The Poplarville Board of Aldermen approved the first payment to Hensley R. Lee Contracting for drainage maintenance work funded by the 2019 Road and Bridge Bond Program. The payment is for $85,287 of the $385,925 contract.

The Board also approved a change request in the project that will add $13,653, for a new contract total of $399,579. The work in the change request will keep water out of a Poplarville resident’s yard on S. Allen St. Currently, water from the public right of way overflows into the yard, said Jason Lamb with The Walker Associates.

The Board also awarded a bid to ABC Utility Co. Inc. for $44,720 to relocate water mains along Woodard Street, Jordan Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. The water mains conflict with proposed drainage improvements in the 2019 Road and Bridge Bond Program.

In a separate matter, the city will update its website. The Board approved a contract with Municode for the website design, hosting and support. The contract will be $2,950 per year over a four-year period. The website redesign will make it easy to post the Board agenda and meeting minutes, said City Clerk Jane O’Neal.

The current city website was created seven years ago using a free service, said Alderwoman Shirley Wiltshire.

In a separate matter, the Board accepted the resignation of Fire Chief Jonathan Head, effective Oct. 11. Head has accepted a position as fire marshal with Pearl River County. The Board authorized a job posting to advertise the soon to be vacant position, and authorized adding Head to the part-time firefighter roster, which will allow him to assist his replacement. Head said the fire department is urging caution not to burn things in the dry weather. This week, the governor of Mississippi declared a statewide burn ban.

In other business the Board:

—Authorized engaging Walker Associates to evaluate the extent of repairs needed on the sidewalk in front of Hancock Whitney Bank.

—Engaged the Topp, McWhorter, and Harvey PLLC accounting firm to perform an audit of the city’s financial statements in the 2018-2019 fiscal year for $37,500. The firm has performed the audit in previous years.