Call it a practice run: Starkville’s seven-member park advisory board canceled its Friday meeting after members learned city staff did not properly notice the gathering according to the Open Meetings Act.
The board was set to discuss Starkville Parks and Recreation’s internal structure and hierarchy as a city-run department, but those talks are now delayed until later this month.
Ward 4 Alderman Jason Walker, who serves as the board liaison to the group, confirmed the city was alerted to the meeting, but a state-mandated notice was not posted at either City Hall’s or the Sportsplex’s front doors before the 11 a.m. session.
Erring on the side of caution, advisory board member Sumner Davis advised the group to comply with the Open Meetings Act and wait to discuss topics at the May 20 meeting.
Instead of discussing the day’s agenda, the group had lunch together.
The Starkville Park and Recreation Advisory Board, comprised of Davis, Eric Hallberg, Dorothy Isaac, Jeffery Jefferson, Andrew Martin, Betty Robertson and Matthew Rye, was tasked by aldermen to deliver a July 1 report on park improvements after the board voted to take over the former autonomous Starkville Park Commission.
In their last meeting, the group outlined positive and negative characteristics of the park system. The members agreed the department has shortcomings with internal and external communication, accountability of its employees, fiscal responsibility and flexibility in work schedules, while it also suffers from a lack of planning, vision, leadership and networking.
The positives, board members said, include strong participation with nonsporting programs, the department’s ability to utilize 2 percent food and beverage tax receipts for capital improvements, resources available from the city and Mississippi State University, physical space and potential county revenue streams.
SPC’s finances became an election issue in 2013 when a report showed Parks grossly behind on its electric bill payments. Board turnover that year replaced four aldermen with enough Parks sympathizers to generate an almost-$100,000 funding increase for the department in the last fiscal year.
Despite the additional revenue, Parks continued to suffer financially.
Aldermen were forced to approve a $60,000 bailout after the independent board fell short of its yearly budget in September and could not meet payroll, retirement and bill payments.
Financial woes continued into this fiscal year as the department ran over budget.
Both SPC Chairman Dan Moreland and board member Wendell Gibson resigned from SPC at the end of 2014.
Isaac and Robertson are the only two advisory board members who served on SPC.
The advisory board will meet again 2:30 p.m. May 20.
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. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
