By Jeremy Weldon

The Panola County Board of Supervisors voted Monday to use two buildings the county owns on Hwy. 35 South for storage of files and other paperwork that has accumulated from offices of the Chancery and Circuit clerks.

The buildings currently house the Panola County Task Force, but that department doesn’t need all the space at the location. The supervisors designated a 2,400 square foot building to begin storing files and documents the county must keep in a climate controlled space, along with voting machines and various other office equipment.

Additionally, the board voted to use a 792 square foot building at the site for storage of materials the District Attorney’s office generates, but that must be kept by the county.

Supervisors also agreed to consider purchasing a large-file scanner with the capability of electronically storing much of the paperwork currently in physical form only.

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History recently told Panola County officials that some of its documents were not being properly stored because they are not kept in climate controlled rooms and are subjected to extreme temperatures and high humidity.

The county has used all the available space for storage in its current buildings, and has been renting several units at mini-storage businesses in Batesville.