Grand jury asks Lauderdale County supervisors to take action on courthouse
Published 1:45 pm Wednesday, January 16, 2019
- Photo by Paula Merritt / The Meridian StarPeeling paint is seen in a hallway to a courtroom in the Lauderdale County Courthouse.
The first Lauderdale County grand jury of 2019 repeated many of the same complaints of past grand juries concerning the Lauderdale County Courthouse, asking the Board of Supervisors to immediately remove employees from the courthouse.
Neither the November nor the September Lauderdale County grand juries toured the courthouse.
“(We) suggest that the next Grand Jury tour first and then request the Board of Supervisors to come meet with the Grand Jury on the last day to discuss the conditions, intentions and progress of the courthouse relocation, renovation and/or demolition,” the report said. “(And) that the news media be invited to join this tour and meeting with the Board of Supervisors as well.”
The grand jury called the courthouse conditions unsafe for both employees and visitors, asking that employees be immediately removed while the supervisors continue to deliberate.
Additionally, the report made specific recommendations about providing extra security for the district attorney’s office and the judges of the Circuit Courtroom.
The supervisors have attempted to secure the federal courthouse for more than a year as part of its planned solution, visiting Washington D.C. in February to appeal to lawmakers for their assistance.
The Tax Assessor’s office has moved from the courthouse to the county Annex Building but the employees of the drug court moved into the vacant space late last year.
In October, supervisors announced plans to move the Tax Collector’s office permanently to a building with a drive-thru just one block from the courthouse.
Supervisors have also made plans to move Mississippi State University’s Extension Services to the Lauderdale County Agri-Center, freeing up space in the Annex Building.
“That’s their recommendation and I respect that. I think it’s doable and I don’t see a problem with that,” Jonathan Wells, the supervisor for District 1 and board president, said. “That would give us a chance to explain the situation and I think a healthy conversation would be beneficial to all of us.”
