By Rupert Howell

Rural fire departments must turn in 2015 expense forms prior to receiving this year’s insurance rebate money and two entities put their name in the pot for upcoming budget consideration during Monday’s Second District meeting of the Panola Supervisors in Batesville.

Emergency Management Coordinator Daniel Cole, who also serves as the county’s fire coordinator, said fire departments would receive approximately $1,500 more than before from fire insurance rebate funds amounting to approximately $9,600 each.

Board President Cole Flint asked if the funds could be used to pay for required pump tests with Cole responding that it could and he would provide the information of which departments have completed tests when he receives all expense forms from the individual departments.

That led supervisors to approve the measure of holding the checks until the previous year’s expense forms were provided to Cole.

Representatives of local libraries and their district director Ed Hughes asked supervisors for a 10 percent increase from $331,075 to $341,007 when making the upcoming year’s budget.

Librarians from Batesville and Sardis both told supervisors of increased activity and additional services being offered at the facilities. Information disseminated during the meeting indicated a 13 percent increase in library cards issued, an 11 percent increase in use of meeting rooms and a 20 percent increase in adult usage at Batesville’s library.

Margaret Eubanks with Panola County Human Society gave an impassioned plea for both continued and additional assistance from Panola County in the area of funding and enforcement, telling supervisors, “You have the power.”

Eubanks said that if additional help was not received with animal population control, “Panola County will soon be overrun. We’ll have to euthanize.”

She explained that four organizations dealing with stray and surrendered animals were overwhelmed right now and stated, “The best we can do is not enough.”

Eubanks asked for the same amount of $3,500 to be considered in January while showing expenses of almost $14,000 since the first of the year.