In many cases when a city and the county where that city is located have a conflict, it’s a matter of understanding the important difference between “mine” and “ours.”
Starkville citizens make up 47% of the Oktibbeha County population and, as Starkville mayor Lynn Spruill noted Tuesday, those city residents provide 64% of the county’s budget through ad valorem taxes.
A somewhat frustrated Spruill made that point after the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors again delayed a proposed interlocal agreement with the city over usage of the Oktibbeha County Community Safe Room, which is located within the city limits on Lynn Lane.
The $2 million safe room is large enough to provide shelter for 1,500 people and has an ample amount of storage. Since it opened in 2019, the facility has been used sparsely – for a scattering of weather emergencies for which it was conceived, a voting precinct and an occasional county department meeting. It briefly served as the county’s COVID vaccination center in 2021.
For some time supervisors have wanted to see the Safe Room used for community events. At Monday’s meeting, supervisors passed a proposal to allow the Starkvegas Juneteenth Committee to hold a health fair at the facility, even though no standard contract for allowing groups to use the facility has been drawn up.
At the same meeting, supervisors again tabled action on the interlocal agreement, saying it needed more time to review the agreement.
In one breath, the county approved access to the Safe Room without any contract at all. In the next, it again stalled on acting on an agreement it has had in its hand for almost a month.
Initially, the city suggested that, in return for allowing the city to use the facility for indoor pickleball courts, it would split the cost of utilities. When supervisors balked, the city offered to provide another $25,000 for additional features at the Safe Room.
It is one thing to be cautious, it’s another to be obstructive. The city has operated in good faith here to help the county achieve a stated goal: maximizing the benefits of the Safe Room by opening up to residents for a variety of purposes.
When counties and the cities inside them cannot come to an agreement on commonly-held needs, the result is a duplication of efforts and ultimately a waste of resources. One need look no further than the demise of the Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority for an example. There are not two separate parks and recreation departments within a single county, providing the same services. It’s wasteful.
Residents of the city and the county do not see themselves as enemies. We worry that sometimes this cannot be said about the two local governments.
One thing we are certain of, though: An empty building benefits no one.
“Ours” is a much better approach than “mine” when it comes to making the most of the Safe Room facility.
We urge the supervisors to approve the interlocal agreement at the next opportunity.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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