A request by the city of Columbus for Lowndes County supervisors to reconsider a decision to restructure the local E-911 board of directors has been denied.
At an April 15 meeting, county supervisors voted unanimously to change the make-up of the E-911 board. In the past, the E-911 board has been made up of seven members — five appointed by supervisors and two at-large positions. County supervisors voted last month to make it a nine-person board — five members chosen by each of the county’s five supervisors, as well as four non-voting members.
The non-voting members would serve advisory roles. They would include the Lowndes County sheriff, the Columbus police chief, the Columbus fire chief and the county emergency management director, or their designees.
A week later, at its regular meeting, the Columbus city council tabled a vote to approve the county’s plan for the new board. Councilmen asked County Administrator Ralph Billingsley to tell supervisors the city wanted two voting members on the board.
On Monday, supervisors voted to move forward with their plan.
“I think this is one of the better board situations we have,” said District 5 supervisor Leroy Brooks. “The non-voting members can provide invaluable advice and, to me, that’s just as important as having a vote. Let’s face it: Department heads have agendas and when they have a vote, they’re going to vote their interests…with this plan, we still have their insight without the agendas coming into play.”
Board president Harry Sanders made a motion not to reconsider. District 2 supervisor Bill Brigham seconded. Supervisors voted 4-0 not to comply with the city’s request to reconsider the changes to the E-911 board make-up.
District 4 supervisor Jeff Smith abstained, explaining that he felt it sent a bad message to citizens for the two bodies to act independently on matters that affect joint projects.
“My problem is, if there is a difference of opinion, there should be some discussion,” Smith sad. “My concern is that we should be able to come up with something that both of us can agree to. I also think this plan is a good plan, but I’m concerned that we don’t get together and talk about these things…that’s why I abstained.”
Brooks said he feared such disputes are becoming a trend and encouraged joint meetings when issues affecting both bodies emerge.
Beersheba Road railroad crossing
The board voted unanimously to support a call for installing flashing lights and safety devices at the Beersheba Road railroad crossing, located a mile east of New Hope Road.
John Lumsden, who has been urging to have safeties devices added to the crossing since his daughter died in a 1976 car-train collision at the crossing, said he hoped supervisors would use their influence in persuading the Mississippi Department of Transportation to install the safety measures.
“I think (MDOT) is basing their decisions on outdated information,” Lumsden told the supervisors Monday. “Back then, it was a gravel road and there wasn’t a lot of traffic. Now, it’s paved. Five school buses use that road every day and a lot of students use it as an alternate route to New Hope High School. A lot of people use it to get to the bypass. There’s a tremendous amount of traffic on that road…I just feel this is a very dangerous situation. We need your help.”
Supervisors agreed to send a letter to the MDOT director and MDOT commissioners urging safety precautions be added at the crossing. Supervisors also told Lumsden the county could add traffic control strips on the pavement near either side of the crossing. Supervisors also said they would ask MDOT to install equipment to determine the amount of traffic along the road.
World War I plaques to be relocated
The board also voted unanimously to take possession of two marble plaques honoring county residents who served in World War I and relocate them to the courthouse complex grounds.
The request was made by Alice Lancaster of the Regent Bernard Romans Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The plaques, originally installed at the Magnolia Bowl in 1933, were removed from the location prior to demolition work at the abandoned venue. They are currently stored on Columbus Municipal School District property pending the county’s decision to relocate the plaques. Billingsley was charged with working with the group to find a suitable location for the plaques.
The board also:
■ Granted a 10-year tax exemption for AkzoNobel (EKA Chemicals. Inc), in response to the company’s $7,250,000 renovation/expansion project;
■ Voted unanimously to re-appoint Chris Griffin as the District 2 representative on the E-911 board. No other candidate applied. Griffin’s new term ends in May 2019;
■ Announced it is accepting applications for the at-large position on the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau. That position is currently occupied by Rissa Lawrence and expires at the end of this month.
The supervisors’ next meeting will be May 15.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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