Forrest Co. receives reimbursement for voting machines

Forrest County is finally getting reimbursed for replacing 233 voting machines that were damaged in the February 2013 tornado that ripped through the Pine Belt.

During Monday's Forrest County Board of Supervisors meeting, board members acknowledged a copy of a check in the amount of $245,090.16, in full and final settlement of property claims made in connection with the tornado.

"(Insurance) initially wanted to give us less than $10,000 for that," board president David Hogan said. "So there was some arguing back and forth, but we were finally able to get this amount."

The board voted in November 2013 to replace the machines — which were exposed to rain after the storm damaged the roof of the county election building on East Fifth Street — at a cost of about $250,000.

"The board takes the voting process very seriously, so we wanted to get those back in there as quickly as possible, whether we got reimbursed or not," Hogan said.

The county will explore options to put the old machines up for sale.

In other action, the board:

•Took under advisement the Amended Landscape Maintenance Agreement with the City of Hattiesburg governing certain planned improvement to the U.S. 49 right of way. The project is designed to add landscape improvements to the highway between the Convention Center Plaza and Camp Street.

The landscaping comes courtesy of a $500,000 grant from the Mississippi Department of Transportation, with a 20 percent match from the Board of Supervisors.

• Approved and authorized the board president to sign an Amended Agreement for Medical Services between Southern Neurologic & Spinal Institute and Forrest County for certain medical services to be provided at the Billy McGee Law Enforcement Complex, the Evaluation Center and the Juvenile Detention Center.

• Considered the re-appointment of Charles McMahan to the Glendale Utility District Board of Commissioners for a six-year term to expire Sept. 7, 2021.