Supervisors met June 6, raised their pay; meeting this week on the Mississippi Gulf Coast

The Union County Board of Supervisors met at the chancery court building in New Albany on Monday, June 6.

This week, Monday, June 13, through Thursday, June 16, the supervisors are meeting on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

At their June 6 meeting, the board approved travel expenses for the five supervisors, the county administrator, the board attorney, the purchasing clerk and the county road manager to attend the 93rd annual meeting of Mississippi Association of Supervisors at the Mississippi Coast Convention Center in Biloxi.

The county board also amended budgets to fund future raises for each of the supervisors, the two justice court judges, the county attorney, and the board attorney. Action earlier this year by the state legislature under Senate Bill 2719 authorized the raises, which are based on the county’s total tax evaluation.

Senate bill 2719 permits the raises. Boards of Supervisors are empowered to pass resolutions actually putting the raises into effect.

Supervisors accept state-approved pay raises. Click to enlarge

Union County supervisors currently earn $46,050 per year.

As permitted by SB 2719 those wages could increase by $2,000 annually in July 2022. The board would be permitted to increase wages an additional $2,000 per year January 2024 and an additional $4,000 in January 2028.During the June 6 meeting District 4 Supervisor Randy Owen made the motion to increase supervisor’s annual wages by $2,000 on July 1, 2022. Owen’s motion was seconded by District 5 Supervisor Steve Watson. The motion passed unanimously.

Thus, the Union County Supervisors will earn at the rate of $48,050 per year for the balance of 2022. Supervisors could be earning $54,050 per year by January 2028.

In other action during the June 6 meeting the board approved eight routine items on its consent agenda, including expenditures for the tax office and sheriff’s department, paid the county’s routine bills, and approved the board minutes for May.

The board discussed quotes for a Bushhog Flex, Wing Rotary Cutter to be used by the road department throughout the county.

The board amended the budget to pay for work on a new bridge on County Road 81.

The board unanimously approved the appointment of Luke Taylor as arson investigator to work under the sheriff’s authority. Luke Taylor is the son of District 1 Supervisor Sam Taylor. He was selected from a list of five candidates for the job. The board then narrowed the list to three individuals, and Luke Taylor was appointed.

Board Attorney Chandler Rogers said there was no impediment under state law to appointing the son of a supervisor to the fire investigator position. Although he is the son of Supervisor Sam Taylor, Luke Taylor is not Sam Taylor’s dependent, nor would he be supervised by Sam Taylor.

The five members of the Union County Board of Supervisors and the county workers specified in the third paragraph above are in Biloxi this week for the 93^rd annual meeting of the Mississippi Association of Supervisors. During the meeting on the Gulf Coast, county supervisors and other key county officials from around the state can attend lectures and seminars on topics such as property and risk management, the new Mississippi medical marijuana law, and county finance issues.

State officials including the governor, lieutenant governor and insurance commissioner are expected to attend. Vendors who sell items to counties such as employee insurance, asphalt, heavy-equipment and computer systems will have booths in the convention center. Many vendors also maintain “hospitality suites” where food and adult beverages are free to supervisors and other officials attending the annual meeting.

The next regular meeting of the Union County Board of Supervisors will be at the chancery court building in New Albany at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 20, 2022.

Kenny S Studios video of June 6, 2022 Union County board meeting: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hSAbEs9uu5A

Agenda for the Board of Supervisors annual meeting underway this week in Biloxi: https://www.mssupervisors.org/sites/default/files/FINAL%20AGENDA%20-%206.5.2022%20%281%29.pdf