Coahoma County has a new administrator to handle the day to day operations of the county and serve the Board of Supervisors.
Charles Buchanan began work at his new office at the Courthouse at 8 a.m. Monday, March 25. Buchanan is the county’s fourth administrator in four years.
Buchanan retired as the Director, Finance & Administration at Delta Regional Authority (DRA) in December and worked with approximately 30 employees and helped prepare a budget of over $200 million. Coahoma County has a budget of approximately $24 million.
Prior to that he was a Certified Public Accountant for 25 years. He is a graduate of Mississippi Valley State and lives in Marks.
“I will be looking to hire quality personnel,” said Buchanan. “There has to be change in the way business is done in the finance department.”
Coahoma County was cited for a whopping 11 “findings” of state accounting mismanagement in their last audit. Some of those findings were repeat offenses. Not all of them were under the purview of the County Administrator.
Buchanan was hired unanimously on a motion by Dist. 5 Supervisor Will Young and a second by Dist. 4 Supervisor Jesse Harris.
“His accounting ability and the fact he worked for DRA shows he understands how government works,” said Board President and Dist. 2 Supervisor Pat Davis. “He has not worked for county government, but I think he has the ability to be our county administrator.
State law says the person employed as county administrator must hold at least a bachelor's degree and have knowledgeable experience in any of the following fields: work projection, budget planning, accounting, purchasing, cost control, personnel management and road construction procedures.
The county administrator executes the policies determined by the board of supervisors, handles personnel issues and is traditionally the first point of contact between public and supervisors. The county administrator also creates the county’s budget, as directed by supervisors and works with contractors, vendors and professional services hired by the board.
Buchanan’s hiring was not without concerns.
The board went into executive session for 40-minutes Wednesday “for personnel matter” related to Buchanan’s personnel management proposal.
Dist. 3 Supervisor Darrell Washington said he wanted to know details of what personnel changes might be made. The board also included Chancery Clerk Sherita Wilson, Purchase Clerk Sharde Smith and Road Manager Otis Griffin.
Supervisors hired a consulting firm out of New York State to conduct a nationwide search to fill the County Administrator’s spot which has been vacant for eight months.
The vacancy was prompted by the resignation of Kimberlyn Seals last fall after holding the job right at a year. Seals had gotten the county’s top management post after Ann Hoskins was terminated in 2022. Hoskins was named to the post in July 2021 after Morgan Wood was terminated earlier that year.
Wood sued the county for discrimination and her suit was settled recently with the county’s insurance covering the cost and the county only out $5,000 for back pay. Seals is also suing the county and has hired attorney Carlos Moore, the former City of Clarksdale Municipal Judge to pursue her suit.
The most recent change occurred this summer as Seals resigned just weeks before the county was scheduled to adopt it annual multi-million dollar budget. Consultant Daniel Vassel, who was once county administrator, stepped in and created a budget in the space of a few weeks. Former comptroller Donna McPherson was also hired as a consultant to clear up the county’s books.
Seals was initially listed on medical leave and then tendered her resignation with a letter in August. Shortly after that she filed suit in Coahoma County Circuit Court saying she had been “cyber-stalked,” harassed and defamed by Dist. 3 Supervisor Derrell Washington.
That suit was dismissed Oct. 11, by Circuit Court Judge Charlie Webster on the grounds that Washington communicated via social media with a third party and not with Seals. The court also said, while Washington spoke about Seals, he did not direct his comments at Seals. Webster’s ruling also points out Washington did not threaten Seals with physical injury.
Washington was never charged with a crime.
Hoskins was the county’s comptroller prior to assuming the county administrator’s job. She was dismissed on a 5-0 vote after concerns were raised about how much she was paid after taking on the county administrator’s post in addition to the comptroller’s duties.
The county did not pay Hoskins her last check as they seek to balance out their concerns.
The State Audit Department allegedly looked into the incident but has not reported back to the county about what it did or did not find.
In Other Business:
• The board voted to terminate one contracts and look at changes to another contract made by the previous board. State law allows a new board of supervisors to void contracts made by the previous board by a simple majority vote.
Young made the motion to terminate the county’s contract with Rock Island Railroad for storage of railcars in Coahoma County. Rock Island has not paid the county since September. Rock Island will be given 90-days before new bids for railcar storage are taken.
Young also made the motion to terminate the county’s contract with Allimac Computers, but the motion died for lack of a second.
• The county met with architects from Pryor & Morrow to discuss costs to install a chiller at the Courthouse. The project has an estimated cost of $500,000 and supervisors are pressed to get the work done by summer. The county voted to contract with Pryor & Morrow and start the process.
• On a motion by Washington the board approved a resolution for Myrtis Washington-Harris, a former teacher and member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.
• The board changed their purchasing policy to allow purchases of up to $5,000 without a competitive bid. The limit had been $3,000.
• The county paid an invoice of $4,000 from Oasis Sod Farm for sod placed on the Old Jail site downtown.
