The Starkville Board of Alderman Tuesday faced a couple of delicate matters associated with the city’s continued growth – downtown parking and redistricting.
Jennifer Gregory of the Starkville Main Street Association appealed to the Aldermen to direct the Starkville Police Department to enforce a two-hour parking ordinance she said has not been enforced in years and presented suggestions to alleviate parking problems in a two-block section along Main Street.
“There’s not a single vacant storefront in that area,” Gregory told the Board of Aldermen. “We have more customers, more shopping and sales tax revenue reflects some of that. That’s a good thing, obviously. But with the growth, the issue of parking has grown, too. We have two-hour parking sings, but it isn’t being enforced. We’re asking the board for assistance with enforcement.”
It’s not a new issue, noted Ward 6 Alderman Roy Perkins.
“We’ve had this discussion over the years,” he said. “When you start backing enforcement there are going to be a lot of complaints. I think you have to be very careful on this issue. You either have no enforcement or strict enforcement, without exception. I don’t see us getting any more parking spaces, but I don’t think strict enforcement will be what the citizens want. Sometimes, it’s best to leave some stuff alone.”
Starkville Police Department Chief David Lindley said enforcing the two-hour parking ordinance would essentially mean adding a full-time employee.
“Right now, we’re down about 10 percent in manpower from what we should be,” Lindley said. “We’re basically a skeleton force right now, but if you want to do this and you give us the resources to do it, we’ll enforce it.”
Lindley noted other issues clouding the matter.
“In the past, we’ve had some problems with collections,” he said, explaining the difficulty of determining the driver of a ticketed car. “And you can’t prosecute a car. The only remedy to that is a tow or a wheel-lock. But do you really want to do that? All I would tell the board is to be careful what you ask for.”
Those issues, Gregory noted, have been discussed among the merchants who belong to the Starkville Main Street Association. Of 75 tenants in the area, 50 belong to the group.
“We’re just looking for solutions and we want the Board to help us address this issue and consider the options we are presenting,” Gregory said. “It’s been an issue for a long time. It’s going to continue to be an issue. We need to work together with the city and the police to find a solution. We believe enforcement is a part of that and we are willing to help with the cost associated with it.”
Redistricting
The Aldermen also considered federally-mandated redistricting.
Toby Sanford of the Golden Triangle Planning & Development District presented the third version of the re-districting plan.
Federal law mandates counties and cities, which have had a population growth of 10 percent or more according to the latest U.S. Census, must develop a redistricting plan. Of the seven counties Sanford serves, Starkville was the only city whose growth dictates re-districting.
The latest version raised questions about what would happen if the redistricting created a situation where some wards had more representation on commissions and committees than others.
Ward 2 Alderman Sandra Sistrunk wondered if the new plan would break up historic districts, while Ward 5 Alderman Jeremiah Dumas asked if the latest plan would take into account voting strength in an equitable way, especially since some wards have a higher student population than others. Students typically are more transient and are less likely to vote than other demographic groups.
The Aldermen will hold a public hearing on the redistricting plans on May 15. Residents will have an opportunity to review the three plans submitted by the GTPDD or bring their own suggestions, Mayor Parker Wiseman noted.
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