.m. and reported no action taken during the executive session. The board adjourned and directed the county administrator to post notice for the next scheduled meeting at 9:00 a.m. on March 2, 2026, at 109 W. Pearl St., Poplarville.

Votes at a glance: the meeting record shows unanimous approval (5–0) on motions including approval of the Feb. 2 minutes; approval of the claims docket; acknowledgment of Stonebridge Estates' petition; opening/closing the code‑enforcement hearing and authorizing the 30‑day extension to March 18, 2026; multiple personnel hires and promotions across the sheriff, dispatch, circuit clerk and tax offices; award of re‑roofing work to Malone; award of vehicle financing to Trustmark; payment to Wilco Construction ($8,950.50); approval of Highway 26 Change Order No. 3; acceptance of LSBP project forms; ESRI licensing payment; removal of sheriff asset #6081; and authorization of travel requests and monthly report spreads. All recorded votes on the minutes were aye with no nays recorded.

What comes next: property owners covered by the code‑enforcement hearing have until March 18, 2026 to clean cited properties or face citation by the county litter officer. The Board of Supervisors will next meet at 9:00 a.m. on March 2, 2026, at the Board of Supervisors meeting room in Poplarville.