During Monday’s meeting, the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors did not sign a memorandum of understanding agreeing to provide six months of funding for Gulf Coast Mental Health Services.

This means Pearl River County will remain in mental health Region 13, but the state will not advance six months of funding for Pearl River County’s mental health services to Gulf Coast, Lumpkin said. Since the Board is not signing the MOU, the state will distribute state funds for Pearl River County mental health services to its mental health provider on a monthly basis.

If the Board had signed the MOU, the state would have advanced Gulf Coast Mental Health Services the next six months of funding for this county’s mental health services, Lumpkin said. If the full six months had been provided to Gulf Coast Mental Health Services and the Board wanted to employ another provider in that time, those funds would not have been available to transfer to a different provider, such as if the Board decided to change mental health regions, Lumpkin said.

The Board has committed two months of funding for Gulf Coast Mental Health Services, said County Administrator Adrain Lumpkin, but wants to take those two months to decide if the county should join another mental health region.

If the Board decides to join a different region, the state will provide the state funds on behalf of the county to that provider, Lumpkin said.

Lumpkin said he wanted to make it clear that the Board is not shutting down mental health services in Pearl River County.

In a separate matter, the Board approved giving $1,000 to the Pearl River County 4-H, to help their four person consumer judging team attend a national competition. An earlier motion by District 4 Supervisor Farron Moeller to give the team $5,000 did not pass.

The team needs $8,000 for their competition and has fundraised $1,700 so far, said Alex Shook, the MSU Extension agent who oversees Pearl River County 4-H.

In other business the Board:

—Acknowledged fee checks for the second quarter of 2019 from Charter Communications for $27,295 and from Waste Management for $7,308.

— Approved the reinstatement of Superintendent Alan Lumpkin to the Pearl River Community College Board of Trustees, because current trustee Assistant Superintendent of Education Melissa Holston is retiring.

—Held a public hearing for written objections on the 2019 tax assessment rolls. Objections were due by 5 p.m. Monday.

—Entered executive session to discuss ongoing litigation. No motions were made after executive session, said Board Secretary Cindy Lee.

The Board will meet Monday August 12 at 9 a.m. in the courtroom on Julia Street to discuss budgets.