Chickasaw County supervisors weigh consolidation of county offices and approve several pay increases

During the May 26 meeting of the Chickasaw County Board of Supervisors, the board spent substantial time discussing how to consolidate county office space, potential sale of the LEMC facility, and options to repurpose the Heritage Center, and took action on several employee pay adjustments.

Board members raised the impending relocation of the county engineer’s office (projected for July or August) as a near-term trigger for deciding where to house remaining county functions. The board noted $50,000 in the current capital projects budget earmarked for Heritage Center demo work and $10,000 for architect services; an earlier architect estimate to demolish part of the north wing was cited at roughly $90,000. Supervisors discussed staging demolition, conducting an internal auction of surplus furniture, and moving storage and office functions (for example, the engineer’s shop, EMA, and public health) into available Heritage Center space. No final sale or demolition decision was made; the board asked staff to develop plans and timelines and to tour the Heritage Center with interested supervisors.

Board members contextualized consolidation discussions within recent property tax reform. One supervisor summarized rough numbers for the county’s general levy base (about $4.9 million) and said a 2% cap would generate roughly $96,000 in new GB revenue; supervisors noted that money would need distribution across multiple departments and that eliminating the LEMC budget (estimated $30,000–$35,000) would not by itself absorb the change.

On personnel matters the board approved several pay decisions effective July 1. Steve moved (seconded) and the board approved raising two part‑time custodians from $17.00 to $17.68 per hour. The board also approved a 4% salary increase for the land use administrator, Ray Armell, and a 4% raise for the safety coordinator, Renee Carrie; both increases were recorded as effective July 1. A separate, larger wage resolution covering other employees (including an administrative employee identified as Gina) remained pending and is expected next week.

Staff and supervisors flagged practical next steps: identify where specific offices (county attorney, elections, EMA, public health) will locate after engineer relocation, develop a plan for moving and auctioning surplus furniture, and return with concrete options and budget impacts in follow-up meetings. The board discussed targeting November–December to complete moves and stated they will remove LEMC budget lines once a relocation plan is finalized.

No formal votes were taken today on selling buildings or demolition; those remain future agenda items. Supervisors also noted an upcoming EMA meeting to determine whether city contributions or other budget choices will change the base used for a future 3% EMA funding cap referenced in recent property tax reform language.