Lincoln County supervisors are considering the county’sfinancial obligations should the city decide to move out of thegovernment complex and into a new city hall.

Chancery Clerk Tillmon Bishop told the board Monday that he hasbeen receiving inquiries from city officials about cityexpenditures at the government complex and how much the countywould have to pay for the city’s space in the event of a move.

“We need to be prepared to respond to the requests,” Bishopsaid.

After looking at the contract from when the government complexwas built around 1980, Bishop said the cost to the county to buyout the city would be $234,000 plus 6 percent interest for eachyear of city occupancy or 20 percent of the complex’s appraisedvalue, whichever is less. The 6 percent interest is not compoundedand would amount to about $14,000 a year, county officialssaid.

At their last board meeting, city aldermen approved Mayor BillGodbold’s request to have architect Michael Barranco begins plansfor a new city hall and parking complex, which would be built onland across from the government complex near First Baptist Church.Barranco is on the agenda to speak to the mayor and board duringTuesday night’s meeting.

During Monday’s board discussion, officials pointed out thatcity residents are also county residents. The indication was thatcity residents would be helping to “buy out” the city’s space inthe government complex.

“I imagine there’s going to be a lot said about building a newbuilding before it’s passed,” said Bob Allen, board of supervisorsattorney.

County Engineer Carl Ray Furr, who is also the city’s engineer,explained that Barranco has only been asked to develop a”conceptual drawing” for a new city hall. When questioned bysupervisors, Furr estimated a new city hall would be a long-termproject that could take several years.

“It’s going to cost a bundle of money to build a new city hall,”Furr said.

In other business Monday, supervisors approved a resolution toborrow $300,000 from Jefferson County’s share of state Local SystemBridge Program (LSBP) funds to replace a Smith Lake Road bridgethat has been closed since March.

“This is the most critical bridge we’ve got left in closedcondition,” Furr said.

Furr said the estimated cost to replace the Smith Lake bridge is$115,000. He said the county will borrow a little extra fromJefferson County, which has not used its LSBP funds, to pursueother bridge projects.

“We’ll get their money and pay it back when we get our firstallocation,” Furr said about Lincoln County’s LSBP funding, whichis expected in January 2004.

Also Monday, public transit consultant Louise Bradford and NateWaterman, owner of Waterman Charter Services, spoke to the boardabout developing a park and ride system in Lincoln County.Bradford, formerly with the Mississippi Department ofTransportation (MDOT), said Lincoln County currently does not havesuch a system.

Bradford said she and Waterman are pursuing state and federalgrants to develop the system. She said MDOT funding is available onan 80 percent state-20 percent local match basis.

“We’re talking about taking people shopping… takingindividuals to the doctor’s office… to jobs… things that willimprove the economy,” said Bradford, who also mentioned thepossibility of a bus service for workers from Lincoln County to theNissan plant in Canton.

Furr said a public transit service is being considered inconjunction with the city’s plans for Multi-Modal TransportationFacility.

“It is being looked at as we speak,” Furr said.

Supervisors took Bradford’s and Waterman’s proposal underadvisement.