A contract agreement between the Washington County Board of Supervisors and Hayes Dent Public Strategies, LLC came to a halt this week.
At Monday’s BOS meeting, County administrator Chelesa Carter informed the board of receipt of the agreement with Hayes Dent Public Strategies, LLC which requested signature of the board and review of board attorney Willie Griffin.
Griffin said although he reviewed the contract, he did not necessarily agree with it.
“I’m satisfied with the language, but I’m not making any recommendations on it at the moment,” Griffin said to the board.
At BOS Feb. 3 meeting, the board voted 3-2 for Dent, a Yazoo City native and former District 22 state senate candidate, to provide lobbying services for the county.
District 4 supervisor Mala Brooks made the motion to hire Dent at a salary of $50,000 for his services and District 5 supervisor Jerry Redmond seconded the motion with District 2 supervisor Tommy Benson casting the third vote.
At the Feb. 18 BOS meeting, the board received an invoice from Dent of roughly $4,100 for his services, which entail representing clients before state executive and legislative bodies as well as federal decision-makers on different issues, according to the company website.
The board did not approve to fulfill the payment request.
Griffin said he thinks there may have been a misunderstanding or miscommunication between the board and Mr. Dent as to when an initial payment would be solicited.
”I think he was under the impression the contract would be approved on Feb. 3, but it wasn’t,” Griffin explained.
Carter said Dent did not send the contract, which is month to month, until after Feb. 3.
District 1 supervisor Lee Gordon reaffirmed his opposition as it pertains to hiring Dent by pointing out the county is already over budget.
“This is a non-budgeted cost so if you make that motion, that’s just adding to that balance. We are already halfway in the year (fiscal) over budget and it has not been like that in the recent past,” Gordon said.
Brooks made another motion for the board to approve the contract but it failed due to lack of a second.
On hiring Dent she said, “If we want to be effective and bring more resources back to our region, then we have to have someone at the table speaking on behalf of Washington County on a federal and state level.”
Griffin recommended the matter be discussed in executive session seeing as to how it was approved by the board on Feb. 3
