Starkville”s Board of Aldermen hopes to adopt the facilities master plan and move forward with planning for the $8.4 million police station during a special called meeting tonight at City Hall.
Mayor Parker Wiseman announced the meeting Monday during the Okitbbeha County Economic Development Authority meeting at the Greater Starkville Development Partnership building downtown.
The board tabled the master plan at its regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 2 due to the interpretation of the property tax changes between Phase 1, which will add 3.49 mills to the current rate of 20 mills, and Phase 2, which will add 2.46 mills.
Then, Ward 5 Alderman Jeremiah Dumas, said there weren”t any issues with the rates but wondered what the actual impact would be on various home values. Basically, the master plan just needed to be revised.
The second action will be to move forward with holding a referendum of the issuance of bonds for Phase 1 of the project on Sept. 27.
Phase 1 would begin in 2012 while Phase 2, which includes an annex and renovation of City Hall, would begin in 2014.
Wiseman pointed to the lack of a crime lab, no separation between report and booking rooms and no secure parking as reasons to get the ball rolling for a new police station.
“I think this is a very important project for city government but for the city as a whole,” Wiseman said. “We”re not doing the bare minimum for public safety.”
His most significant point to the OCEDA board was the irony of City Hall not meeting Americans for Disability standards nor building or fire codes.
Bike rally woes
Sturgis Mayor Walter Turner is throwing all he has at helping the Red Hills Rally (formerly Sturgis South) continue this year.
He was the key negotiating link between the rally board and the Sturgis Board of Aldermen, providing a proposal that would have satisfied the rally board”s slim offer of $7,500. He”s at the center of fundraising efforts around town, especially restaurants and hotels that will be affected by the cancellation of the annual rally, scheduled for Oct. 7-9.
“There”s figures out saying Starkville brings in $2 million during rally,” Turner said, noting most of that comes from the bikers themselves; as many as 15,000 a year attend the rally. Turner noted the incredibly low number of bikers who don”t pre-register and don”t buy $35 wrist bands to enter the concerts, which this year will be $80,000 of the rally budget. Turner said the rally board has about $20,000 of that.
“Two of the last 30 years, (the rally board) had to take 30 percent out of their savings to give to charity,” Turner said. “Then, they didn”t have the 30 percent to give to the city. Bikers have been getting a free ride for years. Outside of buying from vendors, they haven”t contributed a dime to actual rally itself.”
This year”s charity is Oktibbeha-Starkville Emergency Response Volunteer Services.
In other business, the board:
- Approved the minutes of May, June and July meetings.
- Reported increased cash flow by $4,016 in July for a new balance of $904,649.62.
- Announced two new leases at the research park: One to the Social Science Research Center for an 815 square-foot space and 150 square-foot shared space for a new lab; the other a 24-month lease with Renasant Bank for a 3,955 square-foot space and 150 square-foot shared space.
- Announced the appointment of Jack Wallace, Bobby McClelland and John Campbell to the OCEDA budget committee. Additionally, Campbell, Tommy Perkins and Walter Turner will be on the nominating committee for new officers, which will include president, vice president and secretary of treasury.
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