The Lafayette County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a cooperation agreement between the county and Northeast Mississippi Electrical Power Association that will require the association to obtain proof of compliance with county codes before installing electrical power service.

NEMEPA has long been a provider of electricity in Lafayette County, but the new agreement will require them to obtain proof of compliance with county codes from prospective customers before they are allowed to install any services.

The association must ensure that prospective customers are in compliance with county building permit requirements, permanent power inspection requirements and on-site wastewater requirements.

In exchange, the county will grant NEMEPA use of the public right-of-way without charging any fees or bonds.

NEMEPA had already agreed to enforce the guidelines outlined in the agreement, but Director of Development Services Joel Hollowell said it was important to secure an agreement in writing and provide adequate compensation for NEMEPA’s services.

“They would help us by not providing temporary power unless they were compliant with our permitting guidelines and they’ve been very helpful in that regard,” Hollowell said. “They do this service for us and it’s very valuable. If you thought about how much time we had to be out policing areas to make sure these things were getting done without their help — it’s certainly an even exchange.”