After only one meeting under their belts, newly elected Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors President Orlando Trainer says his peers will soon face “a unique opportunity” that could generate revenue for the county.
Without elaborating fully on the project, Trainer told supervisors he placed information on the proposal in their agenda packets Monday. Supervisors declined to comment on the nature of that information.
Trainer, however, did say after the meeting he was approached about a recreational possibility before the new year.
“With the new board coming in and with the holidays, it wasn’t a good time to get off in the weeds on it. It’s not about the hospital, but it could have a large magnitude and is exciting. It’s more recreational, and I guess it could be economic development,” he said following Monday’s meeting. “It’s going to have to be discussed publicly. It’s one of those things where people come to us with opportunities all the time. Everything has to be properly vetted and go through the proper processes. I told the people involved you have to be patient.”
With this project and others, Trainer said to fellow board members, it will take a group consensus to move Oktibbeha County forward this term.
“Whatever direction we take with the things we want to sit down and accomplish, we need to have a meeting of the minds as quick as we can, be on the same page, lay some things out there and work with things,” he said. “Four years isn’t that long of a period of time.”
Howard calls for race relations committee
District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard called upon the board to form a permanent race relations committee this year.
No action was taken on the matter, but Howard said the group could be comprised of Unity Park Committee members.
“Most members expressed they’d be more than willing to serve,” he said.
Howard was brief with his call. It is not known in what capacity the group would serve or how it would work with other county agencies.
He also called upon fellow board members to use studies the county has already paid for — its comprehensive plan and an employee efficiency study, specifically — to help set and meet goals this term.
“We have tons of challenges ahead of us,” he said.
Montgomery: Keep an open mind
While he didn’t outline specific goals for the year, District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery asked his peers to keep an open mind with ideas and be supportive of growing Oktibbeha County’s tax base.
The second-term supervisor said outsider confidence in the county is growing, and he hopes supervisors “keep the ball rolling in the right direction.”
“Let’s build on what we’ve done, keep an open mind and work together. It’s the benefit of all, not the benefit of me or Supervisor Howard. If I bring an idea to the table, Supervisor Williams might make it better. Keep an open mind that your idea could change somewhat (when presented at the table),” he said. “If it has legs, it runs. If it doesn’t, it dies. After that, move on to the next issue. Let’s keep positive and remember it’s not about what we want. It’s about what the people out there expect from us.”
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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