The fee to get copies of records at the Newton County Chancery Clerk’s office will cost a little bit extra after the Board of Supervisors Thursday approved adding an additional $1 records fee to the cost.
Chancery Clerk George Hayes told the board the fee is an initiative from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to help preserve and maintain documents throughout the state.
“They have been after me for about 10 years, the Department of Archives” he said. “They got a bill passed in the legislature.”
The $1 fee will be split between the Department of Archives and History and the county, with $0.50 going to each, Hayes explained.
“The 50 cents has to be used for shelving or books or something in the vault,” he said.
While the Chancery Clerk’s office has avoided implementing the fee for several years, many of the neighboring counties have already made the change, Hayes said, and the legislature passed several other fee increases earlier this year. Those are set to go into effect at the end of the year.
“We’re fixing to have a big fee increase come January, which is automatic, and if we were going to do that, I think this would be the time to do that rather than me having to put a new fee on it some other time,” he said.
Also on Thursday, the Board of Supervisors accepted a bid from Ammon Roofing to repair the roof of the Justice Court building. The bid amount was $19,875.
Board president Charles Godwin told the board the roof has been leaking and was in need of repair. It would not, however, be covered by the county’s insurance.
“The insurance adjuster came and looked at the roof of the Justice Court building. Apparently, it’s not going to be covered by the insurance,” he said. “The roof is probably 15 to 20 years old.”
Another bid of $21,674 from Norman Roofing, was not accepted.
In other business, the supervisors:
● •Approved a 16th section lease agreement between Newton County School District and Tracy Knight;
● •Accepted a $3,740 Justice Initiative Grant to be used by the Newton County Sheriff’s Department;
● •Approved a contract to allow the Board Attorney to be paid for office services; and
● •Signed a proclamation declaring October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
