Poplarville’s Board of Aldermen approved grant items and scheduled hearings for delinquent properties at their meeting Tuesday.

The alderman approved a grant for thermal imaging cameras, for use by the fire department.

During the fire department report, Poplarville Fire Chief Bobby Strahan asked board members to approve his acquisition of a Department of Homeland Security grant for thermal imaging cameras.

The grant is for the purchase of two thermal imaging cameras that will detect hot spots, Strahan said.

The cameras will allow firemen to scan the entire area to guarantee the fire is out before they leave so firemen won’t have to return to the scene.

Strahan said the cameras would detect body heat from humans and animals as well.

“It’s for the good of our residents and it’s good to know we can do a clean sweep of a situation,” Strahan said. “We can hook it to our gear. They are very good cameras, we will have a new set of eyes.”

The federal share of the grant was $7,361 and the city’s five percent match was $387 for a total of $7,748, Strahan said.

Strahan said the total cost of the cameras is $7,754, which would put them about six dollars short, but the difference will come out of the auxiliary fund.

Poplarville Chief of Police Charlie Fazende informed the board of a partnership with the city of Picayune’s Police Department to provide dispatching services.

Captain Rossie Creel said Picayune would be offering limited dispatching services for the city.

“We’ve had issues in the past with officers writing less tickets, based on their feelings of being unsafe and not having someone on the other end of the radio to call for help,” Creel said.

Creel said Picayune dispatch would also run tag numbers through the National Crime Information Center to look for outstanding warrants.

In other business:

The alderman scheduled public hearings for a number of derelict properties around the city.

“We want to encourage property owners to keep their properties clean, to keep Poplarville as beautiful as it should be,” board member Maggie Smith said.

The board accepted the resignation of Main Street president Carol Williams.

Mayor Brad Necaise said it’s “bittersweet” to see Williams go.

Williams was instrumental in creating the city’s website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, Necaise said.

The next board of alderman meeting is Tuesday, September 2.