STARKVILLE — The city of Starkville will hold an information fair to promote its master plan ahead of a public referendum later this month.
The information fair is scheduled for 5-7 p.m. on Sept. 13 and will allow residents to tour the Starkville Police Department and City Hall, where many will get their first look at the deficiencies in each building, Mayor Parker Wiseman said.
The Starkville Board of Aldermen adopted a master plan on Aug. 9 and set a citywide referendum for Sept. 27 for a 3.49-mill tax increase to fund construction of an $8.45 million police station at the corner of Highway 182 and North Jackson Street.
Though the master plan didn”t encounter much opposition in two public hearings, the board has since launched a detailed website — www.cityofstarkville.org/masterplan — with a millage-rate calculator for homeowners. Should the referendum pass in September, the site will be the portal for updates on the progress for the police station and other developments with the master plan. The city would need a 60-percent yes vote to issue bonds for the project.
At the information fair, residents will be able to pick the brains of master plan architectural consultant Gary Shaffer and Starkville Main Street Association representatives.
“We”ll have all the different people involved in the development to set up booths and provide people with information,” Wiseman said. “We”ll have a computer there for people to use the millage calculator and have someone to help them with that.”
Parts of the police department where evidence is held have been threatened with sewage issues recently. Additionally, the police department workforce has outgrown the building and much of the free space has been used for offices or storage.
“Our inability to build a facility threatens the future of public safety,” Wiseman said. “Things are less than ideal there right now.”
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