NATCHEZ, Miss. –Adams County supervisors are allocating $5 million for improving county roads, recreational venues and records. The money is from funds the county board has gotten through a bond issue supervisors will gradually repay with added interest in the coming years.
The county-owned Chester Willis baseball stadium, rodeo venue and parks are on the to-do list along with digitizing county documents, said board President Wes Middleton. He said about $2.7 million of the $5 million will be used for resurfacing roads and enhancing county-owned parks, which include Lagrange and Providence.
This comes after the Adams County and Natchez boards recently dissolved their consolidated recreation program and went their separate ways to fund public parks. The Natchez Board of Aldermen last year approved a $2 million bond issue to generate funds for improving city parks and resurfacing streets.
County money is not being directed to improve Morgantown Road — a high priority for the county board in recent years – because federal funds are expected to be provided, Middleton said. The narrow, flood-prone thoroughfare is considered dangerous to drive on. Natchez-Adams County officials have requested $2.4 million from Congress to widen and resurface the road. Middleton expressed confidence the money will be appropriated.
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The Adams County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday hired a redistricting expert to help draw new lines to be used in the 2023 elections. The five supervisors’ districts need to be realigned to reflect population changes and ensure they have about the same number of people, as required by law. The 2020 census shows Adams County’s population has declined since 2010 by nearly 2,800 people – down to about 29,500.
Toby Sanford, a political mapping expert at the Starkville-based Golden Triangle Planning and Development District, will help the supervisors redraw their new districts.
The board is also considering a proposal to purchase new voting machines to replace those Natchez-Adams County have used since 2005. The new vote-casting-and-tallying devices should use paper ballots to be scanned rather than the touch screens voters now use to pick candidates, said Adams County Election Commissioner Larry Gardner.
The county’s 17-year-old voting machines often break down, Gardner said. He noted state funds are available to purchase new ones. A state Senate-passed bill would provide grants to help counties modernize their voting systems. Senate Bill 2879 is now being considered by the House of Representatives.
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Adams County supervisors are considered increasing the $1 fee tacked onto monthly telephone bills to help fund the local E-911 emergency dispatching system. Revenues have declined as the number of land-line phones has fallen while more people rely solely on cell phones, said Adams County Emergency Management Director Brad Bradford.
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