Alderman Corey's Blog

Mississippi State University Rated #18 on Forbes.com Best College Buys

2009-08-06T19:40:00.000-05:00

This is really great news for MSU and another reason why this University stands out.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/08/02/best-buys-colleges-opinions-value.html

JULY 2009 CODE ENFORCEMENT REPORT

2009-08-04T10:04:00.000-05:00

VEHICLES REMOVED OR UPDATED-13
OFF SITE SIGNS-10
BANNERS W/OUT PERMITS-9
SIGNS REMOVED FROM R.O.W-36
BANNER & SIGN PERMITS SOLD-8
OVERGROWN LOTS-20
DEBRIS-2
SNIPE SIGNS-3
IMPROPER SIGNAGE-1
IMPROPER DIRECTIONAL SIGN-1
HEALTH CODE VIOLATION-1
IMPROPER SNIPE SIGN-3
BUSINESS W/OUT PERMIT-1
IMPROPER POST SIGN-1
NO SIGNAGE PERMIT-1

TOTALS- 107

May 2009 Building Permits

2009-06-04T14:14:00.000-05:00

Here are the building permits issued during the month of May. Of note is that this report is the first generated using some new software in the building department. (Click to enlarge)

Four More Years

2009-06-04T14:10:00.000-05:00

First I want to thank everyone who voted in the 2009 municipal election and also those who supported me even though they didn't live in Ward 4. I look forward to taking the knowledge and experience I've accumulated over the past four years and use it to help lead the board and the city towards becoming even better than it already is.

Electronic Packets

2009-03-05T16:51:00.000-06:00

Sometimes people ask me what the packets look like that the board of aldermen use for their meetings. These packets are a matter of public record and to help facilitate ease of access for the general public as well as making our city hall more sustainable by reducing paper waste. Long term I would love to see some members of the board rely on electronic packets entirely. Below is a link to March 3rd's packet and below that is another link for the section of our website that has the agendas, minutes, and e-packets.

Board of Aldermen March 3rd E-Packet

Agenda/Minutes/E-Packet webpage

Starkville Shooting

2008-12-07T23:18:00.001-06:00

Really bad news. There was a shooting incident at the local McDonald's following a high school basketball game between Columbus/Starkville. One comment I heard was "you know we're a big city now when we start having shootings at the local McDonald's." Jokes like that aside, this is really a terrible incident and really should be a warning to all of us that Starkville is not immune to the serious types of violent crimes that can plague any city.

Full story here.

MSU/Starkville Recognized As Green Community

2008-12-05T12:39:00.000-06:00

The community is mainly being recognized for efforts made through Starkville in Motion in regards to working to provide alternatives to transportation. Not mentioned in the article should also be Starkville's adoption of LEED standards for all future public buildings, starting with the new Starkville Electric Department building.

Full story here.
http://www.msstate.edu/web/media/detail.php?id=4429

November 2008 Code Enforcement Report

2008-12-01T10:33:00.000-06:00

Our code enforcement officer, Jeff, provides a report every month regarding the total number of code violations he has worked on. I thought I would start providing those numbers for anyone who is interested:

VEHICLES REMOVED OR UPDATED-6
OFF SITE SIGNS-2
BANNERS W/OUT PERMITS-3
SIGNS REMOVED FROM R.O.W-131
BANNER PERMITS SOLD-10
PERMANENT SIGN PERMITS SOLD-3
TRASH VIOLATIONS-4
BUSINESS OPERATING W/OUT PERMIT-1
TRAILER PARK REINSPECTIONS-13
TOTALS- 173

I imagine the large number of signs moved from right of way are probably related to clearing up the mess left after the elections this year. It's always discouraging to see how many signs are placed everywhere, littering the sides of the streets and often left long after the election is over.

100th Post, 2009 Elections

2008-11-25T09:25:00.000-06:00

This is my 100th post since starting this blog. While not as many posts as I would have liked, I have enjoyed the opportunity to spread some information about what's going on with the city with various readers.

On another note, some people are already talking about the 2009 municipal elections. In fact, some people have been talking about it since 2006. While qualifying papers aren't due until the beginning of the new year, the forms are now available online via the Secretary of State's office and are posted on the city website.

2009 Municipal Election Forms

As If I Had to Remind You...

2008-11-04T10:28:00.001-06:00

Go vote!

Campus Shooting Incident

2008-11-01T08:46:00.000-05:00

There was an unfortunate incident at 4am on November 1st, 2008, involving an attempted abduction of an 18 year old girl. The good news is she got away; however, she and her friend both heard a gunshot as they were fleeing the scene.

Here is an official MSU press release regarding the incident:

http://www.msstate.edu/web/media/detail.php?id=4404

WCBI Rumor

2008-09-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

Normally I try to avoid dealing in rumors; however, I wanted to share one I had heard. Basically it was that WCBI is considering opening a satellite office in Starkville, similar to what the Commercial Dispatch does for their paper. That could be really interesting and makes me wonder if competition for coverage of the Starkville market is heating up between WCBI and WTVA.

Anyone heard anything?

Roadway Improvements

2008-09-18T12:54:00.000-05:00

Posted on the city's website is a copy of the planned roadway improvements for the '08-'09. If you're curious whether your street is listed please feel free to review the document.

http://www.cityofstarkville.org/cosdocs/FY_08-09_Roadway_Maintenance_Projects-_Priority_1.pdf

Starkville in Motion Meeting Overview (9/8/08)

2008-09-09T14:59:00.000-05:00

Devon opens
Mentions "Darius Goes West" movie.
Treasurer Report: Just under $2000 in account.
Membership Report: 48 paid members. 300 on email list.

Introduction of Day One students who will work with SiM. 3 present, 4 more who were unable to attend.

Robbie Ward announced the upcoming Johnny Cash festival. Looking for volunteers. pardonjohnnycash.com has a link for volunteers.

I gave a presentation on beautification regarding the 182 corridor based upon a similar presentation given to the Beautification Committee. Currently the city has approved regular street sweeping of 182, which was one of the nine recommendations. Other ideas discussed included plantings and entryway markers. I will be working with Ben Griffith and others towards establishing a working ordinance to begin to require sidewalks in new developments and Ben is trying to write a unified building ordinance that would incorporate a lot of the recommendations from the Comprehensive Plan that the city approved.

Question about mass comprehension plan and zoning ordinance. 182 sidewalk and bike lane. As that area redevelops people are talking about wanting to have buildings moved forward (this only makes any sense if the building is demolished). Two separate sidewalk ordinances were suggested. One residential and one commercial. People want a timeline/deadline on when the new ordinance will be in place. At least 30 days from the draft because it needs two hearings. Ideally I would like to have it in place before the end of the year.

Patrik Nordin recommended a Sidewalk Beautification day and mentioned that Lynn Spruill is a good contact for having brush/garbage cleared from existing sidewalks. Jim Gafford recommended adding it as a rolling action item for the sidewalk committee.

Ron Cossman talked about Lynn Lane progress. Board of Aldermen looked at it on Tuesday, had a public hearing on Thursday. Public hearing including a one hour lecture on the conceptual plan for Lynn Lane project. Issue with right of way (ROW) on Locksley Way. City Engineer proposed compromise regarding reducing traffic lanes to allow for sufficient ROW. Will come back before the board at the first October meeting.

Kate Fabel is organizing a Wheel-A-Thon through 52 Moms and SiM. Sept. 27th is the date with Board of Alderman approval and we're have worked out the providing of city resources for the event. Entry cost will be $10 per person. Two roadblocks: $312 is the insurance cost. Partnership was unwilling to suppliment the cost. Secondly, permission must also be sought out from OCEDA. SiM will have a table at the event. Asked for a volunteer to have SiM t-shirts printed at University Screenprint. Kathy volunteered. 50 or more were the suggested number to order. Motion to provide $200 was made and unanimously passed. Devon Brenner and I volunteered to man the table for the event.

Lois was not present to speak to the Safe Routes to school coordinator position; however, Devon mentioned a promising candidate was interviewed.

Kathy mentioned that the Starkville Area Arts Council awarded grant towards the Starkville Arts Walking tour. Fall/Winter is the approximate time of year. I volunteered to work with Kathy regarding compliance with the city's public event policy.

Hamp Beatty volunteered his name to chair the sidewalk committee. Officers will be nominated by October and elected in November.

Ron Cossman brought up the proposed Southern entrance to MSU. Phase 1 would just be a 2-lane road. Phase 2 would have 4 lanes and bike lanes/sidewalk. SiM representatives at the public hearing requested to have sidewalks/bike lanes at the first phase.

Devon Brenner brought up that if you notice areas that have bikes being locked up to things other than bike racks to notify SiM and the University to bring attention to those areas.

Joe Fratesi made motion to give the board permission to spend up to but not over $100 for any one event. Unanimously approved.

Meeting adjourned.

Sidewalk Ordinance

2008-09-08T09:15:00.000-05:00

For a while, people have mentioned to me a desire to see more sidewalks in town. Having visited other cities, I've noticed many cities with an extensive sidewalk infrastructure. Upon researching it a little more, and going back to the Comprehensive Plan the city adopted back in 2006, I've decided to look into pursuing an ordinance to begin requiring sidewalks as a part of new development. This is also a long-term goal of the building department, so enacting an ordinance now could give us a chance to test it out and make any appropriate changes when the building department is ready to release their overall new series of building ordinances. One complaint I can anticipate receiving is that it may create sidewalks that "lead nowhere" but given enough time they eventually will and it will make it easier on the city to fill in the gaps as a part of its own street program.

I plan to speak to this effect at tonight's Starkville in Motion meeting; however, I need a little more time to work on a complete draft ordinance.

Special Called Meeting Today at 1:30pm

2008-09-05T10:25:00.000-05:00

In a bit of an emergency, a special called meeting was issued for today at 1:30. The reason is that the third party company provider of financing for our police and court software has been negligent in sending in the appropriate payments to our software provider and now the software has been shut off. Obviously this has to be rectified immediately. More as it develops.

Cowbells Featured in WCBI Article

2008-09-03T16:12:00.000-05:00

So there has been a lot of talk lately about the opening of the new bar, Cowbells, which is in the county and has resort status, allowing it to serve alcohol on Sunday and stay open as late as they want. My current understanding is they'll be open until 4am.

Here's the article by Steve Rogers.

http://wcbi.com/article.php?subaction=showfull&id=1220129244&archive=&start_from=&ucat=8&

Thoughts?

Board Meeting Tonight (9/2/08)

2008-09-02T12:46:00.000-05:00

Tonight we have a number of interesting items on the agenda. There is a request for in-kind support (closing of streets, police presence) for the Johnny Cash festival. Robbie Ward has done an excellent job on that and should be commended. Also, Kate Fabel is presenting a similar request for a project the 52 Moms organization is hosting. Their event is called the Wheel-A-Thon and will involve a race around the research park for people using anything with wheels (but no motor) such as bikes, skates, unicycles, etc. Should be interesting and proceeds go to McKee Park.

There will be a presentation regarding the roadwork to go around the new Cotton Mills mall development. Their proposal does involve the boulevarding of Russell Street with the addition of bike lanes and improvements to Spring St.

There is a presentation from Kevin Stafford from Neel-Shaffer regarding the Lynn Lane bike path project. This project, which I've touch on before in this blog, will involve a bike path, seperate but parallel to the road, that will extend from Blackjack Rd/Sororiety Row to the Sportsplex on the other side of town. Long term, if we could find a similar path along the northern half of Starkville we could potentially form a bike path loop around the entire city.

There will be a second public hearing on the proposed budget. Action on adopting that budget most likely will not occur until around Sept. 15, the deadline.

I've made a request to have 182 regularlly swept. This is in accordance with the wishes of the Beautification Committee and one of the points in their 9 point plan.

Office Depot Part 2

2008-08-29T10:22:00.000-05:00

I followed up with the investment firm working to bring Office Depot to the area. The good news is I was able to confirm they are still locating in the old Winn-Dixie shopping center. The bad news is they have pushed their opening date back to first quarter 2010. The reason for this was stated to me as being due to the national economy and a need to slow down growth.

It's discouraging, but at least they are still coming.

Office Depot/Sears

2008-08-27T09:12:00.000-05:00

I have been asked before about the arrival of an Office Depot to the area. There has been one slated to arrive as the anchor store for the center where Corky's and Little Caesar's is currently located. Sears is also set to move in between the Office Depot and Little Caesar's and will remain the smaller hardware focused franchise (compared to the larger Sears located in Columbus). Office Depot is still supposed to arrive; however, due to national economic issues, they have slowed down their rate of growth and have their project here delayed until sometime this fall/winter. In the meantime they have floor plans submitted to our building department and have a hold on the property in question. To those still unsure, consider that if Office Depot weren't coming there would have already been a lease sign out there in an attempt to find a new tenant.

An Apology

2008-08-15T13:00:00.000-05:00

I made the mistake of taking the fact that the new electric department website was up as a green light that the billpay feature was also active. As a result, a few people have been confused why they're unable to access their accounts online. While the website is up, it won't be until sometime in September until the billpay feature is active. I forgot the first rule of proper programming technique, always beta test first.

Starkville Mentioned in USA Today!

2008-08-11T15:12:00.000-05:00

Please go to this link to read an USA Today story that mentions Starkville, MS.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2008-08-06-Buildgreen_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

It regards the adopt of LEED standards for our public buildings. Our new city engineering, Ed Kemp, deserves the bulk of the credit for presenting the concept to us. I was glad to see unanimious support amongst the board in holding ourselves to a higher standard of development.

Starkville in Motion Meeting Tonight!

2008-08-11T15:01:00.000-05:00

Tonight (August 11th) at 6:30 at the Bost Extension Center Starkville in Motion will have it's monthly meeting. This meeting is important to both the residents of Ward 4 and the city at large because it will deal primarily with the Cotton Mills development. From the Starkville in Motion Facebook group:

The focus this week will be on educating ourselves about the Cotton Mill development and TIF bond projects in Starkville, with special guests Chris Campany and Taze Fulford, landscape architects and local activists.

Blog Updates

2008-08-06T11:51:00.000-05:00

I took a few days off blogging to visit my grandfather in Jackson, TN, who is 88 and not in the best of health. My grandmother had passed away years ago and it's sad to see him in this state.

In better news, a shoutout to my friend and constituent Wesley McGrew (Weasel as we call him) for discovering a major software security flaw. Wesley is a PhD candidate at MSU. Link to article.

We had our regular board meeting last night. It started at 4:30 and didn't get out until around 9pm. We first listened to a presentation from our courts and city clerks departments (which I'll post about individually like I have been for other departments). Then at 5 we heard a budget overview from Alderman Cox, who touched on the enterprise funds, which are seperate from our general fund. These are the funds generated by self-sustaining entities such as water, sewer, sanitation, and electric.

Finally the regular meeting started at 5:30 and lasted until 9pm. We scheduled two public hearings to talk about the upcoming fiscal budget and possibility of a millage increase. They're scheduled for August 18th, and Sept. 2nd. More information and a more in-depth overview of the meeting will be provided tomorrow.

Information Technology Report

2008-08-01T16:01:00.000-05:00

Following a series of departmental reports I'm sharing with you all, our IT director, Al Quinn, shared his report regarding what is the city's smallest department. IT consists of Al and an on-call employee Chad, who also works in the engineering department. Together, they keep the city running by fixing any and all technical issues. Ask any department head and they can tell you how important these two guys are to keeping everything working.

I work closely with Al in the technology committee that I asked the city to form. We've worked with and updated the software at the electric department, which by the way will start allowing people to pay their electric bill online in about a month through the website http://www.starkvilleelectric.com (the website isn't up just yet, should be within a month)

We also made a major update to the software used by the police and courts. This is important because the old software would sometimes crash every other day, stopping court entirely and resulting in people having to wait and time lost. The new software also works with the computer units we're retrofitting our police cars with. They allow them to pull up information on vehicles and also records the events during the officer's time in his car. Video recordings are valuable because there have been incidents where a person may claim an officer treated them bad, but with the video evidence that can be proved or laid to rest conclusively and without the time, trouble, and potential legal proceeds that previously plagued the department.

Click here for a copy of Al's presentation if you're interested and please feel free to email me if you'd like to learn more about our committee or have any suggestions.

Yesterday's Budget Meeting

2008-07-29T14:12:00.000-05:00

I was discouraged by a few things regarding yesterday's budget meeting. First off, there was no press notification. I published it in my blog, but assumed any notification would be properly handled by our Chief Administrative Officer as usual. Having the entire board at a meeting without press notification is not only unethical but illegal. I'm meeting with Bryan Hawkings from the Starkville Daily News today to give him an update on what was discussed at the meeting.

The purpose of the meeting was to give a preliminary outline of the upcoming fiscal budget. The good news was that so far this year we had budgeted for a 3% increase in our sales tax revenue and we ended up with 3.9% which amounted to around $50,000 extra. The bad news is that our ad valorem taxes came up shorter than expected. Budget committee chairman Matt Cox stated he believed the housing issues affecting the nation could be affecting us locally. Regardless, so far we projected a shortcoming of roughly $200,000 for the next budget year without considering any outside contributions (Red Cross, Boy Scouts, etc) except for the ones we have a legal or emergency obligation to, which include the library, Heritage Museum (because we own the building), Humane Society, and ambulance services for our police/fire departments. Given this budget year isn't over, these numbers could change over the new 2 months; however, there is a chance the board may have to make some difficult decisions for the upcoming year.

I'll scan and provide some of the documents given in a follow up post.

Next Up: Sanitation Department

2008-07-25T13:48:00.001-05:00

I wanted to share the progress each department has made and so today I wanted to touch on our sanitation department. Sharon Boyd is our department head, appointed during our first year of this board. Previously sanitation was under the public works department.

Sharon recently presented her goals for the upcoming year in a power point presentation to the board. Click here for a copy of the presentation.

The biggest change out of the department this year was the Solid Waste ordinance. This cleaned up some of the confusion with the previous ordinance as well as requiring that garbage be both bagged and in a can and got rid of the unsightly open corral's where people would collectively dump their garbage.

Although it was done earlier in our term, you may also recall the change of the city dumpsters to maroon with dog prints on it. That was Sharon's idea and one that I think made the dumpsters look a lot better and very little cost.

One purchase that the sanitation department is requesting is a new rideable device for collecting litter. Our street sweeper is limited to the street and therefore is unable to get around to where garbage is left after the many numerous events held around the city. Sharon was able to figure the cost of the device into her budget without requiring any sort of cost increases, which I think is admirable. This device would make it much easier to clean up after our big-name events.

It was previously called the MadVac 101; however, it's recently had a design change and is now called the LR50. Click here for a pdf showing the device. Also, you can go to http://picasaweb.google.com/apollmueller/LR50Final?authkey=keuS2xnt-ic if they would like to see additional pictures of the device.

In closing I would like to thank both Sharon and her department for the work they've done this year. They've done an outstanding job.

Preliminary Budget Meeting Scheduled

2008-07-23T14:16:00.000-05:00

It's getting to be that time of year again where the board of aldermen are tasked with compiling the budget for the '08-'09 year. The budget is due in mid-September and goes into effect on October 1st. A preliminary meeting to discuss some of the aspects of this year's budget has been scheduled for the conference room of city hall at 8:30am on Monday, July 23rd.

Park Amenities

2008-07-22T14:20:00.000-05:00

Back at the Mississippi Municipal League conference down in Biloxi, MS, I met a representative of Playworld Systems. They were demoing their line of products for parks. Of particular interest to me were two amenities they sell: equipment for skateparks and exercise stations that can be placed along walking paths.

I think the exercise stations could be a great addition to our parks. One idea would be to have a walking path around the Sportsplex and provide the stations for parents to use while their children are playing at the fields.

The other product line, concerning skateparks, could be of help in getting one off the ground in the area. There have been some who would like to see a skatepark. I remember that some people were going to try to start one in Caledonia, but I'm not sure if they were successful or not. They also recommend some communities do it in phases so it's not such a financial burden to purchase all of that equipment at once. Here is a link to a pdf of one of the skateparks they did. The outline shows how the skatepark was assembled in three phases.

My next step is to facilitate a meeting between the park commission and a representative from their company to see if there is interest in pursuing either of these ideas and whether they would be feasible in light of the park's budget.

Building Department Presentation

2008-07-22T11:15:00.000-05:00

Below is the power point presentation by Ben Griffith, our city planner. In it, he reviews how our building department is structured, the amount of work they've done (467 trash violations alone), and where they would like to go from here, such as bringing our building standards up to the latest specs. It's worth a look through, especially if you have questions about how that department is set up.

Building Department Goals '08

Cotton Mills Marketplace Video

2008-07-15T21:43:00.000-05:00

So apparently Comvest Properties has come out with a video showcasing the proposed Cotton Mills Marketplace development. As you may recall, this is the outdoor mall development that's been talked about.

Click here to see the video and let me know what you think. I'd be interested to hear your comments on this one.

Tech Committee Update

2008-07-14T15:43:00.000-05:00

Our committee met last week to discuss 4 matters.

1. Update on 311

We have been waiting for a while now on the actual implementation of the 311 system, a non-emergency number to allow people in the city and county a way to phone in problems that aren't life threatening. Right now the additional panels needed are being installed in the local 911 office and so we hope to have that up and running soon.

2. City Clerk Software

We're still in a situation where the city clerk's software is outdated and often causes more harm than good. The best software solution we heard from was a bit pricey (actually they all were, I guess that goes with the territory of custom software). Since the software package that looked the most promising included modules for handling building permits, we may look at a lease agreement with payments to come from both city clerk and building departments.

3. Bandwidth

We were previously looking at using Telepak to handle our internet needs at city hall. Telepak leases bandwidth from the fiber optic cable built by MEGAPOP. However, it was brought to our attention that Metrocast also leases from the MEGAPOP fiber optic backbone, so we are getting figures in from them and are going to be with the best option as far as price is concerned at our next meeting.

4. Website

Continued maintaince of our city website is needed. Given how busy our IT guy, Al, already is with every other technical issue in all of the city departments, we may need to explore the possiblity of hiring a second IT person to mediate some of the issues. This is something we're going to explore more closely as we approach budget time for the next fiscal year, which for us starts October 1st.

Thoughts on the Economic Development Luncheon

2008-07-11T16:38:00.000-05:00

I had mixed feelings concerning the luncheon we had regarding economic development in the M-Club building on campus. The University was gracious enough to host the event with several people from the community in attendance. My biggest personal complaint would have to be that it seemed too much like it was patting ourselves on the back. The comments were almost glowing without addressing the pitfalls we still need to overcome. Numerous awards were given out for no real reason. Another criticism arose from Steve Rogers who writes a column for WCBI in Columbus. [link to story, scroll halfway down] His opinion was, given that one of the recurring statements made was our need to embrace regionalism, we didn't have anyone from the region at the event (Clay, Lowndes Counties for example)

On a positive note, I do believe the event was a great refresher course for the county in trying to keep us all on the same page on what needs to be done. Five very renowned speakers gave brief talks about what we should do. To recap some:

Gray Swoope (Executive Director - Mississippi Development Authority) brought up 5 points:
1. Define what determines success
2. Give professionals the tools they need and don't keep changing our agenda for them
3. MSU will continue to play an even greater role in economic development
4. Strategic planning is a must, but useless if its not implemented
5. Teamwork is vital

Phil Paradice (Regional Director, Atlanta - Economic Development Administration) mentioned that investors don't want to go to areas that don't have clear, concise strategic plans and introduced Bobby Dennis who is the EDA representative for the area.

Del Boyette (President - Boyette Levy, Inc.) advised that we keep in mind that Starkville is different from much of the rest of the state largely due to the University and that therefore our opportunities will be different. He went on to say that the state of Mississippi itself loses if MSU/Starkville don't get along because many of the higher tech industries that come to this state will likely want to come here. He also said we should adapt our strategy with the times and economy and that we should focus on the TAP study recommendations. *more on that below

John Bradly (Senior Vice President - TVA Economic Development) suggested we establish a series of benchmarks to mark progress towards our goals.

Blake Wilson (Executive Director - Mississippi Economic Council) also gave a talk towards the end; however, by that time the event had gone overtime and I had to leave early.

At our table was a document outlining the recommendations of the TaP (Targeted and Prepared) study. This was done in conjunction with TVA. When the study is brought up, it's often stated that we were selected out of 47 communities for this. While on the surface that sounds great, in actuality the reason a community is selected for this type of study is because they aren't performing up to their potential, which is something I believe we should be mindful of. The study outlined several recommendations, which I'm including in a PDF format for reading and download. [TaP Recommendations] (And here is another document from a previous event with some notes) [Previous Econ Development Handout]

I like what an economic development group in Tupelo did. They had a series of goals they wanted to achieve, so they printed them out on a large poster size document, framed it, and put it on their wall so they were reminded each and everyday of what they were working towards. I think they even marked off the ones they accomplished. Gray Swoope said it best himself when he said that the best plan in the world won't do any good without implementation, which, given we now have a recommended plan from the TaP study, should have been the theme of the event.

Economic Development Conference / Next Infrastructure Meeting

2008-07-09T14:50:00.000-05:00

Today at 11am we had a meeting conducted by the University in conjuction with the Partnership. All of the aldermen, supervisors, committee of 100 members, and several university representatives were invited. We had a good overall turnout and listened to five very informative speakers. I'll have a recap of the meeting in a post tonight or tomorrow along with some of my notes from the event.

In other news, the Infrastructure Committee is having another meeting at City Hall on Monday, July 14th, at 4pm. I guess they didn't wrap up everything on their agenda in time for the meeting next week and want to get those issues resolved.

Committee Meetings this Week

2008-07-08T11:30:00.001-05:00

There are three committee meetings scheduled for this week at City Hall. They are:

7/8 - Infrastructure Committee
4pm, City Hall
They're going to be discussing revising the false alarm ordinance after complaints from a number of entities around town. This needs to be done, while the idea of trying to cut back on false alarms is a good one, the particular implementation has resulted in businesses feeling unjustly targeted. A good example is the animal shelter, which got sited for false alarms even when people snuck on their property to drop off animals after-hours. The intrusion set off the alarm and the shelter's defense was that it was a legitimate use of the alarm and they shouldn't be penalized for it.

7/9 - Recycling Committee
4pm, City Hall

7/10 - Technology Committee
3:30pm, City Hall
This is my committee and we'll be discussing the issue of adding bandwidth at city hall (to accommodate increased usage in part through our new police vehicle computer system) and the software used in the city clerk's office. A lot of people don't know that the clerks use 3 different pieces of software, one of which is so old it's on one of the old monochrome monitors. Conslidating the three into one will save time and give them greater flexibility when generating reports and other matters of the city.

2008-07-05T18:40:00.000-05:00

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Independence Day weekend! I have spent the time with my family in Columbus. The previous week has been a difficult one, my car broke, my phone broke, and I became sick and unable to attend our Board of Alderman meeting on Tuesday. Since then I've been feeling better, replaced the car battery which was dead, and have a temporary phone so hopefully I can catch back up on the activities of the past week. Of particular interest to me is the Beautification Committee's interest in the revitalization of 182. I have heard from enough people who saw 182 as their first sight upon driving into Starkville and that is not the kind of impression we should leave with people new to the city. I plan to follow up with a more detailed series of suggestions to implement the recommendations of the Beautification Committee.

TIF Bonds

2008-05-27T14:11:00.000-05:00

There is another development coming before the board seeking TIF bond assistance at our next meeting. Separate from the proposed mall/multi-use project by Russell/Spring St, this development will be towards improving and adding on to the shopping center on Hwy 12 where Hudson's Dirt Cheap is located as well as developing the empty lot next to it where the old Coke building used to be. Included in the development is new retail and grocery. I don't have any plans to post just yet; however, as soon as I do I'll share them.

With this talk about TIF bonds for 2 projects now I think I'll do a write up on just what the TIF bond process is. In the meantime there is a wikipedia entry about the concept.

Wikipedia TIF Link

Resolution Regarding the MSU Presidental Selection Process

2008-04-24T16:32:00.000-05:00

A JOINT RESOLUTION BY AND BETWEEN THE OKTIBBEHA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI, FORMALLY REQUESTING THAT THE MISSISSIPPI BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF STATE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING MAKE THE MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTAL SEARCH PROCESS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

WHEREAS, the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors, Mayor of the City of Starkville, and Board of Aldermen of the City of Starkville, believe it is in the best interest of the public to have an open search process for selecting the next President of Mississippi State University; and

WHEREAS, the best way to insure a healthy, productive, and long-lasting Presidency at Mississippi State University is to encourage and facilitate as much public support as possible; and

WHEREAS, the selection of Mississippi State University’s next President will have an immeasurable impact on the lives of each and every fair citizen of our respective jurisdictions, whether they are the University’s students, faculty, staff, or other members of our community not directly affiliated with the University; and

WHEREAS, the selection of Mississippi State University’s next President will have a significant and lasting economic impact on our region as a whole, will shape the futures of people across the Great State of Mississippi, and will affect the University’s reputation nationally;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE OKTIBBEHA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI, that the aforementioned legislative bodies, representing the public interest of Oktibbeha County and the City of Starkville, Mississippi, hereby formally petition the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning to conduct a more open and inclusive search process in the selection of the next President of Mississippi State University.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED BY THE OKTIBBEHA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI, that the aforementioned legislative bodies also hereby formally petition the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning to, and at the very least, make the final list of candidates to be considered during the search process known to the public before the next President of Mississippi State University is selected.

Upon the motion of Supervisor _______________, duly seconded by Supervisor _______________, that the Resolution be adopted, a roll call vote was taken which resulted as follows:

Supervisor Carl Clardy Voted:

Supervisor Marvell Howard Voted:

Supervisor Daniel Jackson Voted:

Supervisor Orlando Trainer Voted:

Supervisor John Young Voted:

Upon the motion of Alderman _______________, duly seconded by Alderman _______________, that the Resolution be adopted, a roll call vote was taken which resulted as follows:

Alderman Richard Corey Voted:

Alderman Matt Cox Voted:

Alderman Sumner Davis Voted:

Alderman Rodney Lincoln Voted:

Alderman P.C. McLaurin, Jr. Voted:

Alderman Roy A. Perkins Voted:

Alderman Janette Self Voted:

Adopted this the __________ day of _______________, A.D., 2008, at the Regular Meeting of the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors and this the __________ day of _______________, A.D., 2008, at the Regular Meeting of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the City of Starkville, Mississippi.

___________________________ ____________________________

John Young, Board President Monica Banks, Chancery Clerk

Oktibbeha County, Mississippi Oktibbeha County, Mississippi

(SEAL)

______________________________ ______________________________

Robert D. Camp, Mayor Markeeta A. Outlaw, Clerk

City of Starkville, Mississippi City of Starkville, Mississippi

(SEAL)

MSU Presidental Selection Process Part 3

2008-04-24T16:10:00.000-05:00

Most people who know me personally know that I'm not in favor of the Institute of Higher Learning's new process of keeping even the final candidates for MSU president secret until one was decided. This new process was started for the first time 2 1/2 years ago when previous MSU president Charles Lee left. Previously the final candidates were taken to campus and the community as a whole had a real chance to meet the people who may be one of our future leaders. Starkville is what it is today largely because of the university and I believe it to be undeniable that the person selected for that position has a huge influence on the future growth and development of the entire area.

I remember voicing this concern to the Commissioner of the IHL, Dr. Tom Meredith. I was met with rather sharp words in response. It was a reminder to me of a warning a friend once gave. My friend advised that I always take a friend with me into meetings, so that there will always be another person there to bear witness to what is said.

I also remember going to the location of the IHL meetings where the final candidates were being interviewed. I remember sitting outside while they had sheets hung up so no one could see inside the hall leading to the room of the meetings. I remember someone telling me some candidates were being brought up the fire escape so no one would see them. And I remember thinking the entire ordeal was ridiculous. So I sat outside those meetings for two days as a symbolic gesture of how the public in general was being shut out. A one man silent protest is not exactly the most exciting thing in the world.

When Fogelsong was selected and taken to campus to meeting with groups, I mentioned to him that my problem (at the time) wasn't with him, but with the selection process. By the time he was taken to campus everyone knew the deal was done and I doubt any complaints from the groups that met him would have made a difference. Plus it's difficult to get to know someone in such a short time.

When the city interviews candidates for a job, they're always public. And I think we have some fine employees so I fail to see how making the final candidates secret somehow diminishes the quality of applicants.

My next post will be a resolution I've drafted that I plan to present to the board of supervisors and the board of aldermen. Hopefully both groups will pass the resolution and we can make a real lasting statement.

Presidental Search Process - Take 2

2008-04-18T09:41:00.000-05:00

So here we are again in the process of seeking a president for MSU. Below is a press release from the Institutes for Higher Learning, IHL, detailing their plans to have the search committee visit campus and compile a list of desired job qualifications from various MSU groups. Below that is also a link to the IHL website where people from the general public can submit their own ideas. I noticed the recurring use of the word transparency in their press releases. I imagine they're still reeling from some of the negative attention gained last time by having a totally secretive search process. Indeed, continually using the word transparent to describe that process is a bit reminiscent of 1984 doublespeak.

BOARD SEARCH COMMITTEE TO MEET WITH MISSISSIPPI STATE CONSTITUENCY
GROUPS

Jackson, MS-The Board Search Committee for the next president of
Mississippi
State University, chaired by Trustee Scott Ross, along with
Commissioner of
Higher Education Dr. Thomas C. Meredith, will meet with various
Mississippi
State constituency groups on Monday, April 28, 2008, beginning at 7:45
a.m. in
the Hunter Henry Center on the Mississippi State campus, 1 Hunter Henry
Boulevard, Mississippi State, MS, 39762, to hear what qualities the
Mississippi State community is looking for in their next university
president.
These qualities will be used to draft the profile and job description
for the
position of president at Mississippi State University. Members of the
Mississippi State Board Search Committee include Committee Chair and
Trustee
Scott Ross of West Point; Trustee Ed Blakeslee of Gulfport; Trustee
Aubrey
Patterson of Tupelo; Trustee Robin Robinson of Laurel; and Trustee C.
D. Smith
of Meridian. All meetings are open to the media. The schedule, subject
to
change, is below:

7:45-8:45 a.m.: Breakfast and listening session with Vice Presidents
and
Athletic Director; Shackouls Room, Hunter Henry Center

9:00-9:45 a.m.: Listening session Deans and Associate Deans; Parker
Ballroom;
Hunter Henry Center

9:45-10:30 a.m.: Listening session with Faculty Senate Advisory Group;
Parker
Ballroom; Hunter Henry Center

10:30-11:15 a.m.: Listening session with Academic and Non-Academic
Department
Heads; Parker Ballroom; Hunter Henry Center

11:15 a.m.-noon: Listening session with General Faculty; Parker
Ballroom;
Hunter Henry Center

12:15-1:10 p.m.: Lunch and listening session with the Bulldog Club
Board of
Directors; Correro Room, Hunter Henry Center

1:15-1:45 p.m.: Listening session with Professional and Support Staff
Advisory
Council and Staff Members; Parker Ballroom; Hunter Henry Center

1:45-2:30 p.m.: Listening session with the Division of Agriculture;
Parker
Ballroom; Hunter Henry Center

2:30-3:15 p.m.: Listening session with MSU Alumni Association Board of
Directors; Parker Ballroom; Hunter Henry Center

3:15-4:00 p.m.: Listening session with MSU Alumni, Community Leaders,
and
General Public; Parker Ballroom; Hunter Henry Center

4:00-4:30 p.m.: Listening session with MSU Foundation Board of
Directors;
Shackouls Room; Hunter Henry Center

4:30-5:00 p.m.: Listening session with Undergraduate and Graduate
Student
Leaders and General Student Body; Parker Ballroom; Hunter Henry Center

*All sessions in Parker Ballroom will be webcast; link to be provided
on
Mississippi State main web page closer to April 28.
**Interactive video links and locations will be provided to
MSU-Meridian, MSU-
Extension, and MSU-MAFES employees on the Mississippi State main web
page
closer to April 28.

Members of the general public interested in submitting their ideas on
the
qualities of the next president of Mississippi State may do so by
visiting
http://www.mississippi.edu/ieo. The Board of Trustees of State
Institutions of
Higher Learning's institutional executive officer search process allows
Mississippi to be on the consideration list of the highest caliber
professionals in higher education. The process is open, transparent and
representative-based, and works in accordance with today's recruitment
standards for high-level institutions of higher learning. For more
information
on the Board's institutional executive officer search process,
including a
timeline of events, visit http://www.mississippi.edu/ieo/.

1% Food/Bev/Hotel Tax

2008-04-01T21:26:00.000-05:00

Readers of this blog may be confused to see that, after raising some concerns in my mind in the previous post that I voted, along with the board, to petition the legislature to allow the 1% tax to come up for an election. The board voted 6-0, with Alderman Perkins leaving before the discussion for no provided reason, to proceed with bringing the issue up. There's the potential for some rather significant development to come out of the project, which could make a serious impact on the city's budget and therefore allow more money to be put towards streets and other issues. I think that since it's up for a public election anyway, after time goes by and the proposal is brought before the public it would be worthwhile to see if the citizens of Starkville are willing to support such an endeavor. I, as a voter too, find myself asking the same questions.

Board Meeting Tonight

2008-04-01T13:24:00.001-05:00

We have a number of items to discuss at tonight's board of alderman meeting. One item on the agenda is the municipal complex, which is long overdue for more discussion and, more importantly, action. Second is a item of increasing our hotel/food/bev tax by 1% to be earmarked towards a convention center. Now, I would really like to have a convention center, but this is the first move towards that I've heard and I'm not sure this is the step we should take. My biggest concern is that, as nice as having one would be, it seems like a secondary issue compared to the problems we are facing with our streets and drainage. I was knee deep in water a month ago when it rained and flood someone's house. If we were to go up on that tax at all, I'd personally rather see it earmarked towards streets or another critical area, and fund the convention center through some other means. Perhaps through some public/private partnership between the city/county/university and an investment firm. I'm not convinced yet, but I'm certainly willing to listen to any input from readers of the blog and people in attendance at tonight's meeting.

Economic Development

2008-03-28T13:40:00.000-05:00

So yesterday we also had an economic development seminar. It was an educational experience, in that I did learn a few new things as I was taking notes. Also, I was glad to have finally met a few representatives from the Mississippi Development Authority. There's good and bad things going along with this. I think it would be beneficial to make a checklist of the items most stressed at the conference and work to get all of them accomplished.

If anyone is interested, I have a scanned copy of the documents given at the event. There were powerpoint slides that the various speakers used that I have not gotten a copy of yet.

Economic Development Handouts (link)

Campus Shooting

2008-03-28T13:37:00.000-05:00

So there was a campus shooting last night around 9:30pm near Ruby Hall. The shots were supposedly fired into the air so no one was injured. Two people have been suspended pending a campus judicial hearing. The two were also on the football squad. The official university press release can be found here. The Commercial Dispatch also already has a story on it here.

The one question still left lingering in my mind is why wasn't campus crisis management contacted. Is there the possibility that special discretion was used because football players were involved?

2008-03-26T19:13:00.000-05:00

Kudos to Camgian Microsystems, a low power minature circuit company who is locating their office in the Cotton District. It's a further demonstration of the interesting effect of multi-use development, a style highly emphasized by famed and recently deceased planner Jane Jacobs in her book, "The Death and Life of Great American Cities"

Commercial Dispatch Article

Doc Stepping Down?

2008-03-07T13:47:00.000-06:00

Word all around is that Doc Fogelsong is stepping down as MSU President. So far this has not been officially confirmed; however, if the rumors are correct he should be issuing a press conference or release about this sometime today.

Clarion Ledger Story

Special Called Meeting 3/11/08

2008-03-07T12:41:00.000-06:00

Most people that following the city meetings are aware that we meet on the first and third Tuesday of every month. However, we occasionally have need for special called meetings like the one being scheduled for next Tuesday. Here is a copy of the agenda. It looks to be an opportunity to clear up a few issues left lingering. These meetings are open to the public.

OFFICIAL AGENDA

THE MAYOR AND BOARD OF ALDERMEN

OF THE

CITY OF STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI

SPECIAL CALL MEETING OF TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2008

3:00 P.M., CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL

101 EAST LAMPKIN STREET

I. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER

II. APPROVAL OF THE OFFICIAL AGENDA

III. DISCUSSION OF THE RATE INCREASE FOR STARKVILLE ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT AND TVA.

IV. DISCUSSION OF THE EXECUTION FOR THE PLACEMENT OF THE UTILITIES UNDER GROUND ALONG HOSPITAL DRIVE.

V. CONSIDERATION OF ADVERTISING FOR THE POSITIONS OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING OFFICER AND HEARING ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATOR.

VI. ADJOURN UNTIL MARCH 18, 2008 @ 5:30 AT 101 LAMPKIN STREET IN THE CITY HALL COURTROOM.

Public Money Part 1

2008-02-07T14:29:00.000-06:00

The state of Alaska is working on a project that I applaud them for. I heard on NPR [story link] that they have set up a website that allows people to pull up where and how the state's money is being spent. Any expense at or over $1,000 is listed, although I think there are allowances for certain types of confidential which may, in my opinion, cause problems for such a project. It's referred to as Alaska's checkbook online, similar to how people can check their bank accounts online. 10 other states have similar websites. From what I can tell, Mississippi is not one of those 10 and it is something I feel strongly enough about that I may write a formal letter to our state treasurer, Tate Reeves, asking he consider this concept.

On a local level, the city's yearly budget is always available both in city hall and on our website. Here is a pdf [link] of the 141 page city budget. Matt Cox, budget committee chairman, does a powerpoint presentation that gives a good brief overview. If I can find a copy of it I'll post that too in a follow up.

Souper Bowl

2008-02-05T14:16:00.000-06:00

Meant to post on this earlier. We (Starkville Young Professionals) had a very successful event to help raise funds for the United Way. Special props go to Jeremiah Dumas, who introduced the idea and nurtured it through to the very end. I was able to serve on the committee that worked on the program and had a great time.

Over $2,600 was raised for the United Way. Likely this will become an annual event. There were 4 prizes awarded:

1st Place: Bin 612
2nd Place: Harvey's
3rd Place: Ole Venice
Best of Show: Dave's Darkhorse Tavern

As a point of pride, I'd like to point out that 3 of the 4 awards went to restaurants in Ward 4.

Here is an incomplete list of the soups available:

Bin 612
Roasted Sweet Potato Soup with Goat Cheese Mousse Topped w/ Fried Jalapenos

City Bagel
White Bean Chicken Chili

Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern
The Taverner

Front Door (Columbus, MS)
Tortilla Soup

Green Olive (Columbus, MS)
Italian Meat Trio Soup

Harveys
Crawfish Chowder

Oby’s
Turnip Green Soup

Old Venice
Spinach, Feta, Bacon, and Artichoke Soup

Sweet Peppers Deli
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Rock Bottom Bar and Grill
Venison and Wild Duck Gumbo Topped with Fried Okra

Shaherazad’s
Red Lentil Soup

Veranda
Purple Peruvian Potato and Pancetta

Wasson’s
Brunswick Stew

Special Called Meeting Today at 1:30pm

2008-01-29T12:45:00.001-06:00

The mayor called a special called meeting for today at 1:30 for the purpose of recognizing Rodney Lincoln's election as Ward 2 alderman. I'm glad the mayor decided to do this now rather than later. Had he not, I would have asked the meeting be called regardless rather than put it off. Here's the official letter:

NOTICE OF SPECIAL CALL MEETING OF THE MAYOR AND BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF STARKVILLE

In accordance with the provisions of section 21-3-21 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, as amended, Mayor Robert D. Camp, hereby gives Notice of a Special Call Meeting of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the City of Starkville, Mississippi, to meet this day, Tuesday January 29, 2008, at 1:30 p.m., in the Court Room of City Hall, 101 Lampkin Street, Starkville, Mississippi 39759. The specific subject(s) of the meeting is as follows:

ACCEPTANCE OF THE RESIGNATION OF THE GEORGE M. BRYAN AIRPORT MANAGER

RODNEY L. LINCOLN

APPOINTMENT OF THE ALDERMAN OF WARD TWO (2)

The above notice was executed by a Police Officer; the Mayor of the City of Starkville, Mississippi; method of notice was via hand delivery by a City Police Officer, via electronic transmission- email; with said notice displayed on the front door of City Hall.

Quality of Life in Starkville

2008-01-16T11:19:00.000-06:00

Skip Descant with the Commercial Dispatch sent an interesting letter to several members of the community asking various questions about the status of Starkville. I thought the questions themselves were rather insightful and plan to not only answer his email but also post my answers here in my next post. But I want to take a moment to ask any readers out there what they think and how they might answer the email below? It seems a good time to reflect on the city and has inspired me to do an annual "state of the city" write up of my own. Hello Everyone: The Commercial Dispatch is putting together its annual magazine special section. This year's edition is planned around that often over-used cliche: "Quality of Life" One of the stories I'm working on explores how effective is this region at planning for the future and how does it compare with other parts of the South and country as a quality place to live... I'd like to explore some of the various initiatives and changes to public policy that have affected Starkville's quality of life, and also look to you regarding where the city ought to begin focusing attention. My hope is for this to be a fairly public discussion that starts to take a long and well-versed look at planning, development and what sort of community you would like to see this town evolve into.

But here's some of the thoughts and or issues I'd like to explore. (Feel free to toss your own in as well.)

Thinking fairly broadly, what do local towns need to do to plan adequately for the years ahead?

Is Starkville being proactive enough in its plans for the future? We’ve seen some initiatives stop nearly dead in the tracks: the justice complex or historic preservation districts. While other issues have moved along a little easier – i.e. the new trash ordinance and an in-progress landscape ordinance.

But when thinking about outside perception and Starkville growing as a modern community, what changes to public policy should Starkville explore? For example, (and now I’ll really pass the political football,) should the city rethink its aversion to Sunday beer sales? Should this be an issue for the next set of city elections? Or, what changes to planning and public policy should the citizens and elected officials be thinking about when it comes to moving Starkville forward? Does the city need additional money? Should there be an ad velorem tax increase? Where does resistance come from?

Switching gears somewhat, (but maybe just rephrasing the previous questions,) does Richard Florida’s argument in "Rise of the Creative Class" ring true even in this part of the country? Do folks look to community vibrancy, diversity or creativity as reasons for being in Starkville? (Phrased another way, what about Starkville compared to other places in Mississippi...) How does Starkville’s community life work to attract or keep residents to this area? Where does it fall short?

Do you believe many people continue to choose more expensive cities because of their variety of place-related amenities like entertainment or cultural experiences, or even people? How would you say Starkville ranks against other communities its size in terms of having a variety of different neighborhoods and people, all bringing a variety of experiences?

These are just a few thoughts to kick around. Feel free to address any or all of them. Any responses are greatly appreciated. Don't feel like you have to write a thesis or something. I'm just looking for public discussion.

Thanks again,

Skip Descant The Commercial Dispatch Starkville Bureau

That Time of Year Again...

2007-07-31T12:02:00.000-05:00

September 15th is the state mandated time which municipal budgets are due to be adopted and provided. Over the past few weeks we have had opportunity to hear budget proposals from the various departments. We are going to be hearing some more later today at 5:30 in City Hall. The one item mentioned over and over again is the need to increase employee payrates. Why is this important? A few reasons include allowing our city to remain competitive. For example in our Police Department we have lost some good employees who have left for higher paying jobs in other areas or the Highway Patrol. Another reason is to attract good, high-quality help. Better paid employees tend to have a higher moral and do a better job, which in turn effects the quality of services that people in the community receive.

After I find a new online host, I will start uploading some of the documents we've received and share them here.

Krista Vowell Leaving WMSV

2007-07-27T13:16:00.000-05:00

Krista Vowell has been a long time fixture at local radio station 91.1 WMSV. She informed me that she will be leaving this job in favor of other career options in her life. In addition to her programming director duties at the station, she hosts a weekly show called Perspectives which airs on Thursdays at 11am. I have had the fortune of doing roughly one show a month, usually the last Thursday of the month for the past year. I wanted to take a moment to wish Krista well as she undergoes this change in her career.

Best wishes!

Starkville Shopping Center

2007-07-20T11:23:00.000-05:00

New Shopping Center for Starkville? I'm anxious to learn more and help these potential developers. I find myself somewhat approaching these things with a bit of skeptisism due to past endevours that never panned out; however, even the chance is worth exploring. The proposed location is the combined location of the old Coke bottling plant and the existing shopping center next to it.

SDN article here.

July 17th, 2007 agenda

2007-07-17T13:47:00.000-05:00

Here is the agenda for the second July meeting. We will be meeting beforehand at 4:30 to hear '08 budget proposals from the Parks and City Clerk.

Of interest is the last minute (as in today) addition of discussion of the fire chief. I'm sure this will prove to be a slightly heated meeting at that part; however, the rest of the meeting should be fine.

OFFICIAL AGENDA

THE MAYOR AND BOARD OF ALDERMEN

THE CITY OF STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI

RECESS MEETING OF TUESDAY, JULY 17, 2007

5:30 P.M., COURT ROOM, CITY HALL

101 EAST LAMPKIN STREET

*****AGENDA ITEMS MARKED WITH ASTERISKS AND IN ITALICS REFLECT ADDITIONS, REVISIONS OR ~~DELETIONS~~.

I. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND MOMENT OF SILENCE

II. APPROVAL OF THE OFFICIAL AGENDA

III. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE CITY OF STARKVILLE BOARD OF ALDERMEN RECESS MEETING HELD ON JUNE 19, 2007 AND THE REGULAR MEETING OF JULY 3, 2007.

IV. COMMENTS BY THE MAYOR AND BOARD OF ALDERMEN

A. INTRODUCTION OF NEW EMPLOYEES:

JOANNA HOWARD, RECEPTIONIST AT CITY HALL AND PATSY MOORE, MANAGER OF SUPPORT SERVICES FOR THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.

B. ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RECEIPT BY STARKVILLE OF THE “SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL” GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $281,476. FROM MDOT FUNDS THAT WAS APPLIED FOR WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF THE STARKVILLE IN MOTION ORGANIZATION REPRESENTED BY DR. JIMMY RICHARDSON.

V. CITIZEN COMMENTS

VI. PUBLIC APPEARANCES

A. PRESENTATION BY RAMONA POLLARD REGARDING THE EXPANSION OF LITTLE HEARTS LEARNING CENTER AS A NON-CONFORMING USE IN A RESIDENTIAL (R-1) NEIGHBORHOOD.

VII. CONTINUATION OF A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE ADOPTION OF AMENDMENTS AND REVISIONS TO THE B-1 BUFFER DISTRICT FOR THE CITY OF STARKVILLE.

VIII. MAYOR’S BUSINESS

IX. BOARD BUSINESS

A. CONSIDERATION OF THE ADOPTION OF AMENDMENTS AND REVISIONS TO THE B-1 BUFFER DISTRICT FOR THE CITY OF STARKVILLE.

B. CONSIDERATION OF THE APPROVAL AND ADOPTION OF PERSONNEL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MANUAL FOR THE CITY OF STARKVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT.

C. CONSIDERATION OF THE APPROVAL OF THE WATKINS, WARD & STAFFORD, PLLC, ENGAGEMENT LETTER FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2007 AUDIT OF THE CITY OF STARKVILLE.

D. CONSIDERATION OF HOLDING A PUBLIC HEARING AT THE BOARD MEETING OF AUGUST 7, 2007, ON REPEALING AND REPLACING THE BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS AND APPEALS ENABLING ORDINANCE MODIFYING THE BOARD TO INCREASE THE MEMBERSHIP AND TO CLARIFY PROCEDURES AND TO ESTABLISH FEES.

E. CONSIDERATION OF HOLDING A PUBLIC HEARING TO BE HELD ON AUGUST 7, 2007, TO REPEAL AND REPLACE THE SANITATION ORDINANCE 1993-03 AND ALL ASSOCIATED AMENDMENTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF CLARIFYING AND CONSOLIDATING THE CITY REQUIREMENTS AND OPERATIONS, SETTING FINES, FEES AND RATES.

F. CONSIDERATION OF THE APPROVAL OF THE THREE (3) YEAR CONTRACT WITH SOUTHERN ADMINISTRATORS AND BENEFIT CONSULTANTS, INC. TO ADMINISTER THE CITY OF STARKVILLE’S FLEXIBLE BENEFIT CAFETERIA PLAN.

G. UPDATE ON THE STATUS OF THE COORDINATION BY OKTIBBEHA COUNTY HOSPITAL WITH BELLSOUTH FOR THE UNDERGROUND WIRING PROJECT ON HOSPITAL ROAD.

*****H. CONSIDERATION OF HOLDING A PUBLIC HEARING TO BE HELD AT THE BOARD MEETING OF AUGUST 7, 2007, FOR THE PURPOSE OF ADOPTING A RESOLUTION IN CONNECTION WITH THE ISSUANCE OF CERTAIN TAX EXEMPT REVENUE BONDS AT THE REQUEST AND FOR THE BENEFIT OF FLORIDA CARE PROPERTIES, INC. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF SECTION 147(F) OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986.

*****I. DISCUSSION AND CONSIDERATION OF THE APPOINTMENT OF DAVID GAUDIN AS CITY OF STARKVILLE FIRE CHIEF.

X. DEPARTMENT BUSINESS

A. AIRPORT

1. REQUEST AUTHORIZATION TO OBTAIN AN APPRAISAL, SURVEY AND METES AND BOUNDS ON APPROXIMATELY 2 ACRES ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE AIRPORT FOR THE PURPOSE OF A FUTURE SALE.

2. REQUEST APPROVAL FOR A LEASE RENEWAL BETWEEN THE CITY OF STARKVILLE AND RAS FOR FIXED BASE OPERATOR (FBO) SERVICES ON BRYAN FIELD.

B. BUILDING, CODES AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT

1. CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST BY DANIEL DUGAN FOR AN AMENDED SITE PLAN FOR GREEN OAKS PHASE II LOCATED AT 448 HIGHWAY 12 WEST TO ALLOW AN EXISTING BILLBOARD TO REMAIN AS RECOMMENDED BY THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION.

2. CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR FINAL PLAT APPROVAL FOR ANNABELLA, A CONDOMINIUM DEVELOPMENT LOCATED AT SOUTH MONTGOMERY AND YELLOWJACKET DRIVE AS PRESENTED BY JEREMY TABOR AND RECOMMENDED BY THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION.

3. CONSIDERATION OF A REQUEST FOR APPROVAL OF A PRELIMINARY PLAT FOR NORTHGATE SUBDIVISION, PART 5 LOCATED ON THE WEST SIDE OF OLD WEST POINT ROAD AS PRESENTED BY ROBERT WRIGHT AND APPROVED BY THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION.

C. OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK

1. APPROVAL OF THE CLAIMS DOCKET AS OF JULY 12, 2007.

D. ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT

1. REQUEST AUTHORIZATION FOR THE MAYOR TO SIGN “CERTIFICATE OF FINAL ACCEPTANCE” FOR THE COMPLETION OF WORK ON THE NEW SPORTSPLEX SOCCER FIELD LIGHTING PROJECT ON LYNN LANE.

*****2. REQUEST AUTHORIZATION TO ADVERTISE FOR BIDS FOR THE DEMOLITION AND REMOVAL OF ALL CITY OWNED BUILDINGS AND CONCRETE PARKING AREAS LOCATED AT THE CORNER OF JEFFERSON STREET & LAFAYETTE STREET.

3. REQUEST AUTHORIZATION TO CONTRACT WITH PRITCHARD ENGINEERING TO PERFORM A BOUNDARY AND TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY FOR $2,200.00.

4. REQUEST BOARD APPROVAL OF STARKVILLE ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT SOURCE OF SUPPLY FOR JULY 1, 2007 TO DECEMBER 31, 2007.

5. REQUEST AUTHORIZATION TO PURCHASE DECORATIVE STREET LIGHTS FOR INSTALLATION IN BELMONT ESTATES AT A COST OF $13,800.15 WITH THE COST TO BE SHARED BY THE DEVELOPER.

E. FIRE DEPARTMENT

1. REQUEST AUTHORIZATION TO PURCHASE TWENTY (20) SECTIONS OF 1 ¾ INCH AND TWENTY (20) 2 ½ FIREFIGHTING OF FIREFIGHTING HOSE FROM SUNBELT FIRE EQUIPMENT UNDER STATE SOURCE OF SUPPLY.

2. REQUEST AUTHORIZATION FOR THE COMBAT CHALLENGE TEAM CONSISTING OF LEE KELLUM, ANDY MORGAN, TODD PALMER, JUSTIN EDWARDS, BLAKE DANIELS, AND ALEX STOCK TO TRAVEL OUT-OF-STATE TO LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY FROM AUGUST 9 – 11, 2007.

3. REQUEST AUTHORIZATION FOR CLARK HUDSON, GEORGE THOMPSON AND JEROME CLARK TO ATTEND THE STATE FIRE ACADEMY IN PEARL, MISSISSIPPI FOR THE FIRE SERVICE MANAGEMENT 101 COURSE FROM AUGUST 6 THROUGH 10, 2007.

4. REQUEST AUTHORIZATION FOR MARK MCCURDY TO TRAVEL TO THE STATE FIRE ACADEMY IN PEARL, MISSISSIPPI TO ATTEND THE FIRE INSPECTOR 1031 COURSE FROM AUGUST 20 THROUGH 31, 2007.

F. PERSONNEL

1. REQUEST APPROVAL OF THE PROMOTION OF JAMES COKER TO THE POSITION OF CHIEF WASTEWATER OPERATOR AT GRADE 12/STEP 1 WITH AN ANNUAL SALARY OF $33,565.20 TO BE EFFECTIVE AT THE NEXT PAYROLL CYCLE.

2. REQUEST AUTHORIZATION TO RECLASSIFY KEN MATHEWS FROM TEMPORARY TO REGULAR FULL-TIME LANDFILL EQUIPMENT OPERATOR.

*****3. REQUEST AUTHORIZATION TO HIRE ANGELA YOUNG AS A DISPATCHER FOR THE STARKVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT AT A GRADE 6/STEP1 FOR AN ANNUAL SALARY OF $20,308.47.

G. PUBLIC SERVICES

1. REQUEST AUTHORIZATION TO ACCEPT THE BEST QUOTE FOR A PORTION OF THE 14” PVC WATER PIPE AND FITTINGS FOR HIGHWAY 12 EXTENDED FIRE MAIN EXTENSION PROJECT FROM SUMMIT PIPE AND SUPPLY IN THE AMOUNT OF $16,920.10.

2. REQUEST AUTHORIZATION TO ACCEPT THE BEST QUOTE FOR A WATER LINE LOCATION UNIT FROM MID-SOUTH DITCH WITCH IN THE AMOUNT OF $3,272.50.

XI. EXECUTIVE SESSION

A. POTENTIAL LITIGATION

B. LAND ACQUISITION

XII. ADJOURN UNTIL THE REGULAR MEETING SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 7, 2007 @ 5:30 IN THE CITY HALL COURTROOM.

Long Time No Post

2007-05-30T13:13:00.000-05:00

I believe that keeping a blog is a valuable tool in keeping in touch with citizens as well as allowing them a venue to voice their comments. Therefore, I apologize for not updating this blog for a long while. I have continued to do a monthly radio interview on WMSV and will now continue to update this blog on a much more regular basis.

Maroon Before Home Games

2006-09-24T22:54:00.000-05:00

I received a message from one of the public relations officers of the MSU Student Association. They are asking everyone to wear a maroon shirt on the Friday before a home football game. I thought I would help pass the word around. Given that our next home football game is this weekend, I plan to show my support the day before and during the game.

Go Bulldogs!

Ribbon Cutting Tomorrow

2006-09-13T21:12:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I will be attending the ribbon cutting of "The Integrity Group" a new business located on Starr Ave, at 4pm.

The Belfry

2006-08-14T17:08:00.000-05:00

Russell Street in Ward 4 has been the center of a lot of proposed development. Ergon, The Village, the changes make to LaGallaria Shopping Center to name a few. One of the proposed developments, The Village, went back to the drawing board for some revisions and is about to go before the Planning and Zoning Board. This development has the potential to change the very landscape around Russell Street and to add to the new urbanist concept that many of talked about for Starkville.

http://www.thebelfrystarkville.com

Sunday Alcohol Sales

2006-08-09T22:32:00.000-05:00

Several months ago I had brought up the idea of allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages on Sunday in Starkville. There was a Starkville Daily News poll and a town hall meeting; however, the item was never brought to a vote by the board.

Recently some residents who want to see Sunday sales in Starkville have developed a released a website as part of an overall campaign. This website can be found at http://www.betterstarkville.com They also have plans to release fliers and table tents in bars throughout town.

Mayor Rupp Leaves Columbus for Mississippi State

2006-07-20T13:51:00.000-05:00

At 9:00am this morning Mayor Jeffrey Rupp of Columbus resigned from his position to take a job working under Dr. "Doc" Fogelsong of Mississippi State University. Mr. Rupp's new title will be director of community and governmental affairs. The IHL board approved his hiring at a $100,000 /yr. salary. Rupp says that one of his main focuses will be in the area of economic development, a goal in line with Dr. Fogelsong.

Given Oktibbeha's need for additional economic development, particularly in the county, this could prove to be very beneficial to the MSU-Starkville-Oktibbeha community.

Commercial Dispatch Article

Citizen's Bank

2006-07-18T11:20:00.000-05:00

Many of you driving now Highway 12 may have noticed a sign saying "Coming Soon Citizen's Bank" in front of the old, run down building that used to be Shoney's. The bank is now formally proceeding with the process of getting a new building there. They have submitted plans for the new building to the building department for review and approval by the department heads. Since the building is under 5,000 sq. ft. it will not require approval by our PNZ Board and Board of Aldermen.

Johnny Cash Festival

2006-07-11T23:11:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have heard in the past talk about gathering support for a Johnny Cash Festival here in Starkville, MS. This is in part because the legend was inspired to write the song "Starkville City Jail" after he.... spent the night here.

One person who has been working hard on such a project is our own Daily Journal writer Robbie Ward. He managed to even secure the actual pair of shoes that Johnny Cash wore the night he was sent to our jail. Called the Johnny Cash Flower-Pickin' Festival, Robbie is looking at having it in Summer 2007. If you'd be interested in helping Robbie with this festival, please email him at robbieward1@hotmail.com

Highway 12 Old Burger King Location

2006-07-07T15:57:00.000-05:00

Several folks have asked me if I knew what was going to become of the property over on Hwy. 12 where the Burger King used to be. In that lot, next to University Inn, is the old Burger King "cabin", Pizza Hut, movie theatre, and even a catfish shack, all of which have closed and been abandoned. The area had become very blighted looking which was unfortunate given its prime location directly on the highway and adjoining Mississippi State.

Upon contacting the realtor involved I learned that all of the property has since been sold to Nicholas Properties out of Jackson who are planning to develop the area with a new restuarant and shopping center. This early on I don't have any exact details to provide; however, I will be following up on this and providing more information as it is made available. The possiblity also exists that the old cabin will be purchased seperate from the property and moved from that location to another.

Mississippi Politics in a Nutshell

2006-06-12T15:40:00.000-05:00

Richard W. Dortch, contributing columnist to the Clarion Ledger, wrote a rather thought provoking article on what he viewed as a conservative bias on the part of media in the state of Mississippi and politics in general in the state. He makes some excellent key points and I highly recommend this article to anyone willing to read it.

June 6th, 2006 Meeting

2006-06-05T12:18:00.000-05:00

The agenda for the June 6th, 2006, has been posted on the city website and at five pages it looks to be a very long meeting indeed.

At that meeting, and soon on this blog, I will be giving a presentation on the results of the last meeting of the Technology Committee (which consists of myself, Alderman Davis, and Alderman Cox). I will be touching on the issue of a new city website with a presentation by web designer Patrick Miller from Milo Interactive and will also be proposing a cheaper hosting service for our website and updating everyone on the wireless internet initiative.

New Restuarant Coming to Town

2006-05-31T19:28:00.000-05:00

Starkville will soon be receiving a new restuarant in the area, a fairly well known steakhouse called Doe's Eat Place. Located in Greenville, MS, and other locations in Arkansas, Doe's, will be a nice addition to the downtown area in Starkville. They plan to locate in what used to be an old theatre located on South Washington St., across from the pool hall by City Hall.

Follow up to University Dr. Development

2006-05-09T22:59:00.000-05:00

I wasn't aware of this when I made my previous post, but there is now a website further outlining the development to take place on University Drive.

http://www.msstateside.com

The following is the master plan which outlines what the entire development will be like (click for a larger view):

The Future of Russell St.

2006-04-25T11:59:00.000-05:00

Big plans are in the works for Starkville, and in particular Ward 4 and Russell St. The street that now leads into one of MSU's primary corridors is on the verge of major changes. For a while some have had their eye on the possibility of turning the Cooley Building into a convention center. In addition, Ergon and other developers are looking at transforming Russell Street with large scale development that includes retail on the first floor and office spaces/condos on the second and third floors. Another change is the possibility of boulevarding the street; however, it would have to come from seperate city funds than the money in our budget for road improvements as many other streets have road/drainage issues that still need to be addressed.

*click on images for a larger view*

Cooley Building, aka Physical Plant on Russell Street

The Village is one of the properties proposed for Russell St.

Layout of The Village development

In addition to this development, a request for the University to sell some of its land on University Drive was presented to the IHL board (and as far as I know approved) which would allow the following five story development to take place near the bridge leading to campus with a similar pattern of retail on the bottom and condos above.

University Drive Development

Town Hall Meeting Re: Justice Complex

2006-04-06T13:21:00.000-05:00

There will be a town hall meeting on Monday April 10th, 2006, at the Greensboro Center to discuss the two top locations for the Justice Complex: The old Coca-Cola bottling plant location and the two-part downtown location. Figures from the last meeting showed the downtown location as being around $600,000 less expensive; however, there is some doubt to how accurate those numbers are in this preliminary stage. The two locations could end up costing close to the same amount. Another interesting point is the judge's statement that the police station and court should be two seperate buildings. The separate downtown locations would be able to accomodate that request. While I personally prefer downtown, i'd be interested to hear the community response at the town hall meeting. Here are some pictures with the first two being rough sketches of the downtown locations (with a new electric department as well) and the last is an overlay of the combined police/court at the Coke location.

Breaking News About the "Hammer"

2006-04-03T22:43:00.000-05:00

Tom DeLay won't be seeking a bid for re-election according to two Republican sources who spoke to CNN. DeLay was calling supporters and is expected to announce it formally tomorrow morning.

Link to CNN story

Five MSU football players charged with assaulting a cop

2006-04-03T11:38:00.000-05:00

I normally don't like to forward newspaper articles as I prefer to write my own material; however, I felt this was important and a sad day for MSU football.

Five MSU football players charged with assaulting a cop
By Ian R. Rapoport
irapopor@clarionledger.com

STARKVILLE — Five Mississippi State football players, including two starters, are scheduled to appear in Starkville Municipal Court today at 2 p.m. to face charges that they assaulted a police officer.

The five were were arrested and charged with simple assault of a police officer, a felony, late Sunday night, according to a news release from the Starkville Police Department.

Cornerback Derek Pegues and safety Keith Fitzhugh are the starters arrested. Offensive tackle Michael Gates, and defensive ends Charles Burns and Quinton Wesley are the others. All are freshmen.

Each player charged with the felony was held in Webster County Jail until a $25,000 bond was posted, because Oktibbeha County Jail was full.

Through spokesman Mike Nemeth, MSU coach Sylvester Croom said he’ll wait for the legal process to run its course before disciplining the players. “But,” Croom added in a statement, “there will be discipline taken no matter the outcome of the legal process.”

Police say other arrests are “anticipated.”

According to the report, the incident occurred at 12:30 a.m. on Sunday at Level III, a downtown Starkville nightclub, when off-duty police officer Demetric Armstead attempted to break up a fight between two women.

Armstead was attacked by “several individuals” and was knocked to the floor, said the report. He then identified himself as a Starkville police officer, but the attack continued. After Armstead went outside and called for help, on-duty police arrived, as did Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s deputies. The report said that the “attackers” left the scene. A day long investigation took place on Sunday, leading to the arrests.

Link to article

No Smoking Ordinance

2006-03-16T15:00:00.000-06:00

The committee that was formed to deal with the No Smoking ordinance has finalized a draft of the ordinance that will be on the agenda for our Tuesday, March 21st, 2006, meeting. We scheduled that date for the last public hearing and will most likely vote on the issue then. The committee itself consisted of myself, Aldermen Matt Cox, Alderman Sumner Davis, two representatives of the Restuarant Association, two representatives of Breathe Free Starkville, and a representative of the Student Association.

A copy of the ordinance can be downloaded here.

Starkville in Motion Proposed Bike/Walking Path

2006-02-21T15:43:00.000-06:00

Starkville in Motion are currently making plans for a proposal for the southern portion of Starkville that would involve placing multi-use paths (walking and biking) all the way from campus to McKee Park. These paths, unlike the bike lanes on University Drive, would be seperate from the street similar to what is on campus. Being able to accomplish this would require an effort on both the city and the university; however, SiM is working on several grants that would help to pay for a good portion of the costs. Below is a rough sketch of the areas the path would be running by.

As per people's requests...

2006-02-21T15:30:00.000-06:00

I am restarting my blogging. I was surprised how many people were reading on a daily basis. I had stopped blogging because of trying to get into the habit of balancing being an alderman, school, and work. I didn't realize that several people enjoyed reading it so I am planning to restart and begin using a regular schedule for my alderman based posts:

* Wednesday (following meetings) - overview of meeting
* Friday - update on any new building permits issued or requests made
* Others TBA

2005-11-03T14:21:00.000-06:00

I didn't feel good after Tuesday night's board meeting and have since been sick in bed. I wanted to make a quick post for two reasons.

1. There obviously are a lot of people wanting to talk more about the smoking ordiance. I will make a more in-depth post in a few days after I get to feeling better. I also want to make a post concerning the Borden house which is another growing issue for various citizens in the city.

2. A lot of people apparently read my blog and I wanted to say "thank you" to all of you. Above all I want people to feel like they can talk to me.

Tomorrow's meeting

2005-10-31T09:50:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow's Board of Alderman meeting agenda has been posted on the city's website. Some of the more interesting topics will be the board hiring a receptionist for city hall, the possible creation of a cemetary commission, discussion and possible expenditure for a citizen survey, the city/MSU fire contract, an extension on Northland Cable's franchise liscence, and as always, drainage issues.

eBay's Rival?

2005-10-30T23:36:00.000-06:00

It's already been dubbed by some as "eBay's killer" even though it hasn't even official launched yet. I am refering to Google Base. Google Base is another extension of Google which will provide users with an online datebase for storing... well just about anything. As an online, searchable database people will be able to store anything from recipes to local services they provide to even University researched information such as protein structures.

But how does this represent a threat to eBay? Well, this database can also be used to upload information about products and sell them much like one would do on eBay but with a critical difference. Google Base will be free. The service pays for itself through the now popular simple text advertisements centered around the products being featured. These ads use keywords in the document they're in so that the ad is relevant to whatever people are looking for. With the rising costs of selling on eBay many people have been searching for an alternative and are already lining up to take advantage of Google's services once they become available.

Further evidence that Google will soon be competing with eBay is the fact that they are in the process of setting up their own online payment service, called Google Wallet, which will be similar to the popular PayPal.

Ars Technica has an article concerning Google Base, as well as Outer-Court.com.

Scooter Libby Resigns

2005-10-28T12:24:00.000-05:00

Dick Cheney's Chief of Staff Scooter Libby resigned today in the face of a 5-count, 22 page indictment. According to CNN, "Libby was indicted on one count of obstruction of justice, two counts of perjury and two counts of making false statements, court documents show." His attorney's deny that he is guilty of any criminal conduct.

The indictment can be read in pdf format here.

Comprehensive Plan Off Tonight's Agenda

2005-10-18T15:45:00.000-05:00

Due to still needing to work out some issues with the Comprehensive Plan, city planner George Rummel has requested that final discussion and adoption of the plan be removed from tonight's agenda.

Daniel Melder Featured in Slate

2005-10-16T11:38:00.000-05:00

I have forgotten to give props where they are due. Former College Democrat's president Daniel Melder was featured in Slate. The article also featured Ole Miss liberal Will Bardwell.

Maybe I need to start providing commentary so I can get mentioned in a national website? Anyway congradulations Melder!

2005-10-14T22:50:00.000-05:00

Long time no post for me, due to the normal stresses of school life and city business. One issue that's been mentioned is the possiblity of a no-smoking ordiance for Starkville's bars and restuarants. Before I mention where I stand on the issue, let me first say be forthright in saying that I do smoke on occasion. Usually when I am out with friends at a bar myself. While I do believe smoking is bad, state law already requires seperate no-smoking areas for restuarants. I believe that the issue should be up to the individual businesses as to whether they should choose to allow smoking in their establishment. I certainly wouldn't mind a few smoke free bars in town; however, I don't think government needs to force that decision on those establishments.

Poplarville

2005-09-28T11:10:00.000-05:00

Upon speaking to various people in Jackson, I learned that the Mississippi Municipal League (MML) is setting up a program where cities in north MS adopt sister cities in the south that were affected by hurricane Katrina.

I thought this was a great idea and asked to be given the name of a city still in need that hadn't been adopted yet. Smaller towns were having more difficulty with this as a majority of relief efforts have been focusing on larger areas such as Biloxi/Gulfport. The city suggested was Poplarville (pop. around 2,601 at the last census). I motioned at the last board meeting that we adopt Poplarville and in doing so see in what ways we can lend assistance to them. It was passed by the board and so I have been in contact with some city officials down there.

Their sole fire station was destroyed in the storm. Their police station suffered damage as well and had to have 3" of water pumped out of it. They've been able to restore power and water/sewer. Various homes and businesses were destroyed and of the businesses left, many of them received their goods from distributors out of New Orleans. Needless to say it will be a while before they fully recover.

Currently they are worked with FEMA to set up a temporary fire station. Once fire/police services are fully re-established then they said they will provide us with a list of whatever items they need.

Comprehensive Plan Workshop Scheduled Important

2005-09-21T17:02:00.000-05:00

At Tuesday's board of alderman meeting city planner George Rummel gave a brief update on his work on the comprehensive plan for the city. It was at this meeting that the board requested a public workshop be held for the purposes of educating the public on the plan and changes made since when Shelly Johnstone was city planner. It is both an opportunity for citizens to learn about this plan and also to ask questions/provide commentary. Confirmation was made today for the time/location:

Greensboro Center
Tuesday, September 27th, 2005
6:00pm until 9:00pm

If there is any one meeting that you, my readership, attend this year, I would encourage it to be this one. Why? Once this plan is approved, and it will be soon, it will lay the foundation for the future growth of the city for the next 25 years. Although for some of you who are students who may not be in town much longer, you will have friends that will stay, along with possible younger brothers/sisters and maybe even one day children who will become residents of Starkville. Ask yourselves what you want to see for this city and then come to this workshop with those ideas in mind.

If you would like to read the current copy of the plan, it can be downloaded from the city's website:
http://www.cityofstarkville.org/government/documents/Starkville_Comprehensive_Plan.pdf

Starkville's Budget

2005-09-19T21:54:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday, September 15th, the board passed the upcoming F.Y. '06 budget. If you are interested in learning more about Starkville's budget, you can download both of budget committee chairman Matt Cox's presentations below:

F.Y. '06 Budget Expenditures
F.Y. '06 Budget Revenue

The documents illustrate sales tax growth, distribution of funds, and other areas of concern.

In addition, the board of aldermen meet again tomorrow at 5:30pm at City Hall. City Planner George Rummel will be making a presentation concerning his modifications to the city's comprehensive plan.

To my readership...

2005-09-19T07:06:00.000-05:00

I promise that I have not dropped off the face of the earth. After a brief hiatus, I will resume reporting on local city happenings and various other topics this week.

Not another one!

2005-09-07T16:36:00.000-05:00

I really hope that this projected path for hurricane Ophelia by Accuweather is incorrect. This is the peak hurricane season and it's not impossible that yet another hurricane will strike the coast.

Former Mayor Passed

2005-09-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Former Starkville Mayor Mack Rutledge, 72, passed away. He had been sick with cancer for some time. Funeral services will be held at 2pm today at Welch Funeral Home.

MSU 36 - Murray State - 6

2005-09-05T14:54:00.000-05:00

I'm a bit late in posting this; however, the MSU football game on Saturday was great. I think that Murray State provided a good warm up for the real game that will take place next week: MSU vs. Auburn at Auburn. I believe that that game will give a good indication as to how MSU will fare for the rest of the season.

At the game I had the honor, along with the rest of the board of aldermen, to watch the game from President Lee's skybox. The view was great as I was right on the 50 yard line. We were each allowed to bring one guest, so I took my dad with me. Here's a picture of us with Bully:

Mississippi Power Update

2005-09-05T10:03:00.000-05:00

Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, provides much of the power used in southeast MS including the coast. They have been emailing all city officials throughout the state with daily updates on the latest information on how the effort to restore power is going.

The latest email received from them said, "Service was restored to more than 13,000 customers Sunday and we were able to re-energize several additional substations, including Picayune, Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Richton, Poplarville, Shubuta, and Carriere."

They divide the area of coverage in MS into three areas: Coast, Pine Belt, and Meridian. As of yesterday their progress in restoring power to those three districts were:

Coast 22,281 30%
Pine Belt 23,534 40%
Meridian 28,503 76%

Chief Justice Rehnquist Passed

2005-09-03T22:20:00.000-05:00

News is just now breaking, Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist of the Supreme Court, has just recently passed away. This couldn't come at a worst time as our nation's attention is already focused on one tragedy and will drain both congresses and the president's attention as they prepare to appoint a new justice when they are also attempting to handle the situation in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Job Offer for Refugees

2005-09-02T02:10:00.000-05:00

Synergetics, in Starkville, has an interesting response to the problem of Hurricane Katrina. For those with computer experience who are stranded and staying in Starkville for any given number of months until one can return back to the coast, Synergetics is offering temporary jobs for those who are here and want to work until which time they can return. The offer is being made to allow those who are stranded here to experience some degree of normalcy and consistency while here. I don't believe the owners set this up with any desire to use the people who are out of a home, but rather to provide them with a job opportunity while they are stranded miles away from their home and work.

Interesting Article on Fox News

2005-09-01T15:54:00.000-05:00

I have a tendency not to watch Fox News because I feel they have an inherent bias, although I have been impressed with their coverage of Hurricane Katrina. I was surprised; however, when I read a rather scaving article on the Republican Party from the views section of Fox's website.

Storm Damage

2005-08-31T14:53:00.000-05:00

In doing some research today on the amount of damage to the City of Starkville from Hurricane Katrina, I learned that no public buildings, i.e. city hall, police department, etc. were damaged from the storm. The main financial cost to the city will be in the form of overtime for the sanitation department and gas, etc. for the chainsaws being used to cut off dead limbs. Some residents had their homes and cars damaged in the storm. I believe it will still be some time before we are able to assess that sort of damage. I also called OCH and they told me there were no storm related deaths and only a few minimal injuries.

I do feel fortunate though that we fared much better than our fellow cities to the south. We should do what we can to help those who are suffering from this tragic event. Several student organizations at MSU are collecting food and goods to send down to the volunteer forces who are working to put people's lives back together. I encourage each and every one of you to donate at least one item to help with the relief effort. If you need someone to give the item(s) to, please let me know and I will gladly take it and give it to a group for you.

CAPTCHA - Pro's and Con's

2005-08-31T13:43:00.000-05:00

When I made my first post to the blog, I had stated that it would be used to talk about issues important to me, including city politics, state & national politics, science & technology, and various going-ons in my life. I've focused primarily on City of Starkville related posts but today i'm going to expand on an entirely different topic: CAPTCHA's.

What's a CAPTCHA? It's an acroymn that stands for Completely Automated Public Turing-Test to Tell Computers and Humans Apart.

What? You may be more familar with it in the form of images such as this:

where you are required to type the word on screen into a box to register for various sites or to post on various blogs. The purpose is to filter out automated computer programs (also known as bots or spambots) from being able to sign up for accounts to use in their spam. With the popularity of blogs, they're rapidly become a target of what is called comment spam, which is spam delivered in the form of comments from random "users" in various blogs. An example, taken from some comment spam left on Edward Sanders blog, is a comment post like this:

Anonymous said...
Hi, Blogs are very popular these days. I think you can potentially make the top 10. Go for it!

I have a Employment Screening site. I think it will eventually cover all things about Employment Screening .

Stop by if you get the change. : - )

In that example, the post was anonymous so a user account wasn't required. Many spam programs will automatically register accounts to use to make spam comments since it makes them look more "realistic" and also because some bloggers disable anonymous comments.

Blogspot, and other blog sites, are now allowing users to set a higher security setting which requires a CAPTCHA test before a comment can be posted. The idea is that this will deter spambots from posting comment spam.

There are some pro's and con's to using CAPTCHA's.

Pros:
Can deter spambots from registering/posting.

Cons:
Since CAPTCHA's are randomly created, they can occasionally be too difficult for even humans to read.
Annoyance of having an additional step to go through in doing something online.
Increased server load in image generation and storage.
Blind computer users are unable to use this and must seek assistance.

Weaknesses
CAPTCHA's are starting to lose some effectiveness now that spammers are developing software specifically for the purpose of cracking them. They will have the program scan the image and apply various transformations on it to allow various font scanning programs to read it. Good CAPTCHA's will use a variety of fonts, twists, rotations, transformations, random background noise, different colors, variable font sizes, and various other techniques to make them difficult for a computer to decipher. Again though one runs into the problem of making them too difficult for humans.

Alternatives
Various alternatives to word based visual CAPTCHA's. They include:

logic problems ex. Which of these is not a bird? a. canary b. pigs c. woodpecker
image based CAPTCHA's, where a user has to guess what an image is. Image recognition is much harder for computer programs to decipher.
sound
credit card verification
live operators
limited use accounts ex. Web-based email that only allows 10 emails a day. Prevents spam abuse from that account.
biometrics ex. finger-print scanner

Personally I plan to turn on CAPTCHA on blogspot. It may not be able to deter all spam; however, if it can stop a few of them it would be worth it to me.

Links
Wikipedia Definition of CAPTCHA
W3C Accessiblity Problems with Visual Verification Systems
Spam: The Phenomenon (not about CAPTCHA's, but excellent overview on spam)

State of Emergency Declared

2005-08-29T14:12:00.000-05:00

Today we, the Board of Alderman in Starkville, declared a local state of emergency for Starkville. It is essentially the same as what Governor Barbour has done on a state level. This will last for 7 days at which point we have authorized the mayor to decide whether to extend our state of emergency status or to have to cancelled. During this time, it will give the city more access to emergency funds as needed. Most of this will occur after the storm, right now our biggest concern is securing the safety of the citzens of Starkville and making sure everyone survives.

Stay somewhere safe, if you live in a house with structural damage or a mobile home then please proceed to a local shelter such as the First Methodist Church at the end of Main St. or Herbert Hall on campus.

Emergency Meeting of the Board of Aldermen

2005-08-29T13:12:00.000-05:00

Mayor Dan Camp has called an emergency meeting of the Board of Aldermen to discuss the weather and what precautions the city is taking. Currently all non-essential personnel are being allowed to leave work. I checked with the Red Cross, which has set up emergency shelters at Herbert Hall on campus and the First Methodist church, and at noon they already had 38 people signed up to stay there. They have enough beds and supplies however to accommodate a fairly large crowd.

I will report on the results of the board meeting after it is over.

Cheer's Future Uncertain

2005-08-27T15:18:00.000-05:00

Over the past week or two i've heard rumors going around that the bar formerly known as Cheers, located in what was once the LaGallaria Shopping Center, may be closing down. Upon speaking to the establishment's owner last night, I learned that since being bought out the rates to rent space in the now Cotton Crossing Shopping Center have double or even tripled. As a result most if not all of the local businesses are having to relocate to other locations. Even Papa John's, a national chain, may be having to move, and even if they do not their lease, formerly a 10 year lease, has been revoked and replaced with a new 3 year lease. As far as Cheer's goes they should learn in 3 - 4 days whether they'll be offered a new lease. Word is that they may not be offered a lease renewal at all. In that case, then pending possible litigation, the establishment will have to close.

Cheers has been around for 21 years and is the oldest bar still open in Starkville. The owner was planning to renovate and increase the size, including a downstairs lounge area. It would be a shame for Starkville to lose a historic bar that even famous people such as Raphael Palmeiro and Morgan Freeman have frequented.

Pat Robertson in hot water over remark

2005-08-23T20:10:00.000-05:00

The Vice President of Venezuela, Vicente Rangel, is upset over comments that tv envangelist Pat Robertson made on air. Pat Robertson remarked that the U.S. should assassinate Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Robertson was upset over Venezuela's relationship with communist Cuba and also accused them of being "a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism all over the continent."

CNN reported that "[Robertson] did not explain how Venezuela was to be used by Muslim extremists. The U.S. State Department Web site says 98 percent of the population are Roman Catholic or protestant."

Full story here. (cnn.com)

City Hall Meeting - August 16th, 2005

2005-08-17T13:17:00.000-05:00

Some of the highlights of last night's board of alderman meeting centered around three actions that the board took. They were:

1. Patrick Nordin, representing Starkville in Motion, made a presentation for a bike lane to be placed within University Drive. Patrick had been working with Bill Webb, Matt Cox, and other city officials on the plan. Representatives from Starkville in Motion contacted the residents and businesses along University Drive and the only objection came from the Catholic Church who feared losing some of their upfront parking. However, they are placing a bike rack in front as more and more of their congregration is biking to church. Matt Cox motioned approval and I seconded with the entire board approving the measure. The only pressing legal concern left is with making sure that proper maintenance is made on the paths to prevent potential accidents.

2. Jon David Cole and other select representatives from the Student Association came before the board to request permission to host Bulldog Bash in the Cotton District. This annual event also requires police and fire protection as well as electrical needs. I had previously requested that if the funds were available that enough be allocated to support the overtime fees of the police department for the event so as to save the SA money that can then be used to make the event even better. This event is a huge tourism and sale tax revenue generating event for the city and deserves to be supported. I motioned approval and Sumner Davis seconded with the entire board approving.

3. A brief presentation was made on a possible downtown location for the police department. This location would include a police department, municipal court, and new electric department all rolled into one. The preliminary plans can be viewed in this pdf that I scanned. The electric department, whose funds are seperate from the city's, can be used in land procurement as well as any development related directly to the electric department so the cost to the city will be less than what is presented. The board approved looking into this location further to get a more accurate cost estimate. Steve Langston of the Downtown Business Association voiced concern over the future location of city hall since that wasn't included in the plans. The issue over city hall is whether a new one should be built or whether the old city hall, after the police department has moved into a new complex, should be renovated. The concern is that a new city hall would require removing more land from the tax roll.

In addition to these highlights, Matt Cox also made an excellent presentation concerning the revenue portion of the city's budget. I will post a link to that presentation at a later date.

The agenda for the meeting can be downloaded and viewed here.