At last week’s regular board meeting, Kilmichael Mayor Bobby Howell presented the Kilmichael Board of Aldermen with a master plan of streets that needed work done on them this year. According to Howell, the two top priorities were Hill Street and Wingate Street.
“Every effort will be made to completely refurbish them and rock and seal them in 2021,” Howell said. He said the remainder of the streets are hinging on the passing of a bill by the legislation.
“The legislature has introduced a bill that would allow cities and counties to use bonds for street financing with House Bill 1 money passed several years ago,” he said.
According to Mississippi Today, the bill Howell is referring authored by Sen. Melanie Sojourner (R-Natchez) would “divert the annual lottery revenue from the Department of Transportation to provide additional funds for the Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund.”
Sojourner told the Mississippi Today, “The last national audit of state highways shows that Mississippi state funded highways actually rank eighth in the nation. However, when you look at locally funded roads and bridges, we have some of the worst in the nation. The only way to truly address this is by designating a steady stream of reoccurring funds to these local infrastructure project.”
She went on to say, “The lottery fund is new money just created by our state a few years ago and is a great source of revenue to help us address this critical need in cities and counties across our state.”
“A local maintenance of effort is required of cities and counties and local monies added to House Bill 1 money would allow much more paving to be done for all local entities,” Howell said.
He said Kilmichael would need approximately $200,000 to complete the street program for the town.
Also, Howell said Chief of Police Barry Gregg presented the board with a broad list of items to get the police department up to date, including updating the computer system, improving the radio system, and updating the handbooks.
He said the board approved Gregg’s request and advised Gregg to “proceed with procuring the items requested.”
Howell also said he asked city clerks Pauline Hall and Claudette McClain to look into a computerized tax system and to update the board on their findings at the March meeting.
The board also appointed Becky Wilson, Sonya Young, and Gail Weeks to serve as election commissioners for the upcoming municipal election.
