When the Mendenhall Mayor and Board of Aldermen met on September 1, Diane Rowell appeared before the board to discuss repairs to her driveway after it had been damaged to put down sewer lines.
Rowell explained that water has continued to wash away her driveway, which has led to it being almost unusable. Mayor Todd Booth explained that the problem has been addressed before, but no permanent fix was found. He asked the board’s opinion. Alderman Tim Gray said it was a problem created by the city and it needs to be fixed; however, after discussion there was no still no clear solution. It was determined that Rowell lives on a state aid road and the city would seek help from MDOT and the county on how to fix the drainage issue.
The board discussed replacing the doors at the Civic Center with commercial doors. The project will cost approximately $3,800. Alderman Donnie Thomas suggested waiting until the next fiscal year and motioned that the item be tabled. His motion died from lack of a second. Alderwoman Sandra Stein moved that the board proceed with the project if funds are in the budget. Gray said that the funds were in place, and the commercial door project for the Civic Center was approved.
Unanimous approval was given for City Clerk Tiffany Wallace to apply for the 2020 Small Municipal and Limited Population Counties Grant. The grant program provides funds for publicly owned infrastructure and for community-based projects. Funding from this program can be used by small municipalities (populations under 10,000) and counties (populations under 30,000) to assist with public facilities and infrastructure needs.
Priority is given to projects that are tied to economic development and that promote private job creation and capital investment. Applications are taken annually, depending upon funding availability, and grants are awarded on a competitive basis. Funding availability is determined annually by the Mississippi Legislature. Mayor Todd Booth explained that the grant would be worth approximately $150,000 if awarded, and the city would need the support of local representatives, Senator Chris Caughman and Representative Price Wallace.
The Board agreed that if awarded the funds would be used to pave around the city park. They also approved the resolution for matching funds of $15,000. Wallace will also be applying for the MDA Mississippi Tourism Development Grant which will assist with the annual Mendenhall in May festival.
The Mendenhall Police Department will be receiving an upgrade to their CAD system. The board approved the purchasing of Omnigo Software with the use of E-citation funds. The board also approved payment for Kirk Auto World from E-citation to purchase a new vehicle for the department.
The board briefly entered executive session to discuss personnel before recessing the meeting until September 14 for the 2020 budget hearing.
