Two of the four counties within Mississippi’s 16th Circuit Court District have tentatively agreed to financially support a move to new office space by District Attorney Scott Colom and his staff, and Colom said he hopes supervisors in Clay and Oktibbeha counties will also pitch in for the cause.
Colom said he wants to move his Columbus-based office from 220 5th St. North to 522 2nd Ave. North, a property owned by the estate of Frank Lee, because its current home is “an occupational hazard” and likely full of asbestos.
Lowndes County already has plans to tear down the building, he said.
The new location would provide 10 offices for his operations and “sufficiently meets the needs” of his staff.
A tentative lease would cost $2,500 per month, plus utilities, and run through Dec. 31, 2019 — the end of Colom’s current term.
Currently, Lowndes County provides the DA’s office rent-free space and pays its utilities.
Since the DA’s office would move into privately owned space, Colom is asking the four counties within District 16 to split the costs as it does other circuit court services: Lowndes would foot 42.7 percent of the total bill, while the remaining costs would be split between Oktibbeha County (33.3 percent), Clay County (15 percent) and Noxubee County (9 percent).
Colom said he’s received a funding commitment from Noxubee County supervisors. The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors, he said, is supportive of the move as long as the other counties contribute toward the costs.
“I’m hopeful we can have all the pieces in place to enter into the lease by mid-July,” he said.
The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors took no action on his request for funding Monday, but Colom said he was hopeful for a response at the board’s July 5 meeting.
Oktibbeha County’s portion of rent would cost $825 per month. Currently, it provides the DA’s office $300 per month for office expenses and $1,600 per month for its bad check unit.
Lowndes County has tentatively agreed to pay the upfront cost of utilities, Colom’s letter of request to Oktibbeha County supervisors states, and would bill Oktibbeha County its portion based on the same formula used to determine lease payments.
Projected utility costs are unavailable since the building has been unoccupied for a significant amount of time, his letter states.
The request could find support in Oktibbeha County from District 4 Supervisor Bricklee Miller if the potential allocation is offset by restructuring the county’s $22,800 annual allotment to the DA’s office.
“I trust our district attorney has researched and is pursuing an affordable office space,” she said. “I know he understands any additional request will be monies taken from another line item in the county budget.”
Colom is expected to present the proposal to Clay County supervisors at their next board meeting.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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