A Starkville alderman seized on a seemingly routine point of business Tuesday to make a point about expenditures.
The most contentious point of the board of aldermen”s second March meeting was Ward 7 Alderman Henry Vaughn”s questioning the need for a capital improvement plan. An item on Tuesday”s agenda sought the board”s approval to advertise a request for proposals from planning and engineering firms.
Vaughn pointed to a number of recent “high dollar positions we”re hiring” to bolster his assertion the board had become too frivolous in its spending policies.
“It seems it”s just what the board wants, and not what the people ask for,” said Vaughn.
Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins took the opportunity to ask why a new capital improvement plan was being considered when the board adopted a plan last term.
Mayor Parker Wiseman explained that the current capital improvement plan is not comprehensive and stated an included list of possible issues to address — with which Vaughn took issue — was merely to illustrate the type of projects which could fall under a new plan.
Building on Ward 4 Alderman Richard Corey”s insistence that the aims of the new plan include completion of city services to annexed areas, Perkins stated the need for years-overdue work on Maple Drive, Carver Drive and South Montgomery Street, but pledged his support to the motion.
The motion passed unanimously after Wiseman stated the city engineer would update the board on the existing capital improvement plan at its April meeting.
Vaughn again voiced his displeasure with the city”s spending habits during the next vote, joining Perkins in opposing the expenditure of $5,100 toward a forthcoming charrette. The charrette is sponsored by the Starkville Main Street Association, which was budgeted $12,500 by the board last year.
The perpetually revised sidewalk ordinance made no waves as a second public hearing on a variance process came and went with only one citizen comment. Revisions to the variance process will receive one more public hearing at the April meeting before going to a vote.
The first public hearing on a sign ordinance which seeks to eliminate pole-mounted business signs from the city over the next 10 years was even shorter with no citizen comments.
In other business the board:
· Appointed Molly Howard to a term on the city”s Commission on Disability and appointed P.C. McLaurin to the Solid Waste and Recycling Committee.
Ward 3 Alderman Eric Parker moved to keep the nomination process for a spot on the Transportation Committee open until March 31, which Ward 2 Alderman Sandra Sistrunk protested on the grounds that it set a “dangerous precedent” of delaying appointments because the board “doesn”t like the candidates who applied.”
Parker”s motion passed 4-2 with Sistrunk and Corey opposing.
· Passed a resolution opposing the state House of Representatives” reapportionment plan, which would split Starkville into four representative districts.
· Voted unanimously to rename a portion of the Highway 82 bypass in Starkville as Jack Cristil Highway.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.