State lawmakers are again taking a shot at a bond bill to fund a new Mississippi Highway Patrol station in Starkville.
Three bills working their way through the Mississippi Legislature call for $6 million in one-time proceeds that, if approved, would construct and furnish the new facility in Cornerstone Park.
The legislation — HB 376, HB 417 and SB 2060 — all cap the bond issuance at a $6 million and would spread debt relief across 25 years.
HB 376 was filed by state Rep. Jeff Smith, R-Columbus, and was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee, which he chairs. HB 417, a duplicate bill penned by state Rep. Tyrone Ellis, D-Starkville, was also referred to the same committee.
Ellis said he’s expects the bond bill to move through the House, but its Senate passage could be tricky.
“If we can have a good meeting with (Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves), we can make it. He killed (last year’s efforts) because Republicans didn’t want a lot of bond bills coming out,” Ellis said. “It’s really needed. Every other MHP station has been updated in the past years. Ours hasn’t and is the most overcrowded. I’ve seen lines of people standing outside waiting to get licenses because the building can’t support the crowd.”
The Senate version, SB 2060, as filed by state Sen. Joey Fillingane, R-Sumrall, was referred last month to that chamber’s finance committee. Like Smith, Fillingane chairs the Senate group.
Similar funding efforts stalled last year in the Legislature.
MHP Troop G’s headquarters, which is located at the intersection of Highway 182 and East Lee Boulevard, was last updated in the 1980s and is the last troop headquarters to receive an upgrade in the state.
In addition to serving as the area’s MHP base of operations, Troop G also provides residents with driver’s license renewals and permits for firearms, among other services. Troop spokesman Sgt. Criss Turnipseed said a new facility could also provide commercial driver’s licenses.
“We’re optimistic we can get the funding, but there’s a push to build this and another Department of Public Safety headquarters. There’s a feeling we’re not going to be able to do both in one year, but I’ve been told the (Troop G) substation is a priority,” he said.
Although designs are not yet prepared, Turnipseed said construction should follow recent MHP building projects across the state.
The Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority donated a Cornerstone parcel to MHP in 2013 after its president, Jack Wallace, told The Dispatch MSU was interested in using the land on which the current Troop G headquarters is located.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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