Human Resource Agencies

Miss. Code Ann. tit. 17, ch. 15
in effect

Miss. Code Ann. § 17-15-1 Creation; declaration of intent.

The boards of supervisors and the municipal governing boards of the various counties and cities of the State of Mississippi are hereby empowered to create human resource agencies which may be comprised of one or more counties, cities, or any combination thereof. It is the express intention of this chapter that agencies created hereunder shall be operated under local governmental control and shall be responsible for administration of programs heretofore conducted by community action agencies, limited purpose agencies and related programs authorized by federal law.

Miss. Code Ann. § 17-15-3 Governing boards.

There shall be a governing board for each human resource agency so created, which shall be appointed by the board of supervisors or municipal governing authority of the county or city of which the human resource agency is comprised, which shall be comprised of not less than five (5) persons, a majority of whom shall constitute a quorum and the membership of which shall be broadly based and equitably distributed between providers and consumers of human resource services, and where more than one (1) county or city or combination thereof comprises such agency, there shall be representation from each of the counties or cities comprising the agency, to be appointed according to a plan to be adopted by the governing authorities thereof at the time of the creation of such agency. The term of the members of the governing board for each agency shall not exceed five (5) years, and the members shall be appointed on a staggered basis in a manner to be determined by the governing authority making the appointments.

Miss. Code Ann. § 17-15-5 Powers of governing board in general; appointment of executive director; bond.

The powers of the governing board of every human resource agency shall include the power to adopt bylaws, to appoint persons to senior staff positions including the appointment of an executive director, to determine major personnel, physical and program policy and approve overall program plans and priorities and to assure compliance with conditions of and approve proposals for financial assistance over this chapter. The executive director shall hold office at the will and pleasure of the governing board and his employment may be terminated at any time by a majority vote thereof and his salary shall be fixed by the board. The executive director shall give bond with sufficient surety, to be payable, conditioned and approved as provided by law and by the governing board, in a penalty equal to Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00), with the premiums thereon to be paid by the governing board from funds provided herein for administrative expenses.

Miss. Code Ann. § 17-15-7 General authority of human resource agency.

In order to carry out its overall responsibility for administering a human resource program, a human resource agency is hereby given the authority to own and dispose of property, both real and personal, and to receive and administer funds under this chapter, funds and contributions from private or local public sources which may be used in support of a human resource program, and funds under any federal or state assistance program pursuant to which such an agency organized in accordance with the provisions of this chapter could serve as grantee, contractor, or sponsor of projects appropriate for inclusion in a human resource program.

Miss. Code Ann. § 17-15-9 Audits.

Each governing board shall prepare an annual audit report of its activities through September 30 of each year and shall submit a copy thereof to each board of supervisors and municipal governing authority comprising the human resource agency. In addition, the financial records of each board shall be subject to audit by said boards of supervisors or municipal governing authorities and by the state auditor of public accounts.

Miss. Code Ann. § 17-15-11 Administrative expenses.

The board of supervisors of each county and the municipal governing authority of each municipality comprising a human resource agency may, in their discretion, set aside, appropriate and expend funds from the general fund or federal revenue sharing funds to defray the administrative expenses incurred in the operation of such human resource agency.

Starting a business in Mississippi? Mississippi LLC guide: costs and requirements