NATCHEZ — For the new year, the Adams County Board of Supervisors voted to return all of its appointees to their positions except one — county engineer.

District 5 Supervisor Calvin Butler motioned to delay the appointment of a county engineer, but District 1 Supervisor and board President Mike Lazarus suggested the motion be modified to allow Jim Marlow to serve in the interim until a county engineer could be appointed.

Jim Marlow has been the county engineer for more than two decades.

Board Attorney Scott Slover said the position of county engineer is not mandatory, but is necessary for some state aid projects.

Amongst the items for discussion in executive session, which lasted approximately an hour, was the performance of the county engineer.

Marlow said he was not looking to retire after the meeting, but declined to go into detail.

Butler declined to go into detail about Marlow.

Lazarus said he would like to have a conversation about some changes the board would like to see made.

“We just want clarifications on few things,” Lazarus said. “Nothing is wrong with Jim Marlow. I think everything will be fine.”

When asked about potential changes, Lazarus said, “We just need better communication between us and (Natchez engineering firm) Jordan, Kaiser and Sessions. We all need to get on the same page.”

Lazarus declined to go into specific details, but said the conversation is more about the communication issues with Jordan, Kaiser and Sessions than Marlow’s performance.

“I’ve known Jim Marlow for 30 years and he is a fine man,” Lazarus said.

Marlow privately serves as the county engineer but is also employed with Jordan, Kaiser and Sessions, which is the firm the county primarily uses for engineering projects.

During the meeting, Southwest Mississippi Planning & Development District Planner Allen Laird asked for a $15,000 payment for Jordan, Kaiser and Sessions concerning the levee project at the Belwood Country Club industrial site.

District 4 Supervisor Ricky Gray initially motioned to approve the payment, but he withdrew the motion without comment.

Lazarus said the board declined to go forward on the payment at this time because Jordan, Kaiser and Sessions has not completed its scope of work plan.

“All of this money is grant money,” Lazarus said. “When dealing with the federal government, there is a lot of paperwork. We just want to see the paperwork before we sign the checks.

“We don’t want to put the county in the situation of having to pay back grant money.”

During the Dec. 6 meeting, the county approved a $100,000 engineering contract with Jordan, Kaiser and Sessions to redo the topographic design of the property.

Reappointments were:

4Lazarus as president;

4Butler as vice president;

4Slover as board attorney;

4Frances Bell as purchasing clerk;

4Claudia White as receiving clerk;

4Corvet McNeal as inventory clerk;

4Darryl Smith as county fire coordinator.