STARKVILLE – Aldermen didn’t have to look far to fill the city engineer position following Cody Burnett’s planned departure at the end of the month.
Chris Williams, who has served as associate city engineer for nearly four years, was appointed to the role through a 6-1 vote during the board of aldermen’s regular meeting Tuesday at City Hall.
Mayor Lynn Spruill said promoting Williams, who was considered alongside Burnett for the city engineer position in 2022, was an easy decision – noting his work managing the city’s ongoing revitalization projects on Main Street and Highway 182.
“We knew who we wanted,” Spruill told The Dispatch following the meeting. “… He has proven himself over the last number of years, and … he has saved us millions as he’s worked these projects. There was never, in my mind, anyone else who would be able to top his ability.”
Williams said it is an “exciting time” to lead the engineering department, citing the city’s ongoing revitalization efforts and the planned roundabout project near the Highway 12 bypass and Garrard Road.
He also said he plans to continue advancing the city’s long-term goals of improving pedestrian lighting, walkability and park access.
“I’m extremely excited,” Williams said. “… We’re going to keep going with the different things. … One of the real initiatives that we’ve been working on is trying to make it to where you can walk to a park, so new parks, existing parks and connectivity. We really want to make it to where you can be really close to a park wherever you live in the city of Starkville.”
Williams’ will assume the new role July 1 with an annual salary of about $120,000, Spruill said.
Vice Mayor Roy A. Perkins cast the lone dissenting vote and did not provide a public explanation during the meeting. Afterward, however, he told The Dispatch his objection was to the salary, which he said was simply “too high.”
“The city has gone into a position where they are paying enormous amounts of taxpayer dollars for salaries, and the salary is just too high,” Perkins told The Dispatch. “… I just could not support the salary.”
Burnett was hired to the same position in 2022 with a starting salary of $100,000.
The city has not begun advertising for the position of associate engineer/project manager.
Other business
In other business on Tuesday, the board:
■ called for the first of two public hearings to update the unified development code to establish a registry of short-term rentals;
■ called for the first of two public hearings to amend several other aspects of the unified development code; and
■ called for one public hearing to amend an error in the city’s alcohol ordinance.
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