Residents ask county to allow shower events for unhoused people; board to review liability, privacy-wall invoice pending pay order

Members of a community group seeking to assist people experiencing homelessness asked the Adams County Board of Supervisors for permission to use county facilities to offer shower events and case‑management intake.

Dr. Helen Davis of the Natchez Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority introduced the sorority’s willingness to collaborate on civic engagement and service programs. A separate spokesman for a community group described a plan to provide portable showers and to create case files for people who want help getting out of homelessness; the group said it seeks temporary use of a structure the county calls the “safe room” and outside shower access when weather is mild.

Board members raised two issues the transcript records as significant: liability and whether the safe room’s indoor spaces could be used for brief sheltering during inclement weather. Supervisor Slover was asked to review the liability and legal issues surrounding use of the facility; the board also discussed whether a town waterworks or the city would need to perform any utility work if showers were hooked to existing plumbing.

Security and operations were discussed in public comment. The group said five volunteers would staff shower events; board members asked the group to clarify security arrangements and logistics. The board did not vote to approve recurring use at the meeting but directed staff to look into legal, insurance and liability questions and to report back to the board.

Relatedly, county staff discussed a contractor invoice of roughly $4,000 for a privacy wall added to a shower installation. County legal staff advised that the contractor provided goods in good faith after a post-bid change and that a pay order must be entered to comply with statute and allow payment; supervisors agreed staff should obtain a legally sound payment authorization (a pay order) and follow state procurement requirements. A board member said the funds to cover that privacy wall would come from a designated special-project grant rather than the county’s general fund, but also emphasized the need to follow procurement statutes regardless of the funding source.

No formal approval to use the safe room or to make recurring shower events was recorded during the meeting; the board recorded directions to staff to review liability, confirm insurance and permit requirements, and return with written recommendations. The group asked to run weekly shower events once logistics, liability and building‑use procedures are resolved.