Oktibbeha County Engineer addresses allegations made by some supervisors

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- The Oktibbeha County Engineer is clearing up confusion after Monday’s decision by the Board of Supervisors to get the Attorney General’s opinion on how he’s doing work for the county.

Clyde Pritchard denies allegations by some supervisors who claim he’s going against required guidelines form the Mississippi Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Surveyors.

Pritchard tells WCBI he’s appointed by the board as a consultant. He’s not a county employee and not on the payroll.

He adds the board comes to him with a project and asks him to design a plan that is then sent for approval by another agency like MDEQ, for example. Once that’s approved bids are sent out then the board approves who does the project.

“Two takeaways, one there is no double dipping here. We’re not approving our own work at all. By and large any fees we charge on a project are already set by the state as a percentage of the contract and also we don’t operate without a board approval authorizing us to go forward,” said Pritchard.

There’s no exact timetable on how long it’ll take to get the AG’s opinion however it’s not expected to take long.