STARKVILLE — The fate of the Highlands Plantation resort community outside of Starkville hasn”t been decided just yet.
Although the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors voted last month to ask the State Tax Commission to revoke the community”s resort status, the board on Monday decided to continue the resolution until it investigates the situation further.
Attorney John Brunini came before the board Monday as a representative of Highlands Plantation and presented a new resolution that would ask the State Tax Commission to revoke the resort status on homes in the community, but would allow Cowbells Sports Grill to retain its resort status. The board agreed to contact Oktibbeha Sheriff Dolph Bryan to hear his thoughts on the new resolution before it sends the April resolution to the State Tax Commission.
Highlands Plantation features more than 300 homes, plus Cowbells Sports Grill and a golf course. The golf course been closed since winter and is now for sale, but Cowbells is open for business.
Bryan has pushed in recent months for the county to ask the state to revoke Highlands Plantation”s resort status because of what he calls “dangerous” drinking practices among some of the Mississippi State University students who live on the property and among patrons of Cowbells.
Highlands Plantation is located in Oktibbeha County, where the possession and sale of beer outside of Starkville city limits is illegal. Because Highlands Plantation has resort status, however, people who live there can possess beer and Cowbells can sell it.
Without resort status, the possession and sale of beer would be illegal in Highlands Plantation. Residents would still be allowed to possess liquor and wine, but not beer. And Cowbells wouldn”t be allowed to sell any alcohol.
Bryan was not at the meeting Monday and couldn”t be reached to comment on Brunini”s newly proposed resolution.
But supervisors and representatives of Highlands Plantation were pleased with the compromise.
One of Bryan”s biggest gripes with the community has been the excessive drinking going on at homes and in yards as opposed to inside of Cowbells, he admitted at a recent board meeting.
Oktibbeha Sheriff”s Department Chief Deputy George Carrithers was at the meeting Monday and echoed Bryan”s concerns.
“The sheriff said the problem out there is the homes,” Carrithers said.
Brunini urged the board not to punish the owners of Cowbells.
“In our opinion, this (new resolution) satisfies the sheriff”s concerns, and it also preserves a legitimate Oktibbeha County business,” Brunini said.
The Highlands Plantation Homeowners” Association is willing to “join in” and support a request by the Board of Supervisors for the Tax Commission to revoke the resort status on homes in the community, but not on Cowbells, Brunini said.
“What they”re willing to do here is they”re willing to concede that the sheriff has a legitimate point and they”re willing to satisfy his concerns if it means the legitimate business can preserve their resort status and get to retain their ability to do business in the county,” Brunini said.
Brunini warned of what could happen if the State Tax Commission does revoke the resort status on the entire Highlands Plantation community, including Cowbells.
“If that (original) resolution is taken by the State Tax Commission and a hearing is granted on that and the resort status is revoked, it will without question cause Cowbells to go out of business,” Brunini said. “We don”t believe that”s necessary because that”s not the sheriff”s primary concern.”
Supervisors agreed with Brunini”s assessment and said they were only trying to act within the best interests of county residents by addressing the sheriff”s safety concerns. Bryan had warned of young people being drunk in public and driving while under the influence.
“If the sheriff agrees with this (new resolution), I think the board would go ahead and agree with this,” District 1 Supervisor Carl Clardy said. “We”re just looking out for the safety of our people.”
Bryan, who has been in circuit court this week, could not be reached for comment.
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