OKTIBBEHA COUNTY — Representatives from Oktibbeha County’s lobbying firm recommend strategy and a quick pace in selecting what county projects should be prioritized during this year’s legislative session.
Austin Barbour and Rance Bilbo, both of the Clearwater Group, addressed the board at its regular meeting Tuesday. On the same day, in Jackson, the state legislature convened for its 2024 session.
Barbour suggested the supervisors come together and select a narrow list of projects for his group to lobby for.
“I think what we should do is we should try to be strategic,” he said. “We should have a couple of projects that we go and fight for. Just in case one is not viewed as popular as we would like, we have another one we can fall back on. Maybe we get a bit of good luck and we get money for both projects.”
The new legislative session comes with a new speaker of the House as state Rep. Jason White replaces the retiring Philip Gunn. Despite the change in leadership, Barbour said he expects White to be “very supportive of Oktibbeha County and what your priorities are.”
Instead, one factor Barbour said may play a role is a tightening of the legislature’s willingness to spend money. The general fund, he said, “is not in as good a situation financially as (it has) been the last couple of years with so much federal dollars coming in.”
Barbour said he anticipated the legislature could also pass a general bond bill, which would be another opportunity for the supervisors to get funding for projects.
He asked for the supervisors to work quickly to come to a consensus on what they would like by the middle or end of this month so his group can begin lobbying for funding.
One project discussed was the proposed admin complex at the site of the old Felix Long Hospital. The board has floated the idea of demolishing that building and replacing it with a complex that will house several county administrative offices. Last year, the county received $1 million toward construction.
Estimates of the proposed building were about $31 million.
Board attorney Rob Roberson, who also serves as District 43 representative in the House, said that project “has got a large price tag on it and we’re going to need help from the state, feds or whomever we can get it from.”
District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard — who was appointed as board president for the new term — said after the meeting the county’s legislative priorities will be hashed out during a work session scheduled for 8:15 a.m. Monday.
New and familiar faces
The board welcomed two new faces to its ranks Tuesday.
District 1 Supervisor Ben Carver and District 4 Supervisor Pattie Little attended their first meeting as supervisors. Carver, Starkville’s former Ward 1 alderman, succeeded John Montgomery, who did not seek reelection in an unsuccessful bid to become tax assessor/collector. Little takes over for Bricklee Miller, who also did not run for reelection.
Also welcomed by the board was new Oktibbeha County Sheriff Shank Phelps, who succeeded the retiring Steve Gladney.
Along with the appointment of Howard as board president, District 5 Supervisor Joe Williams was appointed vice president. Votes for both were unanimous.
The board approved the reappointments of all county-appointed offices, including County Administrator Delois Farmer, board attorney Rob Roberson and county engineer Pritchard Engineering.
Kevin Edwards is news editor and reports on Starkville and Oktibbeha County government.
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