The Starkville Board of Aldermen will vote on the annexation of three square miles of county land for the first time since 1998 on Nov. 6.
It is no secret MSU’s student body is steadily growing larger every year. As the student community continues to grow, so does the community around it.
The discussion of annexation first started in February. The land under discussion is the area encompassing The Retreat at Starkville, University Hills and other student housing.
A large portion of Starkville’s population is related to the university, according to Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill. This demographic includes people who have graduated and made their homes here, people who have moved to be closer to loved ones who may be students and those who are currently students.
“Starkville is growing in large part because of the university,” said Spruill.
Starkville resident Joshua Fountain said he is excited to see the city moving forward with setting its city limits.
“I love how Starkville is getting bigger,” said Fountain. ”MSU is going to keep growing, and it’s nice to see the city making moves that reflect that.”
An annexation can occur for a number of reasons. To annex is to expand an already existing area’s borders into new land or territory. Residents of the area that will possibly be annexed would have access to city services, ratings and insurances.
Up until this point, citizens of these areas have relied on services along the lines of the county Sheriff’s Department and volunteer fire departments, rather than those of the city of Starkville.
“For an annexation, you have to bring along city services,” Spruill said. ”Along with that, you will get our police department, fire department, the street services, planning, zoning, code enforcement, city administration and voting.”
Spruill said she hopes the increase of population brought on by this annexation will benefit not only those citizens who are directly involved, but the city as a whole.
Certain amenities, such as utilities, would remain generally the same overall. However, when it comes to zoning, property tax and city ratings, the increased population would be an improving factor to all of these aspects, and in return, everyone involved would be able to reap the benefit, Spruill said.
According to Spruill, this would be an exciting process that will hopefully continue far into the future.
While the university’s campus itself is not a part of the city, the student body is active within its community and spends a significant amount of time and effort there. MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter said it is important to pay attention to changes taking place in the surrounding community.
“Mississippi State University is observing the city’s ongoing discussions regarding any possible annexations,” Salter said.
The Starkville Board of Aldermen meet on the first and third Tuesday of each month. All of the meetings are viewable through a Facebook Live-stream, and minutes are available on the city’s website.