At each meeting the Oktibbeha Board of Supervisors open with a prayer in which they petition the Almighty for a spirit of goodwill, wisdom and discernment to prevail over the proceedings.

Then they proceed to tear each other apart.

This, by the way, is probably why they don’t say a prayer before boxing matches: The boxers have no delusions about what they intend to do to each other once the bell rings.

Based on the way the five supervisors have comported themselves over at least the past six months, it would not be inappropriate at the start of board meetings to dispense with the prayer and ring a bell.

Recurring discussions over what should be done with the Oktibbeha County Lake dam are perhaps the source of the acrimony.

We acknowledge the lake issue is complex and that complex issues often lead to spirited debate.

Similar to the fissures exposed in the dam, the debate over the issue has exposed fissures among board members that have gone beyond spirited debate, though.

Meetings are often counterproductive and the behavior displayed is an embarrassment for the county.

Most recently, action by the board has jeopardized a $12+ million wastewater project.

In September, after months of inactivity over how to spend the county’s ARPA funds, the board distributed those funds to three projects with minimal debate. Six million was provided to East Oktibbeha Wastewater District sewer infrastructure, which promptly applied for matching funds from the state.

But Monday, the board reneged, taking back $1 million from the wastewater district and jeopardizing the matching funds from the state.

That’s no way to operate.

After the reallocation, supervisors Williams and Howard continued to argue about where the $1 million should come from.

At various meetings this year the following incidents have happened:

• Supervisors continue to split local road money evenly among themselves, essentially creating their own fiefdoms. This practice goes against the spirit of the county’s unit system. On Monday, supervisors argued over whether to commit funds toward paving the road in front of the county hospital because it would take funds away from the other districts. Each supervisor was asked individually if they would “opt in” to do this. They all agreed, though Board President Bricklee Miller was reluctant.
• Rather than give up his allocation of local road money to fund a project, Williams earlier this year said he would rather send a legislative appropriation for Oktoc Road back to the state, a move that would jeopardize future state funding.
• Miller is actively trying to block a federal grant which would largely — if not completely — fund the repair of the dam because she would rather see the lake decommissioned.
• Miller tried to change a board order without the board’s consent, prompting Howard to call for Miller to resign as board president. Miller admitted the error and apologized but didn’t step down.
• Howard and Williams on Monday bickered back and forth like children, with both of them accusing the other of “begging too much.”
• Miller alleged board vice-president Orlando Trainer committed fraud in a letter he signed.

So here we are. Demands for resignations, accusations of fraud, each supervisor hoarding funds without considering the bigger picture, name-calling. Who knows what will happen when the bell rings for the next meeting?

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.