Two area lawmakers are hopeful legislators will allocate at least $6 million for a new Mississippi Highway Patrol Troop G substation in Starkville during an expected special session after the Mississippi Legislature ended its 2017 regular session Wednesday with many budgetary items left hanging in the balance.
A second local request — a state-level infusion of $500,000 for Starkville Police Department upgrades — is unlikely at this point, as District 37 Rep. Gary Chism, R-Columbus, said the allocation remains a low-priority item for Gov. Phil Bryant and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves.
The regular session ended four days early with lawmakers not yet addressing budgets for Attorney General Jim Hood’s office and the Mississippi Department of Transportation. A Bryant-called special session this spring or summer is expected to address those issues and could also include financing options for infrastructure and construction projects, as well as a new formula for the state’s public school system.
Local representatives have sought a one-time allocation through the state’s annual bond bill for a new Troop G base of operations since the Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority donated a Cornerstone Park parcel to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety in 2013.
Troop G’s current headquarters, located at the intersection of Highway 182 and East Lee Boulevard, was last updated in the 1980s and has not received significant upgrades or renovations in the last rounds of statewide substation projects.
Local services
In addition to serving as the area’s MHP base of operations, the building also provides residents with driver’s license renewals and permits for firearms, among other services. Officials last year said a new substation could also offer commercial drivers’ licenses for the area.
Both Chism and District 38 Rep. Tyrone Ellis, D-Starkville, said they’ll continue advocating for the allotment once a special session convenes.
“What I’m getting from (House Ways and Means Chairman Jeff Smith, R-Columbus) is that he’s dead set on getting the station funded,” Ellis said. “Everyone has a new station, except us. Our station is one of the oldest in the state. It’s antiquated and is one of the smallest. I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but you can have lines of people standing outside and waiting (on busy days processing requests for driver’s licenses).”
“The MHP money could be there,” Chism added. “The governor sets the priorities for a bond bill, but he can’t limit us once we get in there and start hashing it out. We may still have a shot.”
SPD request unlikely to be filled
“Doubtful” and “still in the air” are how Chism and Ellis, respectfully, characterized Starkville’s chance to secure additional funding for its ongoing SPD renovations.
While the effort to establish the city’s former administrative home as SPD’s permanent base of operations is unaffected by lawmakers skipping over Starkville’s request, the influx of $500,000 in state-level funding would have added key security items — a sally port and installation of a secured wall around the facility’s parking lot — back to the plan and allowed workers to renovate the building’s former youth court space.
Both items were pulled from the renovation plans last year after bids came in over budget.
Mayor Parker Wiseman said Starkville’s incoming mayor and board of aldermen should consider taking the request back to Jackson next year if it fails to yield results in an upcoming special session.
“For the time being, we are disappointed. But there are a lot of other people around the state that are disappointed because nobody’s requests were granted this year,” he said. “These elements can be added back in the future at any time. It’s a good legislative request because that building is a Mississippi landmark.”
Last year, Starkville was unsuccessful in seeking $1.5 million from the state for the project.
Aldermen eventually tasked Weathers Construction Inc., of Columbus, with the $4.48 million project in August after the adjusted plan and rebidding process yielded a lower price tag.
The board previously authorized up to $5.4 million in bonds to pay for the project, fixtures, furnishings, fees for attorneys and bond writers and a $230,000 reimbursement to the city’s general fund, which covered a payment for architectural services.
A 1-mill tax increase championed by Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins will roll off the books once the project’s costs are fully satisfied.
SPD renovations are forecast to conclude in late May.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.