Introduction
This is my second in a series of columns I intend to write for The Reflector on news related to Starkville and our Board of Aldermen.
You may ask yourselves what exactly an alderman does. Many people are more familiar with the term city council; however, our local form of government, also known as a “weak mayor” form of government, is composed of a mayor and seven aldermen. These aldermen are each elected from a specific section of the city, called wards. Every four years each city in the state has an election for these positions. When you go to vote you are allowed to vote for one mayor and one representative from the ward that you live in. The duties of the Board of Aldermen are great and varied. Starkville has about a $12 million yearly budget that the board is responsible for allocating. That money is what is used to fund our police and fire departments, as well as other services that the city provides.
Any new hiring, promotions or firings of city employees also require approval of the board. Zoning changes and final building approvals also fall under the direction of the board. Most of the decisions that affect the future growth and development of the city are at the board’s discretion.
Airport Plan
The airport board presented a comprehensive plan for growth of the Starkville Airport, which the board approved. This plan requires a $1.8 million grant for which the airport is applying. The plan is for expanding the area within the bounds of the airport. This helps keep the runways clear and allows for planes to come in at lower angles and under worse conditions should the need arise.
City Improvements
The board approved the lowest bid for paint to be used in the new bike path along University Drive. The new path will be completed soon. In addition, the board also approved a new cell phone tower requested by Cingular. This should improve service to users in the area. There was discussion on a proposal to seek historical status for City Hall. This proposal was tabled until the city adopts its comprehensive plan, which will help guide growth and development of the city.
Hurricane Impact
Fortunately for Starkville, there was minimal damage to public buildings. The only immediate cost was in overtime for the crews who worked to clean up afterward and for additional gas costs. In light of the increasing costs of gas, though, the city is currently undertaking fuel conservation efforts to reduce costs.
Final Budget Approval
One of the most important decisions the board makes is in the final approval for the city’s yearly budget. A special meeting of the board was held for the purpose of approving the fiscal year ’06 budget. Funds remaining from what was assigned are being applied toward capital improvements for the city.
One area of the budget that many citizens were interested in was the outside contributions that the city provides. This is money that goes toward funding various local programs such as the American Red Cross, Boy Scouts, Mississippi Horse Park and many more. Some organizations received less this year than previously, such as the Community Counseling Services, Mississippi Horse Park, SAY Basketball, Starkville-MSU Symphony and the Starkville Community Theatre. Others such as the Heritage Museum, Oktibbeha County Humane Society, Public Library and Starkville Area Arts Council received additional funding from the previous year.
A comprehensive breakdown of this and other parts of the budget can be found on my blog at http://rjcorey.blogspot.com.