Magnolia officials on Tuesday accepted an increase in fees to house inmates in the Pike County jail.
The new charges are $30 per day — up from $20 — and $40 for the first day.
Piker County Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Johnny Scott said the fee doesn’t completely cover cost of housing inmates, but it helps.
“We looked at other counties and what they were charging, and we’re charging less than our surrounding counties,” he said.
Scott said a committee looked at jails in Adams County and one of the coastal counties, and both were charging between $65 and $75 per day, including booking.
“Originally, we wanted to go to $50, but we wanted to make it easier for our municipalities. We didn’t want it to be too much of a hardship.”
Magnolia Police Chief Ray Reynolds asked board attorney Wayne Dowdy if the city could pass the costs on to offenders.
“We can, but we can’t force them to pay it. But the judge can order it,” Dowdy said.
In other news, the board:
• Adopted a Section 3 fair housing and hiring plan to be eligible for Community Development Block Grant assistance.
• Amended the minutes of the Jan. 17 special meeting to include the scores for requests for proposals by grant administrators The Ferguson Group and Sample, Hicks & Associates, with Ferguson receiving a higher score.
• Amended the Feb. 7 regular board minutes to include scores for proposals from engineering firms Neel-Schaffer Inc., Tice Engineering and Innovative Design, with Neel-Schaffer Inc. receiving higher scores.
• Rescheduled a budget hearing from Aug. 31 to 5:30 p.m. Sept. 11.
• Approved the payment of $61,000 to WS Construction for work performed on the Magnolia Central Park.
Alderman Joe Cornacchione said when he drove by the park, the basketball court was filled with children. “The court isn’t even finished. I think it speaks to the vision of (former alderwoman) Mercedes (Ricks) and I thank her for pushing for it,” he said.
• Agreed to block off East Railroad Avenue North from the corner of East Bay Street to Magnolia Street from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3, for National Night Out.
• Approved travel for Rosezea Scott and Laurie Evans to attend 2017 Fall Certified Municipal Clerk program, for Scott to attend the 2017 MMCCA committees conference, and for the mayor, aldermen and City Clerk Cynthia Richardson to attend the 2017 Mississippi Municipal League Small Town Conference.
• Issued a proclamation designating October as Racial Reconciliation Celebration Month and recognized Mission Mississippi as its sponsor.
• Authorized publishing three environmental notices, including two for a proposed floodplain plan and one comprehensive notice, to comply with environmental clearance requirements for the 2017 CDBG grant program.
• Hired Patrick Varnado as a part-time police officer to help with traffic control for South Pike.
Alderman Clarence Burton Jr. asked Reynolds about the number of officers that are at South Pike High School during football games.
“We’ve been having a lot of fights over there,” Burton said.
Reynolds acknowledged there was a fight a couple of weeks ago, but said there were no incidents at the last game.
He said there are usually nine officers at the games, depending on the crowd.
