Only 11 of the people who live in Columbus and Lowndes County are members of the city council or board of aldermen, but most of us should be able to relate to what these people are dealing with now.

We’ve been there.

For the past month or so, as the city council and board of supervisors try to figure out what to do with their American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, there have been suggestions that the county might be willing to provide some of its funds to help with projects in the city that require more funds than the city has available. The county has $11 million in ARPA funds, about twice the amount the city was awarded.

Although the county and city have their own governing boards, there is a vested interest that goes behind lines on a map. Some council members and supervisors understand this better than others, which opens the door for the possibility of some level of collaboration.

During recent council and board meetings, including those held Tuesday, there has been much speculation of what the other might or might not be willing to do.

But what neither governing body has done is to sit down and talk it out.

What it boils down to is that the city wants to ask the county to the prom, a situation most of us can relate to.

For some people, getting a date to the prom is simple and straight-forward. Some couples are already in a dating relationship, which takes the suspense out of the matter. Others are inclined to boldness and take a direct approach: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. The sooner it’s resolved the better.

But there are others among us, more timid souls, for whom getting a date to the prom is an elaborate, carefully choreographed affair, with overtures and emissaries, strategies and contingencies all reduced to a calculation to determine the odds of a favorable response.

Here’s how it goes:

Columbus John likes County Mary and wants to ask her to be his prom date. The most obvious approach would be for John to call Mary (or text her or stage some sort of elaborate production that is the current rage) and ask her to the prom.

But John, being the timid sort, cannot bring himself to such a direct approach

So instead, John asks his friend, Consultant Tom, to circulate quietly among Mary’s friends to determine Mary’s interest in being John’s prom date. Tom might approach Mary’s best friend, Sally, to feel out Mary on the subject and get back to him. Tom then relays that intel to John.

Consultant Tom is enthusiastic about the prospects of a Tom-Mary union and sees great potential in it.

But for now, Tom remains cautious and Mary remains coy, but not entirely hostile.

Only when, and if, there is enough evidence to suggest that Mary is open to being John’s prom date will Tom finally approach Mary and ask her out.

Ultimately, all approaches — bold and direct or timid and circuitous — end with the same scenario: The question must be asked and answered.

That’s sort of where we are with the city council and the board of supervisors.

Until the city council and the board sit down and tackle the question, the answer will remain unsettled.

That discussion is likely to include establishing some boundaries — Consultant Tom, aka Waggoner Engineering, suggests John skip the prom invitation and propose marriage.

Mary is far more reticent. She might, under certain conditions, agree to be Tom’s prom date.

But none of that can be established until the two hash it out face to face.

The date of the prom is fast approaching.

If Tom and Mary are going to the prom together, it’s time for Tom to collect his nerve, approach Mary and ask the question.

Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].

Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].