The Board of Aldermen held a meeting Tuesday night to welcome discussions on athe proposed sidewalk ordinance between government officials and the public on the ordinance.
The discussion began with Ward 5 Alderman Jeremiah Dumas reading important points of the ordinance and giving a general summary of what it entails.
This ordinance is not something brand new, but Dumas highlighted the changes made since the last hearing. He said the biggest change within the article was the request for variance, and if the cost of the sidewalk per linear foot exceeds the price set by the Mississippi Department of Transportation, variance will be admitted.
The ordinance is aimed at completing current sidewalks and connecting all of them to create a system of sidewalks for the City of Starkville. It will take time, which has some people worried.
One of the meeting’s attendees said a problem could be the price set aside for sidewalks at this time might not be a sufficient amount in 10 years.
As citizens began to express their opinions, everyone who spoke was for the sidewalk system, but a few did not approve of the way the city was going about the project.
Georgia Murphy, Starkville citizen, said she was worried about the safety of people who decide to walk around Starkville.
“Most of these sidewalks end abruptly at drop offs. The corner of Reed and Highway 12 just drops off about six feet,” she said.
Murphy is a volunteer at the Senior Enrichment Center in town, which raises another of her major concerns. The sidewalk in front of the senior center ends by leading into a telephone pole.
She said there is no reason to spend money putting sidewalks along Industrial Park Road because very few people would even be interested in walking along a road where big trucks drive all day.
Murphy also said money should not be the only factor in the building of these sidewalks.
“I want them to issue variance because it is common sense. It doesn’t need to be based just on cost,” she said. “I like a systematic plan to follow, not just helter skelter.”
Another citizen, Mark Duncan, said he approves of the ordinance exactly as it stands.
“It clearly defines when you have to build sidewalks and basically keeps us from picking and choosing where we want to have sidewalks built,” he said.
The university will greatly benefit from the ordinance, he said.
Duncan also said he and most citizens of Starkville would love to do what the city government is talking about doing, but they simply cannot. His said his reasoning for this is that the impact fees required to put this ordinance into action are illegal in Mississippi.
Starkville citizens do not have the money to do it, and the impact fees (considered unlevied taxes in Mississippi) are illegal, he said.
Mayor Pro Tempore Sandra Sistrunk said there will be a second public hearing leading to a vote to decide the future of this ordinance.
Other points of the ordinance mentioned at the meeting can be found on the city’s website: cityofstarkville.org.
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Debate continues for new sidewalk ordinance
JAY BALLARD / Staff Writer
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March 4, 2011
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