By Rupert Howell
Panola County Land Use Commissioners granted a variance for setbacks for a house and pole-shed with solar collectors mounted on the roof during January’s meeting Monday night in Batesville.

At the end of the meeting commissioners discussed ways of streamlining or simplifying the system so that similar occurances won’t be repeated although commission director Michael Purdy and Health Officer Field Dew noted that setback issues were rare since the commission’s inception in 1999.

At least part of the problem arose from Cecil Ingram’s uniquely shaped lot at the bisection of Central Academy Road and Highway 315S in southeastern Panola County.

The road wraps around and fronts both the north and west sides of the triangle shaped lot while Highway 315 fronts the east side.

Ingram has already built the pole shed with solar collectors next to the property line and had started pouring footings for a home when officials had the work stopped.

Purdy explained that a letter had been given to the sheriff’s department for delivery informing Ingram to cease construction, but the letter was not delivered in a timely fashion and two to three weeks passed before it was learned the letter had yet to be delivered.

By then work had begun on the foundation of Ingram’s house.

Ingram accused Purdy and Dew of not informing him of proper procedure and they responded accusing Ingram of not listening to what they were saying.

Commissioners added a fence surrounding the property as stipulation to granting the variance.
Commissioners also approved two cell tower sites for AT&T, one near Courtland on McNeely Road and the other east of Como on Highway 310, during Monday night’s meeting.

Attorney Andy Rotenstreich said he represented both AT&T and landowners and said that AT&T was undergoing, “. . . a huge build plan in Mississippi and Alabama—bigger than I’ve ever seen.”
The two local towers are to assist with “coverage issues,” in Batesville and Courtland Rotenstreich said noting that some Courtland and Pope area residents were getting weak signals and some Batesville area customers could not receive signals inside buildings.

The Como tower will be positioned east of Como on Highway 310 and cover “gaps toward Lafayette County,” Rotenstreich said.

Supervisor board president Kelly Morris attended last Monday’s commission meeting and asked the attorney if the county might be able to use space on the new tower sites if needed.

Rotenstreich quickly answered that although he had no authority to offer space on the towers, it was done regularly and that he would give Morris the name and number of the proper person to contact the following day.

Prior to the meeting’s end, Purdy reported that permits were issued for four new homes, one existing home, seven new mobile homes and three existing mobile homes.

The Land Use Commission meets on the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m. alternating between courthouses in Batesville and Sardis. The February meeting is scheduled for February 11 in Sardis.