NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Adams County Board of Supervisors hired a new county administrator Monday to replace Joe Murray, who’s retiring after 10 years as the county’s chief appointed official.
Angie Issac King was selected for the $80,000-a-year job, but little is known publicly about her other than she’s currently the county comptroller. The board declined Monday to provide the public with information about the county official’s biographical, educational and work background. Most of the county supervisors’ discussions about King were done in closed-door sessions prior to their vote to hire her.
Board President Ricky Gray did say King has been a county employee for several years.
County board attorney Scott Slover said state law does not allow the public to see King’s resume without her permission. Efforts to reach King by telephone Monday were unsuccessful. Board members were told she would’ve been at their meeting Monday but was ill with what could be the coronavirus.
Gray said King was among about 40 applicants that supervisors winnowed to three for the county administrator’s job. After prospects were interviewed last month, supervisors selected King with little public discussion Monday other than to say her name, set her $80,000 salary and mention she’s currently employed as county comptroller.
As comptroller, King has been working in Adams County’s bookkeeping department, which manages the county’s payroll along with bills to be paid and money to be collected.
The county administrator oversees the daily operations of county government, including a $30 million annual budget and about 230 employees under the governance of the five-member county Board of Supervisors. Murray was hired by the board as county administrator in 2010 but left briefly and returned in 2011. He announced in June that he plans to retire in September.
In appointing the new county administrator, the board voted 4-1 for King. Supervisor Wes Middleton was the lone dissenter. He said he thinks another applicant is better qualified. Supervisors joining Gray in voting for King were Kevin Wilson, Angela Hutchins and Warren Gaines
Among other actions at Monday’s board meeting, supervisors:
— considered a request for more funds for the mental health agency that serves Adams County. Southwest Mississippi Behavioral Health is seeking about $30,000 on top of the $77,000 it normally gets each year from the county board, said agency representative Sherlene Vince.
She noted the McComb-based agency plans to expand its presence in Natchez with the acquisition of a building located on Jeff Davis Boulevard across from the now-closed Natchez Community Hospital. The agency’s Natchez operations are currently in facilities on Wall and O’Ferrall streets.
The county board was told that the agency’s Natchez expansion would create about 27 new jobs. The supervisors are in the process of preparing a budget for the fiscal year that begins in October.
Fully named A Clear Path of Southwest Mississippi Behavioral Health, the public-private agency relies on government grants, Medicaid and private dollars for services ranging from stress counseling to drug rehabilitation.
— heard from businesses saying the county is erroneously overtaxing their properties. They include Merit Health hospital, Denbury oil-drilling operator and Dish TV service provider. They insist Adams County Tax Assessor Larry Hughes’ office is mistakenly valuating the worth of their properties that makes them owe excess taxes. The board decided to continue reviewing their objections before making a decision to overturn Hughes’ tax assessments.
— approved a contract to pay $25,000 to Jordan, Kaiser & Sessions – the county’s engineering firm – to prepare a plan for rehabilitating the hazardous Robins Lake dam. The state Department of Environmental Quality is ordering the county to fix the small dam that could break and flood parts of south Adams County. It’s been estimated the repairs could cost about $70,000.
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