The Monday evening Town of Duck Hill Board of Aldermen meeting was short and concise, lasting approximately forty minutes. However, despite the short duration, much business was covered over the course of the meeting. The highlights of the meeting are as follows.
As the first matter of business, the Board heard a presentation from the Town Gas Operator Kyle Cook of Mississippi River Gas. Operator Cook presented the Board with copies of the Public Awareness Notice and the Emergency Plan for the company. He explained that these documents are required to be presented to the Board on a yearly basis. He further explained that the Emergency Plan is required to be reviewed and given to the Board every three years as well as the police and fire chiefs. In addition, the public is expected to receive the Public Awareness Notice via water and/or gas service mailing list twice a year. This notice is also required to be published in a local newspaper.
For the next matter of business, the Board heard from resident Jay Hoffman regarding the recently condemned service station on State Street.
“I’ve come to talk about the gas station down here, I think it’s 203 State [Street] but I could be wrong about that… The back side is completely fallen down, the roof is falling down. When wind blows from the south, the tin on it - one of these days it’s gonna end up in the street and somebody’s gonna run over it,” Hoffman introduced his topic of concern.
Hoffman presented the Board with pictures of the property in question. He stated that his concern for the property, aside from the unpleasant appearance, was that the structure could present a danger to the public. He stated that he believed the property may have a rat infestation which could result in more snakes being present in the area. In addition he shared his concerns for the possibility of children wandering onto the property and getting hurt as a result.
“Anyway, it’s a hazard. It’s an eye sore. I understood that it had been condemned a couple of years ago, but nothing’s happened, so - I don’t know if I’m correct on that or not,” Hoffman stated.
Mayor Al White requested that Board Attorney Adam Kirk address the matter.
“I think there was a notice and I can’t remember if there was a public hearing or not on the condemnation, if y’all ever voted - I don’t remember. But I do know that I sent him a letter and we had a public hearing scheduled, but we’d have to look back at the Minutes and see what happened at the public hearing. I don’t know specifically if that happened or not,” Kirk replied.
Attorney Kirk went on to explain that in the condemnation process, once a property is condemned by the town, the owner has 30 days to clean the property themselves or the town can clean the property and charge reimbursement for expenses incurred to the owner’s taxes. However, he explained that he did not remember if a public hearing was held for the condemnation or how far the process was taken.
“He agreed to meet with us but he never did,” Alderman Chris Caldwell stated.
At this point after discussing the topic, no motions were made on the subject.
For the next major matter of business, the Board discussed the Code Enforcement Officer Michael Moore’s report on The Corner Cafe. Alderwoman Likisha Small asked various questions concerning the report, noting the non-specific nature as a matter of concern. She explained that she had concerns about the document’s lack of specificity regarding the building’s square footage or the description of the ordinances the building is in violation of in detail.
“Well if you signed them, how do we know he didn’t do anything? Because all we’ve got is three things here and I know he had to check more than that to say whether it was in compliance or not,” Alderwoman Shernell Brown Everett stated on the matter.
“I thought he was supposed to be here today so that we could ask questions, that was the purpose of tabling the report - that he come and tell us what the findings were,” she added.
Mayor White explained that this was the only information submitted by Officer Moore, however, he gave the property owners a 90-day notice for them to bring the property up to code.
“But, Al, I thought in the last meeting that he was supposed to be present - after he did this report, he was supposed to come and be present so that if we had questions, we could ask him and not you. So we don’t even know if that’s his signature,” Alderwoman Brown Everett replied.
“Mrs. Kay, is that his signature?” Mayor White asked City Clerk Lasonja Sizemore.
“I’m assuming. He signed it here, but that’s what he gave me,” Clerk Sizemore replied.
She clarified that the document was signed in front of her at City Hall when Officer More dropped it off. At this point in the discussion, Attorney Kirk informed the Board that up to, but not exceeding, two members of the Board could contact Officer Moore outside of a regular meeting to request more information and discuss the report with him. Only two would be allowed to do so in order to avoid overstepping legal boundaries which dictate how Board members are allowed to congregate outside of official meetings. After much more discussion on the topic, the Board ultimately decided to allow Alderwomen Small and Brown Everett to meet with Officer Moore outside of an official meeting and report their findings back.
As the final matter of the meeting, the Board set a date for a special called meeting to discuss the Town Budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The Board agreed to set the meeting for Monday, August 18, 2025 at 6 p.m.
In other news the Board
• Accepted the Docket of Claims, Minutes, and Chief of Police Report.
• Signed a resolution to apply for grants with North Central Planning and Development District to seek funding for recreation areas.
• Received an update from Alderman Chris Caldwell on the progress of the basketball court renovations.
• Heard from Alderwoman Shernell Brown Everett regarding her interest in seeking funding to build a walking trail.
• Received quotes for various HVAC systems for the gym.
