McComb Mayor Whitney Rawlings on Tuesday broke a tie vote to deny waiving electricity fees for the McComb Ravens youth football team’s use of a practice field at Higgins Middle School.
Selectmen Melvin Joe Johnson, Andranette Jordan and Tammy Witherspoon voted to waive the fees; selectmen Michael Cameron, Tommy McKenzie and Ted Tullos opposed.
TNT youth football league representative Darrin Robinson told selectmen last week that since Daylight Saving Time ended, he and other residents have paid about $150 per week in electricity fees set by the city for use of the field.
Mississippi Free Will Baptist Inc. owns the field and subleases it to the McComb School District. The district, in turn, subleases it to the city, which handles the field’s maintenance and utility costs. The city charges $25 per hour to use the field, and the football team practices three times per week for about two hours each practice.
McComb Recreation Director Joseph Parker said the city has to send a public works employee to the field to turn on the lights after hours. That employee is required to remain at the field until practice is over, then turn off the lights.
The team ended its season in November, but it may play in independent tournaments in the months to come. Last week, Robinson asked the board to consider waiving the costs until Daylight Saving Time resumes.
“I don’t think that as a city we can really waive these fees,” Rawlings said Tuesday. “I don’t think we can make donations, which is what this would amount to. We can make donations to certain, qualified nonprofit entities.”
Selectman Melvin Joe Johnson disagreed.
“The kids are our future, and we should take care of the kids in this program,” Johnson said. “I know how you feel and how you state it, but I am strictly against what you’re stating.”
Johnson recommended paying the electricity out of the city’s motel tax proceeds, which are earmarked for the completion of two baseball fields at the McComb Sports Complex.
Rawlings said the nature of the request — not the amount money in question — is the issue.
“If you elect to do this, you’ve got to be willing to make this same exception for every group, no matter where they come from, no matter what economic class they come from,” Rawlings said. “Anything from here on you’re going to have to say ‘yes.’ I don’t want to see us doing that.”
Witherspoon said the city should waive the fee because the football team is the only group that uses the field.
The city typically charges an additional $25 to use the field, but it has not asked the team to pay that fee.
“I just don’t think it’s city business to be funding private organizations to do these things,” McKenzie said. “I just don’t think it’s good business for the City of McComb to get involved with private entities like this and giving public money to it. It’s just not good business.”
