The city edged closer at its Feb. 14 meeting to improvements on Parklane Road using proceeds from a $375,000 state bond measure, which the Legislature approved in its 2016 term. The memorandum of understanding the board approved is a necessary procedural step in anticipation of the disbursement of funds by the state and spells out how the money will be spent.
Selectman Albert Eubanks, who has complained often about spending money on Parklane Road because he thinks improvements there unfairly benefit Parklane Academy, a private school, opposed Tuesday’s administrative measure.
Selectmen Donovan Hill and Ronnie Brock joined Eubanks in voting against the advancement of the MOU, but board members Ted Tullos, Michael Cameron and Tommy McKenzie voted yes, with Mayor Whitney Rawlings breaking the tie. Rawlings said he expects the money from Jackson to reach McComb in the next few months.
The board also heard from finance director Janice Dillon about how much money McComb would receive if a proposed 1 percent sales tax increase goes into effect. The board voted for the increase at its Jan. 24 meeting but no one could calculate at the time exactly how much more tax revenue it would generate. Guesses around the board table ranged from the mid-five figures well into the millions.
Dillon estimated an increase of slightly less than $3.4 million.
Her effort and the board’s, however, are likely moot, considering the Legislature’s past reluctance to approve tax increases even when municipalities want them. Lawmakers in Jackson must approve the tax increase, after which it would come back to McComb for a vote by the people.
In other business, the board:
• Received a $90 donation for the police department from McComb Market’s Smart Shopper Stamp program.
• Received donations totaling $175 from Suzanna Bowman, Susan W. Brothers and Mattie Rials for the McComb Animal Shelter.
• Approved a change order from Cox Architecture P.A. for work on the State Theater and Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, reducing the cost of the work from $234,600 to $227,877.
• Adopted a resolution recognizing February as Black History Month.
• Approved a permit for beer sales at the McComb Music & Heritage Festival on April 29.
• Approved Selectmen Eubanks and Brock to attend the Mississippi Association of Planning and Development Districts conference March 21-24 in Biloxi.
