By Rupert Howell

Panola Supervisors voted unanimously to allow the road department to prepare a roadside with partial embankments for 19 culverts to be placed at a development on Crouch and Henderson Road during Tuesday’s meeting in Sardis.

Developer Chad Tidwell told supervisors about starting the development, “Anything I do is going to put water in the county road. There’s actually water coming under the road right now.”

Tidwell appeared before supervisors prior to going to Panola County’s Land Use Commission which doesn’t meet until the following week on Monday, September 8 at the Batesville Courthouse at 6 p.m.

Road Manager Lygunnah Bean wanted no part of it unless supervisors instructed him to do the work, “. . . in writing.”

“Let’s be honest. I did a job in the Mt. Olivet area and they called the audit department on me,” Bean said.

“What we’re used to is a landowner developing the land and we come and put in the culverts. What we’re doing is developing the land. . . I want it clear with the board that y’all are authorizing me to do it,’’ Bean continued.

Board president and District Four supervisor Kelly Morris whose district encompasses the proposed development said, “If we don’t put culverts in right, we could wind up like Murphey Ridge Road with mud coming into the road.”

Further questioning revealed that rather than request for a minor neighborhood from the Land Commission, Tidwell will seek to put in 21 individual lots.

Code enforcement officer Chad Meek explained that the property owner would ask for a variance. Panola County regulations stipulate one and one-half acres in a minor subdivision where the state requires only one acre per lot on a individual lot.

“If you don’t like the way Panola County Land Commission rules, which you’re probably not, knowing them, what are you going to do then? “asked District Three supervisor John Thomas, who said he did not want to start a project and then it not go through.

Morris noted that the road needed ditching anyway.

Tidwell also told supervisors that there were no utilities to the proposed development.  The developer said he would have to bring a water line across another tract for Mt. Olivet Water Association to service the area.

“If he doesn’t get it (the variance), he’s coming back to you,” Meek stated concerning Thomas’ question about commission approval.

Land Commissions decisions are reviewable by Panola Supervisors who have appeal power and can overturn commission decisions and approve or disprove of recommendations.

That 10-member board is made of two members from each supervisor district appointed by the board of supervisors.

Following the unanimous vote Morris asked Bean, “Is that alright with you?”

“That’s fine with me, we’ll all go to jail together,” Bean replied.