As the elections grow closer, the Starkville Board of Aldermen meetings seem to grow hotter. But an unlikely person provided the fireworks in Tuesday’s meeting.
Ward 6 Alderman Roy Perkins opened the meeting by chastising the Planning and Zoning Commission. Mayor Mack Rutledge appeared before the commission earlier in the month with a rezoning request for a piece of land and found its tone offensive and disrespectful.
“The mayor should not be lectured to,” Perkins said. “Mayor Rutledge, or whoever is in the seat of mayor, should be treated with the utmost respect.”
Perkins ripped the commission even more, saying that should be removed totally if it were to happen again.
Two of the members of the commission were present at the meeting, including chairman Larry White, who spoke in front of the board.
“We are citizens doing our best to serve the public,” White said. “I apologize if the mayor was offended.”
Rutledge accepted White’s apology, and the heated discussion ended.
A hired consultant proposed a 25-year comprehensive city plan to the board and revealed data of a survey she performed regarding single rental units in the city.
City planning consultant Shelly Johnstone read portions of a lengthy list of recommendations she has made for the city from the comprehensive plan.
Johnstone began the first of a two-part presentation by discussing improvements to make the city more attractive.
“That has a lot to do with the lack of design regulations,” Johnstone said in speaking of the city’s lack of attractiveness. “We need to have more aggressive treatment of overgrown lots and getting electrical lines buried under ground, which would be a great idea.”
Johnstone stressed throughout her presentation that the city needs to create more sidewalks and bicycle paths,. With the skyrocketing of gas prices, more and more people have begun walking or riding bikes to their particular destinations.
“We put some recommendations in here that sidewalks be required at all new constructions,” Johnstone said.
She continued by saying the city needs to be more “walkable” and “pedestrian friendly.”
Johnstone referred to Mississippi State in much of her presentation. Many of her recommendations involve the city working, in some way, with the university.
“Because this is the home of Mississippi State University and because the university is so involved in research, there is a wonderful opportunity to draw companies here,” she added. “We want to make sure that land is set aside to accommodate that.”
Zoned land was the next topic on the consultant’s list of recommendations. She said that too much land is zoned for commercial use.
“Some land is inappropriately zoned,” Johnstone added, “particularly around the central business district. The way to tear at the fabric of a community is to put inappropriate highway commercial zoning [in the central business district].”
Along with the biking and walking recommendations, Johnstone said roads will soon need widening and the city needs “traffic-calming” mechanisms.
She ended her initial presentation by recommending that the city only allow “environmentally friendly and sustainable development.” She strongly urged the city to take advantage of the expertise at the university and consider joining the Main Street Program.
Johnstone’s second presentation involved the single housing units of Starkville, specifically those rented by students.
She said out of the 22,000 residents of Starkville, 11,748-or 53 percent-are renter occupied units.
Johnstone read a list of recommendations about students living in Starkville neighborhoods.
One recommendation calls for a letter to be sent to the parents of those students under the age of 21 that live in city neighborhoods. Another states that vehicles can only be parked in driveways and not in yards or the street, although Johnstone did say in some situations street-side parking should be allowed.
Johnstone recommended a rental inspection program where city officials would inspect rental units to assure they are not falling apart. The inspection program would also keep up the overall attractiveness of Starkville rental units, which relates to the comprehensive plan.
The board will review the plan and discuss it at the next meeting May 3.