Starkville’s takeover of its parks system appears unavoidable, but the department remains independent of the city for now as aldermen decide how to reform its soon-to-be advisory board.
Aldermen tabled discussions on the takeover last week after questions legal questions about Starkville Parks Commission — how reducing or increasing the number of board members would impact term limits, specifically — emerged as the board discussed creating a task force of residents to address issues within the department.
Ward 4 Alderman Jason Walker initially offered a motion to initiate the takeover and set SPC terms to three years, but he withdrew the resolution after board attorney Chris Latimer advised aldermen to first decide how many members should comprise the soon-to-be advisory board.
SPC is currently comprised of seven members that represent each of Starkville’s wards. Each member is appointed by aldermen, and a term lasts seven years. Latimer cited state code at the table that calls for terms to last as many years as there are board members, but he also said there were no attorney general opinions on reducing term lengths without a corresponding reduction in board members.
Aldermen will again discuss the matter and the possible creation of a taskforce to identify short-term goals and long-term plans during a recess meeting Thursday at Renasant Bank.
The board is expected to create a task force of Parks stakeholders as numerous internal problems have emerged.
Specifically, Walker and Ward 3 Alderman David Little took issue with a variety of shortcomings — the lack of functioning lights, large holes at the fields and volunteers who were forced to clean bathrooms during tournaments — during Tuesday’s meeting.
Andrew Martin, a Ward 3 resident and Starkville Soccer Association representative, asked the board to fill the expected task force with stakeholders who, unlike SPC members, have children who use the park system and will see infrastructure issues.
“Dealing with the park commission has been somewhat of a nightmare over the past couple of years. One of the biggest problem is that nobody on the commission, up until this year, has had a kid playing (sports). I think being plugged in (will allow members to see) exposed wires, holes in the ground and all the problems that exist at the parks,” he said. “Members of the commission don’t see that because they’re not out there every day.”
Little thanked city employees who replaced numerous lightbulbs as sports tournaments were held the prior weekend. The inability to address “straightforward and simple” issues, he said, underscores larger problems with Parks.
“(A takeover) is really important to me. We have to do this right,” Little said. “(Parks) is the face of the city. If folks come in from Madison, (the inability to have working lights) is what they see.”
“If we want to compete with the Tupelos, Oxfords, Madisons and Ridgelands, we’re going to have to have serious upgrades,” Walker added. “It can be frustrating to see what (similar-sized communities with better maintenance and upkeep programs) have and we don’t.”
A Parks takeover requires aldermen to amend city code and make the now-autonomous SPC an advisory board.
Once the board approves the tabled resolution, Parks will become a city-controlled department 30 days after its passage.
SPC, however, will only become fully advisory on July 1 due to state law. Currently, Starkville’s 2 percent food and beverage tax legislation states the Parks board is responsible for approving improvement expenses.
Since the law is scheduled to roll off the books July 1, state Rep. Tyrone Ellis, D-Starkville, is expected to file a new 2 percent bill with the House Local and Private Committee.
Currently, tax revenues are divided between Parks (40 percent), Mississippi State University student groups (20 percent), Oktibbeha County Economic Development Authority (15 percent) and Starkville Convention and Visitors Bureau (15 percent). The remainder, 10 percent, returns to the city.
Aldermen have forecasted an immediate cost-savings by taking over Parks. Ward 5 Alderman Scott Maynard previously said Starkville could save a combined $20,000-$30,000 annually by eliminating redundant legal and auditing services.
Due diligence studies involving employment levels, maintenance scheduling and money-saving capital improvement projects are expected.
Once a takeover is approved, Parks’ financial issues become city budgetary matters, rather than an appropriation process. Such a change will give aldermen specific line-item control of expenses not associated with the 2 percent capital improvements fund. However, the city is expected to control those expenditures after July 1.
Parks became a 2013 municipal election issue when showed it was grossly behind on its electric bill payments and outlined that SPC Chairman Dan Moreland issued an unauthorized cashier’s check to cover capital improvements’ costs.
Its financial situation became a lightning rod at the board table as several board Democrats pushed for a takeover shortly before that year’s mayoral election.
Wiseman would go on to beat Moreland, but the two and their respective supporters would spar over finances into the new term.
Board turnover that election cycle replaced a Republican and three takeover-backing Democrats with enough Moreland-Parks sympathizers to generate an almost-$100,000 funding increase for the department in the last fiscal year.
Despite the increase, Parks continued to suffer financially.
Aldermen were forced to approve a $60,000 bailout after Parks fell short of its yearly budget in September and could not meet payroll, retirement and bill payments.
Financial woes continued into the new fiscal year as Parks ran over budget in October.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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