A majority of selectmen on Tuesday voted down resort status for a McComb bar and restaurant, saying some objective criteria should be put in place to determine who can be awarded resort status.
The request from Beth Hemeter and Buddy’s on Delaware Avenue failed 4-2, with Selectmen Michael Cameron and Ted Tullos voting in favor of extending the resort status requested for Sunday viewings of New Orleans Saints games.
Hemeter “runs a good business. I thought it was a good idea,” Tullos said before the vote. “I’m in favor of the increased sales tax.”
Cameron pointed out, as he had in prior meetings and work sessions, that the city does not have a designated zone to which resort status is restricted or in which resort status would be automatically granted.
Mayor Quordiniah Lockley said resort status is granted now on a case-by-case basis, but zones can be created and resort status restricted to those zones.
Selectman Devante Johnson said he would like to see the city move to a zone system, using New Orleans’ Bourbon Street as an example.
Otherwise, “if we grant resort status to one, all the restaurants are going to ask,” Johnson said.
In other business, the board:
• Declared a number of items surplus and allowed disposal.
• Reauthorized the computer software support agreement with Delta Computer Systems for $1,450 per month.
• Approved purchasing tickets for the mayor and board members to attend the Chamber of Commerce legislative breakfast on Thursday and the Chamber’s Awards Gala on Nov. 15.
• Approved the annual contribution of $10,400 to the county airport board.
• Renewed the maintenance agreement for National Crime Information Center access with Datamaxx.
• Paid the sheriff’s department $20,294 for housing prisoners in July.
• Retroactively ratified Johnson’s attendance at the Young Elected Official Conference in New Orleans on Oct. 17 on a 5-1 vote, with Tullos opposed.
• Allowed the mayor and board members to attend the Mississippi Black Leadership Summit in Jackson Nov. 29-30 on a 5-1 vote, with Tullos opposed.
• Paid Griner Drilling $77,425 for work on Water Well No. 5.
• Approved travel for the Mayor’s Youth Council to attend a conference in Clinton.
• Paid claims of $954,315.
• Announced a meeting for Ward 3 residents and a community transportation meeting on the proposed bus service by Mt. Zion Economic Community Center at 6 tonight at the McComb Sports Park.
• Reported that City Hall will be closed Nov. 12 in observance of Veterans Day.
• Announced that the board will not have a work session on Nov. 6 and will attend the McComb school board’s work session on Nov. 5.
