The Mendenhall Mayor and Board of Aldermen recently attended the Mississippi Municipal League (MML) Conference.
The MML is a voluntary group of the leadership of Mississippi cities and towns. Their mission is to serve their members in a variety of ways, through legislative advocacy, optional benefits programs, training and educational opportunities, and multiple publications. The League staff, under the direction of the executive director, has the responsibility for implementing MML goals and objectives.
The conference is an opportunity for elected officials to learn new strategies and share knowledge. The conference offers several classes on different aspects of running a municipality, as well as teaching new policies.
Mayor Todd Booth explained that everyone did a good job attending classes and acquiring new knowledge. He explained that the conference served as a good refresher of some things that he already knew. Booth took advantage of the opportunity to network with other mayors and meet vendors who offer services to cities. Booth spoke with the company working on the new walking trail at the Mendenhall Sportsplex during the conference. He said the project is expected to begin soon.
Booth was also able to view a new pothole patching machine that uses heated coal mix. After attending the conference Booth scheduled a demonstration of the machine in the city. He said the city has placed an emphasis on streets and the machine would give the city the ability to patch potholes correctly. Booth was also able to make contact with companies about upgrading the city excavator.
Booth said he graduated to the professional level after attending classes at MML and said the conference was very informative.
He said, “It was another good conference and hopefully it’ll be even better next year. We were able to network with other municipalities, find new contacts for equipment, and learn updates to the laws.”
Alderwoman Janna Miller said a lot of information was disseminated at the conference. She learned more about reverse auctions and how they are saving some municipalities money on projects. A reverse auction is a strategy used in sourcing between buyers and suppliers in which sellers compete with one another to win the business of the buyer. It is called a reverse auction because prices trend down as the bidding goes on, rather than up, as they would in a typical auction.
Miller also attended a class concerning conscious communities focusing on building the communities you want in your city. Miller explained that it introduced her to new strategies on economic development and how communities can be shaped by choice or by chance.
Miller said, “It was very informative and the speaker said boards can create the kind of communities that we are wanting in our city through the choices that we make. He made a great statement that we can’t solve the problems in our communities with the same thinking we used when creating them.”
She said, “We have to be forward thinking with our decisions to help our communities grow. We as a board have to continue to build trust in the people that elected us and make decisions for the good of everyone.”
Miller also highlighted attending a property cleanup session that shared knowledge on how to clean up dilapidated properties around the city legally.
Alderwoman Judy Lee has been a champion of property cleanup since taking office. She said property cleanup has been a hot topic throughout the state.
Lee said, “There was standing room only during that session, and that lets me know it’s a big issue around the state. All communities have been affected by it, and the legislature is working on it.” it.things to help towns with this issue.”
Lee said the class was taught by attorney Troy Johnson and he did an excellent job defining the legal parameters of property cleanup.
She said, “We don’t want to infringe on any person’s rights, and legally there is only so much a city can do. Property clean up is important and this will go a long way to help clean up some of these abandoned properties.”
