OKTIBBEHA COUNTY – Supervisors will soon begin considering new land-use ordinances and development guidelines as they move into the first phase of implementing the county’s comprehensive plan.
Nathan Willingham, owner of Oxford-based urban planning firm Slaughter and Willingham, addressed supervisors during their regular monthly meeting Tuesday at the Oktibbeha County Chancery Courthouse to outline how the firm would assist with implementation.
The proposed scope of work includes drafting a zoning ordinance, updating subdivision regulations, creating a septic system oversight ordinance and providing planning structure and training assistance to the board. This will be the first phase of implementations for the comprehensive plan, approved in October, which established a 20-year roadmap addressing residential, commercial and industrial development, transportation and infrastructure improvements, as well as community facilities.
District 1 Supervisor Ben Carver raised concerns about zoning regulations leading to potential overreach in rural areas of the county.
“What about the gentleman that wants to build a house on 40 acres,” Carver said. “Would we be in the business of telling him how to drain his driveway? … Where does the government stop on telling him what to do in the middle of his property?”
Willingham said the ordinance would allow the board to apply different rules in different areas throughout the county, with regulations varying depending on density, growth patterns and service needs in each area.
“In those areas, we’re not talking about overburdensome regulation,” he told the board. “I think you hit on an important point, which is that people move out to the county … for a certain quality of life. We want to protect them. They deserve protection of that quality of life just as much as somebody who maybe is living a little closer to town.”
District 5 Supervisor Joe Williams also cautioned against enforcing overly restrictive building regulations throughout the county.
“Many families are doing just the very best they can, so we wouldn’t want to give those individuals an opportunity to not be able to have affordable housing,” he said. “So I guess in some places, that still can exist, and in some places it cannot.”
Willingham said no ordinance would aim to restrict or deny residents a good quality of life, as long as housing meets basic safety standards.
Board President and District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard said educating the community will be critical before adopting any ordinances.
“If we adopted something today, I mean, it’s a done deal,” he said. “But if we … go into these communities and talk with them and educate them on why some things have now become necessary that 20 years ago, it wasn’t, the educational piece is going to be critical.”
Supervisors unanimously approved a motion for Slaughter and Willingham to assist with organizing staffing and structure for a planning commission, drafting land-development ordinances and conducting training as the new regulations are developed.
Another meeting will be held between Slaughter and Willingham and the board to build a consensus on what should be included in the ordinances and updated guidelines, County Administrator Wayne Carpenter told The Dispatch following the meeting.
Investment policy
Supervisors also unanimously approved a strategic investment policy Tuesday aimed at increasing returns on idle county funds.
The policy allows the county to solicit investment quotes for multiple terms ranging from 30 days to one year and to consider additional investment products, such as investment cash sweep accounts. Previously, the board was limited to seeking bids for 90-day certificates of deposit.
Carpenter said the expanded options will allow the county to better manage its cash.
“It allows us a much greater selection, both in time and in product type, to choose from (and) to ensure that we maximize the return on the available cash that we have,” Carpenter told the board.
Between $55 and $58 million in net proceeds from the October sale of OCH Regional Medical center to Baptist Memorial Health Care is currently sitting idle as supervisors decide whether to spend or invest the funds, along with other cash flow.
“The county is in tax collection season, so our cash flow is high right now,” Carpenter told The Dispatch following the meeting. “So I don’t want that money just sitting there doing nothing if I can put it somewhere for it to sit and gain more interest until we need it. So that’s the idea.”
Other business
In other business, the board:
■ agreed to serve as a host agency for the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, which will employ two individuals age 55 and older for two-year terms using federal grant funding;
■ authorized scheduling a presentation by Dungan Engineering regarding LiDAR road mapping throughout the county; and
■ approved drafting a resolution supporting repairs to the Oktibbeha County Dam to the highest standard available, pending recommendations from engineers with WSP USA.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
