NATCHEZ — Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten walked into the empty board of supervisors’ office Monday morning and said, “No quorum, no quorum, no quorum.”

The only person in attendance, Chancery Clerk Brandi Lewis, already knew that, since three supervisors are in Washington, D.C., this week for the National Association of Counties annual conference.

In the supervisors’ absence, the board could not assemble for its monthly, state-mandated meeting; in that situation, Mississippi Code dictates that the sheriff must come to the board office, meet the chancery clerk and officially declare that no quorum has been met.

This process will be repeated every day following the missed meeting until a quorum is met.

Because the absent supervisors will return to Natchez Wednesday evening, this means Patten and Chancery Clerk Brandi Lewis will make the trek to the board office each day until Thursday to declare the lack of quorum.

And they will likely not be alone.

All counties in the state of Mississippi that sent more than two representatives to the NACo meeting will also need a sheriff and chancery clerk present to declare the meeting postponed.

Generally, Administrative Assistant Corvet McNeal said, the NACo meeting is scheduled for the end of the month and therefore have never interfered with Monday meetings.

District 1 Supervisor Mike Lazarus said postponing a meeting more than one day is unusual.

“I’ve been here 10 years and I’ve never seen it happen,” Lazarus said. “I don’t know why they’d do that, schedule it on a Monday.”

Supervisors Calvin Butler, Angela Hutchins and Ricky Gray arrived in the capitol Friday and will finish their work Wednesday.

The registration fee for the NACo conference is approximately $500 per-person. The trip is funded through the supervisors’ county travel budget.

“It costs a lot,” Lazarus said. “One or two can go and bring back the information. We had three this year. I’m not sure why. They wanted to, so they did.”

Board of Supervisors President Calvin Butler said he chose to attend the meeting because he was only recently elected to his position as leader of the board.

“Being a new board president, I don’t have a lot of contacts,” Butler said. “I get calls from people up here and now I get to put a face with a name.”

As for Gray and Hutchins, Butler said they are present at the conference almost every year, and wished to attend again.

“Mike (Lazarus) and David (Carter) had the opportunity to come,” Butler said. “This is only my third time to D.C. to meet with everyone.”

Butler said the Adams County representatives are learning much from the conference, which includes seminars, guest speakers and committee meetings.

Butler said he, Gray and Hutchins are also using their free time to meet with legislators and remind them of current issues in Southwest Mississippi.

“We’re learning a lot about the problems we’re facing,” Butler said. “We have a lot of information we’re bringing back to Adams County.”