WEST POINT — The Clay County Board of Supervisors decided Thursday to authorize issuing a $500,000 road and bridge bond to be used for repairs in District 3.
The county will repay the debt over a maximum term of 15 years. Supervisors also set the sale date of the bonds for June 25.
District 3 Supervisor R.B. Davis said his top street priorities for road work with the allotted funds were Mac Pate and Palestine roads, but he also hoped to see improvements on Old Highway 10, Gates Road and Joe Myers Road. He acknowledged the $500,000 likely wouldn’t cover all construction needed.
“We’re ordering these bonds so I can have money to repair my roads with,” Davis said. “… We’re in dire need of money to do more road work and repairs. It doesn’t go far, but it’s what we can get.”
Clay County operates differently than others in the Golden Triangle, as the county is organized using a beat system instead of a unit system.
Under a unit system, the county works as its own entity with a county administrator and a road manager that oversees all the roads in that county. They work under the guidance of the board of supervisors and county engineer to ensure all the roads are maintained. With the beat system, each supervisor is individually responsible for working with the county engineer to ensure the roads and bridges of the district they represent are maintained.
District 3, the lone recipient of the $500,000 road and bridge bond Thursday, had a 20-year outstanding bond totaling $500,000 issued in 2000 that will be paid off by Aug. 1, Clay County Chancery Clerk Amy Berry said.
Each of the county’s other districts has one outstanding bond out for $500,000, with the exception of District 4, which has two outstanding $500,000 bonds dating back to 2008 and 2013.
Also at Thursday’s meeting, Sheriff Eddie Scott said inmates who are part of the joint state county work program are set to return to work today. Some projects inmates work on involve cleaning up abandoned or neglected cemeteries and public roads of the county.
Scott said social distancing will be essential.
“They have to toe the line, no ifs ands or buts about it,” Scott said.
At an earlier meeting this month, Scott said some precautions will include taking an inmate’s temperature twice a day, once at the beginning and end of the work detail. The supervisor of the work detail will also have his or her temperature checked. Further, workers will have to change clothes immediately upon arriving back to prison upon completion of their work.
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
