A new drug testing policy went into effect March 1 within the ranks of Pontotoc county employees after the boards approval last Friday.

“Trish Lindsay Clinic will administer the tests,” said Wayne Stokes, board president.

The new policy includes wording that says a drug test may be administered on suspicion of drug use by the supervisor.

Drug testing will include employees and all county elected officials.

The board also ordered that any employee who is in a motor vehicle accident should be tested for drugs, “even if it is on a weekend,” Stokes explained. “The employee should go to the emergency room for this.”

In other end of the month actions the board approved for the first payment on the tuition grant to Three Rivers for $100,000.

Another $100,000 was approved for the PUL alliance.

Supervisors also met on March 1 approving a litany of funds.

The board accepted a bid for financing of the new fire trucks which are due next month.

First National Bank came as the lowest bidder on the financing at 3.19 percent over a ten year period, leaving the county a price tag of some $2.2 million or about $220,000 a year to pay.

Board president Wayne Stokes said the last new fire truck is set to come off the assembly line in Florida next week, which is some seven to ten days ahead of schedule.

Members of the board will go to Florida on March 15 to inspect the trucks before they are driven to Pontotoc.

“The trucks will be driven,” Stokes explained, “so that if there are any leaks or anything that needs to be tightened up, it will show up on the long drive.”

It will be next month sometime before the trucks are delivered to Pontotoc.

The following fire departments will receive the 12 trucks: Algoma, Beckham, Ecru, Furrs, Hurricane, Longview, Pontotoc, Randolph, Sherman, Thaxton, Toccopola and Troy-Woodland.

Each truck will come fully loaded at a price tag of $178,683 per truck. Included in this price is some $19,000 worth of equipment which is necessary to fight fires.

Because of all the new regulations that took effect the first of the year the supervisors saved some $35,000 per truck at the start.

The equipment list for the truck includes 800 feet of 2.5 inch hose, 400 feet of 1.5 inch hose, one combination spray nozzle at 200 gpm, two spray nozzles at 95 gpm, a six pound flat axe, a six pound pickhead axe, an 8 foot pike pole, two portable hand lites.

Other equipment include an 80-bc rated dry chemical extinguisher, a 2.5 gallon water extinguisher, four scba brackets, four combination spanner wrenches, two hydrant wrenches, one double female and double male 2.5 adapter, a rubber mallet, two 12x14 inch salvage covers, two wheel chocks, two traffic vests, five fluorescent orange traffic cones, five illuminated warning devices (highway flares).

Firemen will also have a 5,000 watt generator (Honda®) with two mounted scene halogen lights, a portable 2,100 gallon capacity dump tank, a Honda® 6.5 hp positive pressure ventilation fan, a halogen tool, a scoop shovel, two brush flaps, a 36 inch pry bar, a set of bolt cutters, two section 2.5 inch hard suctions with brackets, a pick plate for end of 2.5 hand suctions, a six inch hard suction strainer, a 2.5 to 2-15 gated wye (a y-shaped part), Kussamaul Pump plus 1000 charger/compressor with shoreline connection.

Others bidding on the financing was Hancock Bank at 4.60 percent, Municipal Asset Management Inc. from Golden Colorado at 4.94 percent and Bancorp South at 4.87 percent.

The board also ordered $5,000 to be paid to Main Street, the allotted amount in the budget and signed an agreement to continue the Mississippi Main Street Program in Pontotoc.

Supervisors also approved for $100,000 to each district for the county wide road maintenance fund and $40,000 to each district for B&M funds.

The supervisors’ next board meeting will be Friday, March 12, at 10 a.m.