It has been nearly 14 months since Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman and the Board of Aldermen took office with plans to upgrade city infrastructure, improve residents’ quality of life and oversee the construction of a new, state-of-the-art municipal complex.
While some campaign goals have been easier to achieve than others, the city’s leaders this week looked back favorably on a first year which saw a little bit of everything, from controversy and public outcry over issues like Sunday alcohol sales, to the tedious tasks of updating local ordinances and the city’s lengthy comprehensive plan.
“I think it’s been a very good year,” Wiseman said. “We’ve got a board that’s developed a positive work culture and attitude, and they all desperately want to do what’s best for the city of Starkville.”
“Policy-making at the local level is never easy,” he added. “It often involves differences of opinion and a lot of passion over issues, but we’ve got a group of policy-makers that have grown to respect one another a great deal. I think their ability to engage each other in discussion, critically analyze issues and disagree agreeably has served the city very well.”
Looking back
Despite criticisms from Ward 7 resident Alvin Turner, who tells the board twice a month that it “hasn’t accomplished anything” except pass Sunday alcohol sales, aldermen have kept busy during their first year in office.
A hot topic during the 2009 election was the construction of a new municipal complex for the Starkville Police Department and/or City Hall. Wiseman says he has studied plans, almost daily, from previous efforts to build a new municipal complex and is hopeful the board can devise a concrete proposal to put on a ballot for voters to approve. The project most likely would be funded by a bond issue, Wiseman said.
The board’s goal is to oversee construction of a new municipal complex before the end of its term in 2013. Aldermen formed a committee this summer to pursue that goal and established a citizen’s committee Tuesday to study the feasibility of possible sites.
Controversy
Starkville’s city leaders also had to deal with their fair share of controversy.
The board’s decision to allow Sunday alcohol sales drew the most heated reaction from the community. Dozens of citizens and church leaders spoke out against Sunday sales on religious, moral and safety grounds. Since the board approved Sunday alcohol sales, however, DUI arrests on Sundays have not increased, Starkville Police Department Chief David Lindley said.
Another issue which drew public outcry was the passage of a safety helmet ordinance for riders of bicycles and other alternative forms of transportation. With claims of “too much government” and the loss of personal freedom, citizens packed public hearings in opposition to the ordinance. Dozens of Mississippi State University students also protested with a ride from campus through downtown Starkville, sans helmets.
Starkville police will begin enforcing the helmet ordinance in November, six months after it was passed, to give riders the chance to purchase helmets.
The board also dealt with controversy when it attempted to fill a vacant seat on the Starkville School District board of Trustees. The board initially appointed Susan Tomlinson, who is white, but Wiseman vetoed her selection in an attempt to create a school board with a racial makeup more consistent with the district’s student population. Tomlinson’s appointment would have left only one black school board member in a school district with a black student population totaling roughly 65 percent.
After the city re-advertised for the position, aldermen appointed Lee Brand Jr., who is black, which made the board 40 percent black and 60 percent white.
Doing work
Among other actions taken by aldermen in the first 14 months, the board passed amendments to its animal control ordinance, which limit the amount of time domesticated animals can remain chained up or tethered outdoors.
The board also created a Historic Preservation Commission, with the urging of Ward 4 Alderman Richard Corey, to help protect decades-old parts of the city; amended the city’s stormwater ordinance, thanks in part to the efforts of Ward 3 Alderman Eric Parker and Ward 2 Alderwoman Sandra Sistrunk, to clear up inconsistencies in language and enforcement; and worked together to adopt a strategic plan with goals and objectives for this administration.
Aldermen also began to hold regular meetings with officials from Oktibbeha County, Mississippi State University and the Greater Starkville Development Partnership to work together on local projects, like the repaving of Airport Road and construction of a new access road to George M. Bryan Field, among other initiatives.
“I think the board is off to a good start,” Sistrunk said. “I think we found the middle ground in some areas, like the stormwater ordinance, but, like I’ve said before, big ships turn slowly. We can make policy-type decisions, but action items that require money move slowly.”
“We’re making some changes,” she added. “There’s lots I’d like to see us get done. We’ve addressed some of the things we talked about during the campaign, but there’s still a lot more we want to accomplish.”
Down the road
Sistrunk said during her campaign she wanted to help preserve the city’s older homes and infrastructure, and improve accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists. With improvements to Reed Road, Hospital Road and other thoroughfares, coupled with new bicycle lanes and sidewalks throughout town, Sistrunk believes the board as a whole is making progress toward reaching those goals. Those infrastructure improvements came largely as a result of the previous Board of Aldermen and their authorization for the city to issue up to $6 million in bonds for work around town. The previous board issued the first $3 million and the current board issued the second $3 million in 2009, and is looking at other ways to improve city streets, drainage systems, sewer and water systems, and sidewalks.
The board also has long-term goals, like acquiring water systems and attracting more businesses to the Highway 25 bypass and Cornerstone Industrial Park, said Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver. He also sees infrastructure needs throughout the entire city, where homes have flooded due to poor drainage, streets have been marred by potholes and sidewalks have crumbled.
“We’re just trying to catch up with this crumbling infrastructure,” Carver said.
Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins routinely calls on the board to improve the city’s infrastructure. Earlier this year, Perkins pushed his fellow board members to OK improvements to a ditch on Carver Drive, although the city only has money to cover approximately 40 feet of ditch per year. Perkins also has vowed to vote against any tax increase or outside contributions this budget season.
Planning smart
Aldermen are working on updates to the city’s comprehensive plan, which will outline the direction the city takes in the next 15 to 20 years in regards to development and infrastructure. Ward 5 Alderman Jeremiah Dumas, who specializes in planning and sustainability as director of Mississippi State’s Environmental Collaborative Office, is spearheading the comprehensive plan improvements.
“I think we have a chance, now more than ever, to put in a framework that helps Starkville develop good,” Dumas said.
The first-term alderman said he has learned a lot since he became an elected official.
“From my perspective, the first year was an eye-opening experience to how insufficiently funded this community really is,” Dumas said. “Now that I’ve been through two budget cycles, it’s hard when we know, I know and I truly believe, that we need better regulations and better staff to provide these services to the community. It’s budgetary because we lack the staff and lack support, but also regulatory because we don’t have the thin
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 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.