It was not something on the set agenda that stole the show at the Starkville Board of Aldermen Tuesday night, but an idea brought to them by Johnny Moore in citizen comments which became the primary topic of discussion.
During citizen comments, Moore brought forth an idea in honor of April being Fair Housing month. Moore’s idea used up all three of the allotted minutes, but the board gave him extra time to explain things. The plan is to build a 70,000-square-foot replica of Pecan Acres in Ward 7, which is approved by the Fair Housing Authority.
Because Pecan Acres is currently in Ward 7, it would not affect voting districts. Then, according to a tweet by Lisa Wynn, who helped Moore come up with the project, there will be a $250 million economic development project in the old Pecan Acres location. Many at the meeting branded it as a win-win for everyone involved.
“We came up with a strategy to get new housing in Starkville without it being a significant expense to the city of Starkville,” Moore said.
Moore contacted the Fair Housing Authority in Atlanta, as well as the Housing Authority in Jackson. The Fair Housing Authority was so enthused they sent their director to Starkville to view the project.
“They said it was the best idea they have ever heard in 30 years,” Moore said.
Moore brought this topic before the board Tuesday because he has to put publication notices in local newspapers, and he did not want the board to see these without knowledge beforehand. The board hopes to expand on the idea in a work session, and Moore plans to return with more information.
“It is going to be the single largest dual project ever done in the city of Starkville,” Moore said.
Establishing a city Emergency Medical Services abulance district which will come from Starkville Fire Department stations became another issue to rise to prominence Tuesday. The proposal named Pafford EMS as the private company to take the contract.
Concerned citizen and Mississippi State University Professor Andrew Stevens came to the board with his concerns after reading about the proposal in local newspapers. He was concerned the proposal would award the contract to Pafford EMS without consulting other options.
He was also worried a new EMS service would “cannibalize the revenue stream for (Oktibbeha County Hospital) ambulances,” and there was “insufficient engagement with OCH” about the proposal. He also feared the costs may be more than anticipated, along with liability issues.
“I believe the city should take additional steps before making a decision about establishing an EMS district in the city limits,” Stevens said. “In the end, a public-private partnership with Pafford EMS may indeed be the best course of action. However, I do not believe the city had provided the necessary evidence to make that conclusion at this time.”
The goal of the new EMS service is to save lives. The board mainly commended Fire Chief Charles Yarbrough on the idea. Yarbrough noted the strain on the current ambulances at OCH, as they currently only have two operating ambulances. The extra ambulances would help reduce response time, and get to citizens in need quicker.
It would also reduce the wear and tear put on SFD fire trucks as they currently go out to these medical calls, which could potentially save Starkville money down the road.
“These trucks are not designed to be driven everyday, all day long, going back and forth to medical calls,” Yarbrough said.
The board agreed to hear bidding by multiple companies for the EMS contract at the Starkville Board of Alderman meeting on May 1.
The board also passed a request to accept a National Recreation and Parks Association and Walmart Foundation of Rural Communities healthy out-of-school time grant of $35,000. The grant will go toward a summer feeding program.
In addition, the city of Starkville will adopt a uniform policy for the Department of Sanitation, Street Department and the Starkville Water Department. Sandra Sistrunk, Alderman of Ward 2, helped put together the proposal.
“We are moving from a rental arrangement to actually providing uniforms to the employees, that is the significance of the change,” Sistrunk said.
The board also received the annual Municipal Court report for Starkville in 2017. In 2017, there were 7,940 new cases, 6,698 traffic citations, 259 DUIs, 1657 misdemeanors and 185 felonies.