By Billy Davis

Panola Sheriff Dennis Darby kicked off discussion of a cellular phone policy for county employees when he stated Monday the sheriff’s department was following new guidelines.

The sheriff announced the new policy at the Second District meeting of county supervisors, though he didn’t go into detail about specifics.

Any new policy would likely affect mostly deputies and investigators within the department.

Traffic accident statistics show cell phone usage is the “number one cause of accidents,” Darby said.

The sheriff’s announcement prompted road manager Lygunnah Bean to remind supervisors a federal law that took effect January 3 forbids cell phone usage in heavy equipment that requires a commercial drivers’ license to legally operate.

Dump trucks and other large vehicles fall under that policy, Bean said.

For other drivers, Bean, county supervisors, and County Administrator Kelley Magee discussed whether to forbid county employees from using cell phones while behind the wheel or simply discourage employees to use their phones.

Magee read from a proposed “cellular phone usage policy” for county employees that suggests a no-texting rule and also suggests that drivers allow calls to go to voice mail.

“Any calls should be made after the vehicle is safely parked,” the document states.

The document includes space for county employees to print and sign that they have read the rules and will abide by them.

An automobile accident involving cell phone use could result in disciplinary action according to the document.  

Supervisors voted to take the proposed policy under advisement.

Bean said he opposed forbidding cell phone use because he is required to use his cell phone almost constantly. The road manager does not hold a CDL and does not drive commercial vehicles for the county.  
Bean said, “If I had to pull over—”

“You wouldn’t get anything done, would you?” asked board president Kelly Morris.

“I wouldn’t get out of the driveway,” Bean replied.

In other county business:

•Supervisors voted unanimously to offer to pay half the cost of a new fire truck that will go to the Batesville Fire Department.

After a $70,000 state grant is applied, the approximate cost for the city and county is $109,500 each for the new truck.  

Batesville’s fire department is asking for the county to pay the entire cost, $219,000, Morris said after the meeting.

Batesville’s request for a fire truck has caused debate and discussion for weeks, though county and Batesville officials sat down last week to negotiate the purchase.   

One-third of Batesville’s response calls were made in the county last year, EMA director Daniel Cole told supervisors.

Magee said she will forward the proposal to the Board of Aldermen for their May meeting.  

•Sheriff Darby announced the hiring of John Still as part-time deputy and Jimmy Anthony as volunteer deputy and chaplain for the department.
Still is replacing part-time deputy Jarrell Mills, Darby said.

•Supervisors voted unanimously to allow the road department to replace a driveway culvert that Bean said is 452 feet from the county right of way.

Bean said the property owner on Woods Road has been turned down several times until the road department understood water is flowing from the road into the pipe and back to the road.

“It’s an unusual situation,” Bean admitted.

Bean was requesting the work after some supervisors sought a crackdown on installing culverts and have since implemented a policy to track their placement.

Supervisor John Thomas, who has criticized culvert usage, said Monday he has seen the driveway and agreed it needed to be replaced.

•Supervisors voted to name the industrial park road near the airport “Enterprise Drive.”