The Poplarville Board of Aldermen honored the Poplarville High School Hornet’s football team Tuesday night for their historic run to the class 4A state championship.
Poplarville Mayor Brad Necaise recited a proclamation honoring the team for their hard work and the honor they brought to the community, while athletes, parents and coaches filled the room at City Hall.
Copies of the signed proclamation were made available at City Hall for those who were unable to attend the meeting.
Concerning Board agenda items, Aldermen discussed the removal of a mobile home that belonged to Mary Barron located at 107 Poplar Drive. The property was granted two extensions by the Poplarville Planning Commission, but as of Oct. 27 the mobile home was not removed. The commission requested the Aldermen review the case.
City Attorney Nick Thompson said he is investigating the case with the state’s Attorney General’s office to determine the correct legal course of action required.
Public Works Superintendent Sam Hale said asphalt work on North Main Street under the overpass was completed and striping was wrapping up Tuesday night. Voids further down the storm drain were also filled and the culvert surrounding the project would be cleaned on Wednesday.
During the Poplarville Fire Department’s report, Chief Jonathan Head requested Nikolas Hines be removed from the approved firefighter list for retirement reasons. The Board approved the motion, thanking Hines for his many years of service.
In Poplarville Police Department matters, the Board approved a revision to the department’s body camera policy.
Poplarville Police Chief Butch Raby said the changes were minimal and would not impact daily operations.
The Board also approved to send documents related to the department’s body cameras to the ALCU due to a public records request.
Before entering into executive session, the Board discussed a motion to close the city’s main checking account with Hancock Bank and open a new account at the same bank.
Poplarville City Clerk Jane O’Neal said she found small variances that went back several years and that during the annual CPA audit, the firm recommended closing the old account and starting again with a clean, verifiable balance.
O’Neal said the variances consisted of values ranging from $45 to $100 at the end of the month due to debiting cash as miscellaneous revenue. Reconciling that account would require more manpower than the city has available, she said.
The variances in the account were the result of a bad practice put into place, O’Neal said, but opening the new account would allow the city to start fresh.
The Board approved the matter and entered into executive session to discuss litigation regarding water main damage and personnel issues with the Poplarville Police Department.
More information from Tuesday’s meeting will be published in Thursday’s Item.

The next Board meeting is scheduled for Jan. 3 at 5 p.m. at City Hall.