Board of Aldermen - Regular Meeting

Now Facebook Live for our regular meeting, our first meeting in June. I'll first call the meeting to order. We'll stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by an invocation from all involved and a moment of silence.

Father, be thy name. Almighty, all-wise, all-knowing, all-powerful, seeing, hearing, understanding God. Father God, again, we wish to marry on this board. Coming for you, Father, from guidance and directions. Lord, that you allow us to make wise decisions, make fair decisions for this community. We thank you for appointing us to be in this position. But God, we should thank you. We ask you that you forgive us of our sins, Father, that have come before us. We're focused on grace, Father, asking for this. We praise you, we honor you, we glorify you, God, just because of who you are, what you are. We pray now, God, that you would direct our hearts to these decisions, whatever one is the general. Lord, that we be fair and obedient. God is in Jesus' name. Amen.

Thank you, everyone. We appreciate you being here this evening. through the year didn't feel like it's middle of June or June beginning of it so anyway so first we have we need to approve the official agenda with the consented items and we will see if we have any changes we do have one item to add to the agenda it would be under 11 g7 I had emailed the board about this item. It's a hiring. So if there's any opportunity to perhaps put it on consent, I'll let one of you make that decision, but we do need to add it to the agenda under HR. All right. Do I have any changes to the agenda?

Yes. All or more? Yes, ma'am. Under Mayor's business, I'd like to put item A on consent.

Okay. Any objections to putting item A on consent?

All right.

Seeing none, we will add that one to the consent agenda item.

Anything else? Also, if there's no objections, I would like to add the HR item under... Item 7? Sanitation. Okay.

All right. Any objections to adding that item at the table to the consent? All right. Seeing none, we will have that item added to the consent agenda. Any other changes?

Alderman Moore, anything else? No, ma'am. All right. Alderman Sisterow? No, ma'am. Thank you. Alderman Skinner?

No, ma'am. Thank you.

Alderman Brooks?

No, ma'am. Thank you.

Alderman Polk?

No, ma'am. Thank you.

Vice Mayors? Thank you. With that, I do need a motion to approve the official agenda with the consented items as modified.

So moved.

I have a motion from Alderman Brooks. Do I have a second? Second. Second from Alderman Polkup. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Opposed? All right. Motion carries, and it is unanimous. Thank you so much. And I will read the consented agenda items. First we have consideration of the minutes of the May 15th 2026 work session of the mayor and board of aldermen of the city of Starkville Then we have consideration of the minutes of the May 19th 2026 recess meeting of the mayor and board of aldermen of the city of Starkville Under mayor's business we have consideration of calling for the first of two public hearings to update the unified development code to establish a short-term rental registry and other related topics We also have consideration of calling for a public hearing to amend the City of Starville Ordinance 26-01 to reflect a change due to a scrivener's error in Section 2 needing to state alcoholic beverages in lieu of light beer and wine. C, under Mayor's Business, is consideration of the approval of a resolution declaring the attempt to adopt the definition of hotel and motel as authorized in Senate Bill 2805 and Mississippi Code Section 27-65-23.1 and submitting to the State Tax Commission. Under Department of Business, Airport Item 1 is request approval of Clearwater Consulting, Inc. Work Authorization 26-03 for the 2026 AIP Project Phase 2 Runway 1836 extension and related improvements. 2 is request approval of FAA 3-28-0068-034-2026 grant application. For Phase 2 of the Runway and Parallel Taxiway Extension Project in the amount of $3,952,249 with a city match of $36,402.28. Community Development and Planning Department. One is discussion and consideration of calling for two public hearings to amend the Unified Development Code. Under Engineering, number one is consideration of approving the low bid from Econ Construction, Inc. in the amount of $91,000. $205.18 for the Brush Arbor Cemetery project. Item two is consideration of approving the professional services agreement with Architectronics LLC to provide design and construction administration services for the library renovation project. Item three is consideration of accepting the Main Street revitalization grant for the Mississippi Development Authority for the North Jackson Street project. Item two, under finance administration, We have consideration of approving an annual safety test with cone ink for the elevators at City Hall in the amount of $3,300. Three is consideration of approval to advertise a request for proposals for janitorial services for City Hall and the Sanitation Department. Under the Fire Department, we have number one, request authorization to enter into a 2026 statewide municipal aid compact smack green. Under human resources, we have item two is request authorization to hire David Jelinek as a civil engineer co-op in the engineering department. Request authorization to hire James M. Pruitt III as police officer three in the Starkville Police Department. Four is request authorization to hire Jaleel Clements and Meredith Grace Gregg as non-certified firefighters in the Starkville Fire Department. Five is request authorization to hire John West Cantrell as a certified firefighter in the Starkville Fire Department. Six is request authorization to hire Jolie Clements and Tanner A. Haywood as student interns in the Starkville Utilities Department. And number seven that was approved to go on to consent is request authorization to hire Michael Mosley as a commercial driver in the Sanitation and Environmental Services Department. Then under Parks, we have one request to approve the low bid from Copper Top Sheet Metal in the amount of $61,100 for the Travis Outlaw Center and the Annex Roof Repairs. Two is request to approve the summary change order with Byron Construction, Inc. for the J.L. King Culvert project in the amount of $7,884.12 increase. Three is consideration to approve the lowest quote of $61,230 from H&H Turf Solutions LLC for soccer field renovations. Four is consideration to approve the lowest quote of $38,448 of Mason Sand 48 loads of 30 tons per load from Burns Lot Logistics. Under Code Enforcement, Police Department under Mississippi Code Annotated 21-19-11 Sub 2 and as adopted by the City of Starkwood Board of Aldermen, the following properties are found in violation of said ordinance and are in such a state of uncleanliness as to be a menace to public health, safety, and welfare of the community and are therefore placed on the property mowing cleanup list. It is 1710 Arrowhead Drive. Under Utilities Department, we have number one is request authorization to execute the USG water tank inspection 10-year contract for North Star Industrial Park tank and Scale Street tank. Two is request authorization to accept the low quote from Garner Communication Services in the amount of $9,135 for Cisco switch and network materials for the AMI Gatekeeper Fiber Distribution Network at the Southwest substation. Three is request authorization to accept the low quote from Bill Young in the amount of $28,850 for a new 10-inch check valve at Montgomery Well. Four is request authorization to accept the low quote from Bill Young in the amount of $33,375 for replacement of two four inch control valves at Montgomery Well. Five is consideration of approval to change order number one for the Bluefield Water Treatment Plant project. And that does complete all of the consented agenda items.

Thank you, Mayor.

I'm always glad to do that, thank you. All right, under announcements and comments, which is what we're moving to next, We had a great weekend. We're going to the Super Regionals, which is wonderful. We had a huge number of people in town. It's always special. I talked to several people, and they were very complimentary of how friendly Starkville is, and that always warms my heart and makes me happy for us that we are representing ourselves and the SEC well. I also wanted to mention that, and I'm going to have a little visual here, ARC, the Appalachian Region Commission that consists of 13 states, is here in town, and we are frequently beholden to them for funding, and so we're greatly appreciating that they have their conference here this weekend. They came in yesterday and will be here through Thursday, and the governor is here. He actually chose Starkville because he gets to choose where that conference is held, and so when any of y'all see the governor, please thank him for making us the site for that conference visit because i think it's very special to introduce startle to those folks from the other 13 states and they've got some really good programs and one of them i'm going to highlight just because it's kind of special um they have one on thursday morning that is a breakout session from 40 000 to 10 million what happens when small towns invest in downtown and that's highlighting startle so i'm particularly pleased that uh That's one of those opportunities for us to be a focus of some of those things that we've been doing on behalf of the city. So, anyway. And I believe that's all I have. So, anything Alderman Morrill? No, ma'am. Alderman Sistrunk? No, ma'am. Alderman Skinner?

No, ma'am. Thanks.

Alderman Brooks?

No, ma'am. Thank you.

Okay. Alderman Hogan?

No, ma'am. Thank you.

Vice Mayor?

No, ma'am. Thank you.

All right. Alderman Vaughn? No, ma'am. Thank you. All right. Thank you, everyone. Moving from that to citizen comments, we have opportunity. This is three minutes available to you to give us concerns, compliments, and hopefully no complaints, but we certainly listen and take notes. So, Mr. Turner, always lovely to see you.

Good evening to the mayor and board. My name is Alvin Turner-Ward. Seven to the mayor, to the police chief, to the fire chief. All right, to sanitation and to Dr. Evan Gary Gessner as our NACP president. All right, we just have a few wonders. With school moving on campus, how it's going to be kind of hard to keep the MSU students and the Stubb High students separated. But we'll just wait and see. uh how that turned out uh uh also uh we have the property that wrapped up from the electric department we have owned that it began to grow up and uh the doors are open on the buildings in this county skip all right and Also, unless I read wrong about the closing of the landfill or whatever, we did want to get the right understanding about the landfill.

All right. Thank you, Mr. Turner. Ms. Hedges. This is Chee Geis.

Good evening. Mayor, vice mayor, board, community. My name is Yolanda Haddix. I'm here representing Star Vegas Juneteenth Committee for Unity. I'm the president and I'm going to give you guys some updates on what we're doing. Juneteenth, June 18th through the 21st. Hoping that everyone here will participate in Juneteenth. I hope you guys know where it is. I don't have time to give you guys the lesson of what Juneteenth is. A little schedule. We'll start on Thursday at JL King Park, which is on the west side of town. Thursday and Friday will be JL King Park. And we'll have open ceremonies. Our welcome from our community leaders, our mayor, Lynn Spruill, vice mayor, Ray Perkins, Alderman Henry Vine, our board of supervisors. And then we have culture and art experience. And then we'll have fireworks. So we'll open up Thursday night fireworks. So we hope all of you guys, especially our aldermen, because I see new faces I have not seen. So I hope to meet you guys. And I know our community needs to meet our aldermens also. Friday, we will have a Starville Heritage and History Tour. I think it is vital that we all understand what Starville has to offer. So if you can, make some time to join us on this history and heritage tour. Then in the afternoon, we have a special presentation with Supervisor Orlando Trainor. And then we have arts and cultural experience, which means entertainment. Artists will come out and do some entertainment. Saturday, we will have 5k walk and run also we will have a a car show our classic car show the travis outlaw center over 150 classic car shows so i hope you guys can join that also we have a um youth sports camp with our girls msu women's basketball team has partnered with us also our young boys will be on the football campus with the um men's doing some youth camp with them also that night we also we be doing arts entertainment then sunday we will have a gospel fest at belfield missionary baptist church so that's what we'll be doing for the juneteenth weekend weekend so hopefully you guys will join us does anyone have any questions thank you please show up we need diversity juneteenth is not just for one group of people it's for the entire community so we do need to see diversity thank you have a nice evening thank you

Anyone else? Anyone else under citizens' comments? Anyone else? All right, seeing none, I will close it as citizens' comments, and we will move to public hearings. And our first public hearing is a variance request. Mr. Havilland.

This is VA26-04. This is a request by Jimmy McPherson for the front yard setback, a variance from the front yard setback and for a privacy fence for a workshop and garage located at 235 Brook Avenue in an SD2 zoning district. So, the applicants planning on building a new workshop, and then he also would like to replace an existing fence. And that's shown in this image on the left square in the green is the approximate location of the workshop and then that's the location of the existing fence. So the issue arises in that this property is actually surrounded by 3 sides by public right away. Which gives it technically 3 front yards. So the front yard apply setback applies on all 3 front edges, even though historically. That has been used as a side yard now that he's wanting to do the improvements. He needs to get the variance approval to be allowed to do it. So, this is just a dimensional variance from the setback requirements at the front yard to allow for that storage head to be located there or storage structure to be located there and for him to eventually rebuild the privacy fence. This is the image of the proposed structure, kind of an AI image showing how he's planning on having it blend into the characteristics of the house. And then also how, you know, one of the options he may choose to upgrade the existing privacy fence. These are the six criteria for variance review and approval under special conditions. With three street frontages created three required front yards, which significantly limits the usable yard area. A literal interpretation of this literal application setbacks and fencing standards would greatly limit the amount of privacy that he could experience And compared to the neighbors, the adjacent property, I'm tripping over words here. I'm sorry. I love my reading, too. All right. Hardship. The hardship is definitely not a result of the aspect. This home has existed, I believe, since 2004. And that side area has always been used as part of the rear yard. Special privileges request is not inconsistent with similar properties in the area. Minimum variance. This is the minimum variance needed to accomplish what he's asking for. And then consistency with the comprehensive plan, uh, the request supports neighborhood characteristics and established residential development patterns. While allowing reasonable use of the property, there are 12 property owners of record. They were notified directly by mail legal ad was published in a start goal daily news on May 9th. And assigned placed on the property. As of this date, there has been no response to the notifications at the May 27 board of adjustment appeals meeting. The board voted unanimously to recommend approval of the request based on these criteria with the 3 staff recommended conditions, which can be seen at the bottom of the screen. And if there are any questions.

Okay. Any questions to Mr.

I didn't actually just 1 going forward. I mean, it's obvious that it meets these requirements, but we've had this. If we're making these changes to the UDC, have you got some thoughts as to how we could avoid this in the future?

There's so few properties that are actually like this. It really is an outlier. It's very common to have two front yards for corner lots, but having three front yards is very uncommon. And then this one's also uniquely located in where it is actually in the subdivision. Two of the rows continue on to be dead end within a couple hundred feet of the property. So it's very uniquely located. So it's kind of hard to codify that.

Okay.

The dead end will become, I'm sorry, I stepped on you.

No, I agree on three. I've seen it with two a couple of times. Yeah. Well, this is the front yard. Yep. Thank you, Mike.

Thank you. So the dead end is one of the ones that's going to go to a park. Yes, that's that area that has been donated in the park.

So at some point it will be and then the other area, uh, there's a possibility of a new phase of a subdivision down there. So that may be accessing the interest to that subdivision 1 day.

All right is the applicant. Would you like to come share any thoughts with the board?

Everybody basically all we're doing, we're just rebuilding a structure. Oh, I'm sorry. Jimmy Mac person. All right. I'm sorry. Thank you. We're just replacing a fence in the same footprint that's been there for 2324 years now. And we're adding a, we've decided that now that our children are both headed to Mississippi state, we've decided that we are going to stay at this house. And so that has been a hesitancy of real in the shop part. before now but now we've decided that we intend on staying here long term that's why we're moving forward now with building this this shop it's simply for hobbies that i do leather working uh wood carving wood engraving just just fun hobbies is all it is it's not going to be a commercial space okay all right well thank you i appreciate that all right if you'll step back i'll open it it's a public hearing and see if anyone wishes to speak to this matter all right it's now open as a public hearing anyone wishing to speak to the variance request now would be the time either for or against

All right. Seeing none, I will close it as a public hearing. Anything further from the board for Mr. Hallin? All right. I need a motion.

I move approval of granting this variance with the three conditions that were recommended. Okay.

I have a motion from Alderman Sistrunk. Do I have a second? Second. Alderman Brooks, I heard you first. I have a motion, a second from Alderman Brooks. Any further discussion? All those in favor, please signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Opposed? Motion carries. Thank you so much. Okay. Next item.

This is a request by Kirk Chrissy on behalf of for variance after the fact for my parking setback requirements at 301 highway 12 West. In a C zoning district, the applicant had succeeded the scope of a driveway permit and as a result has expanded a nonconforming parking lot. Uh, and violated the parking setbacks. The right away permit to relocate the existing driveway was issued on September 17th, 2025. And this is what the image is showing on the right is kind of like the demolition plan for the existing drive and where the new one will be built in and showing that the. Previous job was going to have to be grasped in the sidewalk at it and then where the new driveway location was. In December, the assistant city engineer, Stephen Kaplan, inspected the forms of the sidewalk in the driveway apron. He ultimately approved both sections for the contractor to start the pours. That was in December, and then at that time, that was the last time the contractor had reached out to the City or Mr. Kackelman. On February 13th, the Associate City Engineer, Chris Williams, observed the contractor pouring and finishing concrete in the green space area that was not part of the driveway permit. At that time, Mr. Williams spoke with the applicant about exceeding the scope of the permit that he was issued. On February 25th, 2026, the city engineer, Cody Burnett email the applicant. That the amount of work exceeded the scope of the permit, and that it needed to be returned to its original condition. On March 16th, the planning staff went to observe the site from the right away to determine if the complaint. Or if it was compliant with the, at that time, it was discovered that the applicant not only paid the parking setback on his property, but also paid the parking setback of the adjacent property owner. And by doing this, because both properties were nonconforming, it made both properties illegal nonconforming. So these are the images that we took when we were out there. The red line is the approximate location of the property line. The yellow line is the location of the parking setbacks. This is the one for Middleton Court. That little section right there was what was paved. And then this is the Brewski site parking setback. The part that's on Louisville street, everything passes pole is right away that was supposed to be removed as part of the permit as shown here in this green area. And then the yellow line, they were supposed to have the, uh, concrete removed back all the way there too. The. So on March 30th, another violation was issued to the applicant. And then on March 9th, another notice of violation was issued to the owners of Middleton court, because they were also in noncompliance, even though it wasn't an action that they actually did. So, on April 14th, the attorney for Middleton court responded to the notice of violation in that letter. He stated that they did not authorize or consented to any work and had no prior knowledge of the work. The following week that the concrete that was removed to Middleton court that then brought them into compliance and then the violation was subsequently dropped. So the grass was added back. The concrete was moved and the grass was added back on their property and they were no longer in violation. The applicant received 2 more notice of the violation. If those. In those notices, the applicant was required to either remove the concrete or provide complete application for a variance. These are the images that we produced to try to explain the variances of what was needed after the Middleton Court was sort of removed from the equation. All right, the image on the left, this is the previous site condition, the non-conforming parking lot. The red line is going to be the property line, which is based off of a survey for Middleton Court. Then the orange line is the 5-foot parking setback around the property. The image on the right is showing, this is an image provided by the applicant showing what was paved. As you can see, they've expanded beyond not only the parking setback, but the property line in some cases. The image on the left, the previous condition was about 79% impervious cover, counting the concrete plus the building. The new concrete that's currently on site today brings it up to about a 94% impervious cover. If the site were just going to be brought back into compliance and in respects to that right away permit that was approved and issued, the areas that are in the hatch green would need to be removed to bring it back just to a noncompliant state. If this application is denied, then at the very least, he would have to initially remove The concrete from the setback and from off site off the property with the exception of the driveway, and then provide a new site plan with. How the parking lot is going to be laid out in accordance to the dimensional standards in the. These are the 6 criteria for review and approval special condition. There is no evidence of a special condition related to the property. Several newer developments and redevelopments in the area comply with the required parking setbacks and applicable non-conforming standards. There's a Smoothie King directly across the street that went through this. There's a development under construction now directly to the east. The non-conforming aspects of it, when Seven Brew was built, they had to meet all that non-conforming and the setback requirements. So it's very consistent rules that we apply to every single development. A literal interpretation, the strict enforcement of the parking setbacks does not deprive the applicant of continuous use of the property. Uh, he was able to use to use the property prior during and after. Hardship any hardship associated with this request was results from the actions undertaken by the applicant after the permit issuance and therefore does not constitute a qualified hardship under section 3.71 C. Special privilege granting this variance would give special privilege to the applicant that was not given to several newer developments or redevelopments in the area. Minimum variance the applicant had previously had reasonable use of the land. This variance is unnecessary to continue operation of the business and therefore not a minimum variance. Consistency with the UDC and the comprehensive plan. Granting the requested variance would not be consistent with the intent of the UDC or the city's comprehensive plan. allowing paving within required setback areas after unapproved construction would undermine the intent of the UDC and nonconforming provisions and may create precedents for similar encroachments elsewhere in the city. This request was notified in the UDC, or in accordance with the UDC, seven property under record, received a letter by mail, a sign posted on a property, and as of this date, we've received one email in support of the request, which is shown as Exhibit 1 in your packet. At the May 27th Board Adjustment Appeals meeting, the Board voted unanimously to recommend a denial of the request based on these criteria. If there are any questions.

Any questions of Mr. Haviland? I had one and I lost. I might have to get back to it in my head. So, well, if there's no other rules.

So, so the original driveway, uh. That concrete that's outside the property line would had to been removed.

Yes, yeah, and this has been removed for the most part. There's just the 8 foot walk, but the concrete that's on the inside of the property line. Yeah, but actually, I spoke incorrectly. There's the actual, the 8 foot walk that was added and there's concrete that's inside the right of way. But then there's also the 5 feet inside the setback. All that was supposed to be removed as part of.

Yeah, I was thinking I was seeing something that was outside the property line. Next to the side.

Yep. Uh, right there everything on the other side of that light pole that was added recently is, uh, supposed to be removed. The side, the edge of the actual sidewalk, the sidewalk is right there. So, anything between there and that red line was supposed to be removed and then anything red line yellow line is supposed to be removed.

Okay, and then this drawing that you've got that that's the original permit.

It lays it out this one's the original permit for the work within the right away. There is never a permit issued for any work on the site, but that's that's the. Who created that draw Steven Kaplan with engineering, such as him and doing the drawing. I think he already had some of the CAD files associated with the area.

So that's why I did that. Thank you. Anyone else? All right. We'll ask the applicant if he wants to come up and provide information. Mr. Chrissy. I'm assuming you wish to speak to the board.

I'm Kirk Chrissy, owner of Brewskis. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. First of all, I'd like to tell you that the guys from the City Hall, the engineer guys, were really nice guys. They were informative. They told me everything I needed to do and that kind of thing. We had in-depth conversations. This all started when Rackley Oil and Company basically and I started talking about how we could improve the parking area in the ingress and egress of Boruski's. And so it was thrown out there that if we move the ingress and egress ramp to the back corner and allow people to go on and off the property from the back corner. It would make it easier and traffic would flow a little better. And so we came, we talked about it and we said, that's a good idea. So it was presented to the city to do so. And the city liked the idea because they said, hey, the farther away the entranceway is away from an intersection, the better it is. And we liked that. So We got the permit. We got a permit. So I called Marcus McGee, who's a third generation concrete contractor. I was hoping he'd be here tonight. But anyway, so he came. We talked about what we were going to do. I said, okay, first thing we're going to do is we're going to call the guys from the city to come down here and instruct us on what they wanted, their specifications were. Like I say, they were really helpful and very knowledgeable. So they told us what they wanted in our forms. We put our forms together. They checked them. They said, go ahead and pour. We poured. They came back and checked the pour. They loved it. Went on to the next phase, and this went on several times. And in our conversation, we had an in-depth discussion as to what we were doing and how we were doing it. And when we told them that we were going to go and connect with the – pavement of the shopping center which which I am an out parcel of that shopping center and It's customary that out parcels are connected to the shopping center in most cases. I think I'm the only one in start Well, it's not but you could correct me if I'm wrong. But anyway, their pavement was on my property. We straightened it out and So therefore yes, I my concrete went up to this which they had no problem with until it until the end So so anyway That being said, We did this job over a period of time. We had events going on, so we couldn't do it. We had rain. We had this or that. We had a storm that hung my roof from the power lines. I had to fix my roof in my office during this time. No one ever came to me. No one ever came to me and said I was out of encompassing of my permit. No one mentioned a word of this. Okay. And so, so all the input I was getting was from the public and everybody else was positive. Everything was positive. The engineer said what I was doing was positive. If I connect the, the, the, um, when I told them that I was going to connect the dry concrete to their pavement, they said, that's great because that's going to allow ingress and egress between the two properties. They'll keep people from having to go back onto Louisville street and then go back in. It was a positive. Everything was positive about it. And so we continued on. And we were literally down to our last wheelbarrow of concrete when somebody came from the city and said, we don't have a permit to do this work. And we said, and Marcus and I looked at each other in dismay and said, what are you talking about? And he said, that's what I'm told. You don't have a permit to do this. So this is where we stand now. So everything we've done, I think, has affected Starkville in a positive way. I think it's much more eye-friendly than what was there before. I haven't heard one downside to this yet. And so as far as the project went very well, and I think everybody, it's allowed more room, like we thought, for traffic to come and go on the property. It's safer. And so this is where we stand right now. I'm hoping that I'd have your support to keep this the way it is. and and and let us conduct business as we always have bruce keys has been here a long time and i appreciate it i appreciate all your help mayor that you've done for me getting us through this program and um i appreciate everybody help and helping me keep this As is.

May I address you as well? Is that okay?

Yes. Identify yourself while you're there. Yes, ma'am.

My name is Ashley Ray. I'm the second generation owner of this company. I'm very, very proud to be from Starkville and move back here. The thing that I wanted to address was, I mean, the back of Brewski's was an eyesore. I hated it. I was constantly on him like, we got to do something, we got to do something, because... The grass that was there was constantly torn up. If I wouldn't set a camera up on that ramp, you would be amazed the amount of cars who just drive down it. And it constantly tears up our grass, digs holes in our grass, and then it makes it where there's huge potholes in the back of our parking lot. From that situation so that is also why we thought it would be a great idea to do this because it would make the appearance of Brewskis up to start will standards instead of having you know the broken concrete with the with the potholes and all the The ruts through the grass and all the the dead grass from people driving on it So that was also part of it because being the second generation owner We plan on continuing to be here for as long as I'm alive and then hopefully one of my children as well. So I

Okay, thank you. All right. I do think that there was a misunderstanding, misstatement, I will say. None of our engineers approved the work that you did. I've talked to them on a couple of different occasions, so they did not say it's okay, go ahead. But perhaps there was a miscommunication in some way that I wasn't there, but neither one of them said that they gave you the go-ahead on the additional paving before them was the plan for the change of the driveway. Any questions of Mr. Chrissy while he's here before I open it as a public hearing? All right, seeing none, if you will step back and I'll open it as a public hearing.

Thank you.

All right, anyone wishing to speak to this matter, now is your time, either for or against this request for the variants located at the Brewskies on 12 Ann Louisville Street. Anyone, either for or against? All right, seeing none, I will close it as a public hearing. Do I have a motion?

I'll move that. Let me think how I want to say this. I want to say that I think that some of the work is good and the idea of moving that further away from the intersection is also good. Improving the appearance is good. I don't think you fix the problem of driving down through there and having things rutted up because traffic is going into the adjacent property there with what's done. I'm not quite sure where the miscommunication occurred, but clearly there was a permitted level of work that was done, and then that level of work was exceeded. So I will move that we deny the request for the variance.

All right. I have a motion from Alderman Sistrom to deny the request for a variance. Do I have a second? Do I have a second? Second. I have a second from Alderman Moreland. Okay, and so this will this will be dealing with this variance Request itself and there may be other opportunities later on but at this point this is this variance So I'm involved in discussion What did you say about that 12 is out of compliance I

Um, not not this poor, it's, uh, this area right here, this is the required sidewalk that was put in, but everything from that edge that control joint right there back to this yellow line was supposed to have been removed.

It was supposed to be grass.

Correct. And then even if this were a, if they would have gotten a permit for the site work, it would have never been in this configuration. There would have had to have been a 6 inch curve that's required by curve by code, either that, or a wheel stop, which would be another way to prevent people driving down the hill. Um, just a configuration of how the parking lots laid out. That's something that's. Spoken up very clearly in the code how that dimension is. So that those things would have been addressed at a permit process where you could have ultimately. done an improvement back there. It's just the opportunity was never given to us.

Okay.

Anything else, Alderman Vaughn? Yes, ma'am. Go to the first one.

Yeah.

Yes, this is the rear property, yes. And these lines are estimates. I had no way to scale it on there.

Oh, ma'am, ma'am, thank you. All right, thank you. Anyone? Alderman Brooks.

Yeah, so... With right in front of the traffic cone. Yes, so we're pretty well at the set back there.

Looks like most likely, but like I said, it was kind of a guesstimate just to give an idea of where it would be, but you've got the rest of it.

It's got to meet the setbacks. Correct.

And then there was an existing piece that's down here that that's not an issue for that to remain. It's just a stuff that was poured that made it right there.

It's like some old bollards or something down there. Yeah.

At the, at the other, I think you can see it in. This image yes, the on the other property, there's some ballers at the end of that whole drive.

So that that's okay. But then, but the concrete that's again, we, we got concrete up here that should have been grass outside the property line.

Correct and curb and stuff.

And you're saying that that on the edge, we would have had a wheel stop or a curve.

To stop that yes, that's in the, uh. Section 1410, I think the UDC addresses all that.

Okay.

And again, the thing that is before us tonight is the complete variance for this. There may be some... something between this and putting it back exactly like it was. And I think that that's something that could be explored and brought back to the board at another time. But the issue before us tonight is strictly, do we allow it to stay as it is, or do we deny this and send y'all back to the drawing board? Yes.

Well summed up. Yes. Thank you. All right. Any further discussion?

I have one more question. Over and about. I'm going to bring that back up on the 12th. Yeah. Okay. Why would light pole that? That's supposed to be the sidewalk.

Yeah, the light pole is in City Right-of-Way. And so when the driveway was removed from the right-of-way, all the associated pavement was removed.

Okay. So when he put that concrete, he put it in green space, right?

Correct.

What if he removed that concrete from the green space? I'm sorry? We're asking. What if he removed that concrete from the green space on the other side of the sidewalk? That side right there.

He replaced that, that's where the drive was, but he didn't replace the stuff on the other side of the sidewalk. This bright green, he replaced this portion, but not this portion. And again, this was a drawing just right away.

The sidewalk has been built and conforms to our ADA though.

It was actually upgraded to the eight-foot requirement for that area.

And that's what's to the right of that pole, Alderman Vaughn. I see. Okay. All right. Anything further?

Sorry. I did notice the notes on the permit, too. It said that disturbed grass had to be reestablished.

Yes. That's a pretty standard note for erosion control. Okay.

All right. Anything else? All right, I have a motion and a second, and that is to deny this variance request that's before us. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Nay.

Roll call vote.

Roll call vote. All right, that'll be fine. If you would, please answer yay or nay as the city clerk calls your name.

Alderman Moreland.

Yay.

Alderman Systrom.

Yay.

Alderman Skinner.

Yay.

Alderman Brooks.

Yay. Alderman Poco. Yay. Nay.

I'm involved.

Nay.

All right. Motion passes five to two. Thank you so much. And Daniel, if you will reach out and offer opportunities for perhaps a...

Yes, we'll send an email to Laura about the next step.

All right. Next, we have a public hearing. It's a 21-19-11. Mr. Harvey didn't want to join. Officer Harvey, excuse me, didn't want to join us today.

He is out this week, actually, Mayor. I'm standing in. So, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Board, thank you all for having me this evening. We do have a 21-19-11 to present to you guys. It's 101 Fairfield Drive, Starkville, Mississippi, 39759, with parcel number 101M-00-003.00. We were able to gather that Mr. Christopher Gardner is the property owner based on the property link text documentation. On February 20th, Officer Harvey was driving through and originally took photos from the right-of-way of the property. Essentially noticed a lot with the undertone of the pillars that you can see the wood. And then we also have some issues right here with the shutters and the windows. It was just a closer view of what he was able to see. So due to that, we were just kind of starting property maintenance. Notice violation was sent on March 4th, saying, hey, here's some issues that is dealing with your property. Due to some concerns, we actually got a warrant by Judge Kelly on May 13th and executed it on May 19th with myself, Officer Harvey, and Building Official McMullen. During the process, we took photos inside and outside and got some closer ups. So we do have some rotting actually underneath the pillar and we have some fascia issues with some damage across pretty much a good portion of the property. Again, this is just kind of some more wood rot going on and then some severe fascia damage to the soffits as well. And then on the inside, we had a lot of water damage throughout the house, in the kitchen, in the bathrooms, and in some closets, as you guys will see, which actually extended into some more mold issues too. So this is the bathroom with an open hole to the ceiling. Well, I think that's going to the attic at this point. We do have some mold that's occurring. And then there's a literal hole in the roof to where sunlight is coming through and exposing the interior to exterior environments. It's kind of hard to see from this, actually. But this is the closet, and you'll see there's tons of leaves and things on the ground here. But again, some more mold, some more water damage in the bathroom. Tons of water damage on the inside, obviously due to kind of the roof not being where it needs to be. So due to these issues, we did go ahead and issue a public hearing notice. One was posted on City Hall on May 19th. Then we also mailed one to the property owner the same day, along with posting it on the property. On June 1st, so this past Monday, we did a reinspection of just to see if anything had occurred since the last time we were there with the warrant and posting the public hearing notice. And really nothing different has changed. In fact, the ladder that was there when we did the warrant is still in the same spot that it was. But we still have our issues with our rotting and the fascia, and we have some binage and stuff that's kind of coming up onto the property as well. Do have any questions from I have not officer Harvey had talked to him once but I don't think he's talked to him since the warrant Okay, and is there someone living there? Not not to my knowledge I think they've been working on the inside trying to do some stuff But I don't think anyone has actually been living there. Okay. All right any questions of Code enforcement.

All right, seeing none is the applicant or is the owner with us today? Is the owner in the building? In the room. Mayor, I'm dealing with the property. Okay, if you would come up here, sir.

My name is Christopher Gardner.

Yes, sir. Could you tell us about this building and what your intentions are?

Well, I've been trying to find somebody to buy it as is. I currently own three houses. My second house in Starkville. My mom died a year ago, so I own her house. So owning three properties is not financially, you know, possible for me. And I retired from Mississippi State. And so I'm trying to unload this house and my mom's house. So I didn't realize quite like the hole in the roof there. I thought that had been fixed, but apparently it's not or whatever the fix fell through.

Have you been inside your house? What? Have you been inside this house?

Yes, I was inside today.

Okay. And so are you making any, I mean, are you making efforts to fix it?

I have. Obviously, I need to pick up on that. But I can't continue to own it. I mean, three houses is not possible for me.

Okay.

So I need to get the rest of my stuff out and see if I can find somebody to buy it as is. I've actually talked to somebody this weekend that was in town.

Actively marketing it with someone?

Myself. I've talked to several people interested in buying it as is. My realtor, Heather Brett, is one to help me find somebody to buy it as well.

Okay, so there's not a for sale sign in front of it, so you have a realtor then?

She's offered to help me. I haven't signed a contract with her, but I can. right do you have a timeline in which you're anticipating this if I could have six weeks eight weeks I get it I know a bunch of my neighbors are here and they're not obviously not happy and I'd like to unload it and get somebody else in there and make them happy okay all right any questions while we're

Vice Mayor, you look like you're about to speak. Sure, sure.

May I be recognized? Yes, sir. Mr. Property Owner, I'm concerned about the state of uncleanliness of this property based upon all of the evidence that's been presented to us tonight by our co-compliance officer, and it's certainly in a position of uncleanliness where it's a menace to the health, safety, and welfare of the community. Right. And this is a very nice upscale community, and I'm of the opinion that this property fits within the meaning of the law. And it is my opinion that 6 and 8 weeks is too long. Uh, to, um, to get this property, uh, in the proper condition, and I have not heard any evidence that convinces me that we should give you that period of time. So 1 member of this board, but I would like to say. This is something that, in my opinion that needs to be. Done immediately with all deliver speed. So, um. I think that this is something that we need to get done right away. I mean, what's your position if the city. Uh, takes an action tonight that, you know, this needs to be done immediately or we'll take the action to get it clean up ourselves. What's your response to that? Of course.

I don't know if I heard all that clearly my hearing is not all that great, but.

Well, let me just restate that. In other words, if the city were to say that we want to get this property clean up immediately. So, what would be your response? Could you move and get it done that quickly?

Well, I mean, as far as cleaning up the outside, I could, I could get that done this week. I have a guy willing to do it. I've been hesitating to put money into the house, but. Uh, if the outside alone is a concern, I can get that cleaned up in short period of time.

Mayor, let me just say, um, I'm not in favor of giving this prompt on a long time. I'm ready to move forward. Um, this is a, we've heard his statement. He indicated that he has other, um. Responsibilities that include financial responsibilities, and I'm not convinced when 8 weeks expire that that work could be done. I'm ready to personally and individually to move forward. With our taking the action that we should take, we've. Heard the evidence, and this is this, the evidence is clear convincing. That the property is in a state of uncleanness, and it means to the health state and welfare. So. I support, like here from a colleague, but I would support moving forward and get that done right away.

All right. Do I have any other questions or any questions for property owner? Anyone? All right. Seeing none, if you'll step back, I'll open it as a public hearing. And... Didn't even get the words out of my mouth good yet.

Madam Mayor, Mr. Vice Mayor, and Alderman, my name is Lynn McConnell, and I am a homeowner and resident of Fairfield Commons. My husband and I bought our house in the summer of 2020 in the midst of the pandemic. Upon seeing the house, I thought, okay, something's going on. We're in this crisis in America. That's what was happening. But it never got better. It never got better. Week after week, month after month, year after year, I've been there six years. I've seen no change for the better. We are an active HOA, as you can see our members back here. And most recently, we did collect monies for beautification of our front entry because we all take pride in our buildings and all of our property. If you know Fairfield Commons, you know there are two streets, Sheffield and Fairfield. One way in, one way out. You go by this house or this structure, no matter who you are, where you live in Fairfield Commons. No matter if you travel north on Montgomery, south on Montgomery, it is the first house you see coming and going. So I beg you to help us figure out what to do with this situation. And in closing, we have an original resident, a homeowner who has lived there for 32 years. She celebrated her 94th birthday yesterday, Ms. Betty Lee Duncan, who was unable to attend tonight, and she asked me to speak on her behalf. She's been very concerned. She has seen this house in all its glory and has watched it for 32 years. Well, Chris, Mr. Gardner has not owned it. I'm not sure how long. But she, over the years, this last decade, has watched this house deteriorate. And she wanted me to make sure that the board heard her voice, too. Thank you.

Thank you. And as you may ask a question, your homeowners association has rules and regulations, which you guys could have done something about prior to coming to us.

Absolutely. And we have that. We have a board president. We have a board treasurer and myself. I take care of a lot of the paperwork and the getting us in contact with each other. I keep up with the directory and our digital media. Mr. Garner is aware of that. He communicates with us through the group me app. So he does know that we have had his house on the agenda for our annual meetings. We typically meet in August of every year. We have had annual dues. Everyone pays their dues. Um, and we take pride in our neighborhood and we are lucky. We know that that there are only a few if, I'm not sure how many HOAs in Starkville, and we embrace that, and we want to keep it that way. We do have deed restrictions on file in the courthouse. They are set to expire in 2027, but we are in the process of updating them just to 21st century font. Because it was filed in 1987 when that neighborhood was built. So we are aware that we have added addendum and addendum as of last year to restrict short term rentals in our neighborhood because we were. We did have a couple of Airbnbs that came in, and so we have been very active in trying to keep our neighborhood a tight-knit neighborhood. We all may not speak to each other every day, but we know who drives what vehicle, where someone lives, and we just take care of each other. So, yes.

All right. Thank you. Anyone else in the public hearing?

Good evening to the board. My name is Pam Warnken. I also live in Fairfield Commons, and I just wanted to make a few comments about the situation. So with code enforcement, They were very helpful to us, and we really appreciate them being well-staffed. When we first talked with them, when they drove into the neighborhood and we talked with them afterward, we were really shocked that they only had one officer, and I understand that that is going to be improved here with some staffing in the near future. Regarding this particular case, I think as a neighborhood, as Lynn mentioned, we We're pretty tight knit. We've worked very hard. We do have deed restrictions, but they are not substantial enough to deal with a problem of this magnitude. We consider this to be a public safety issue in terms of The mold and the rodents and the fact that we live on pretty small lots. I think our lots are about a third of an acre each. Some may be a little bit bigger. I think this one is a little bigger with an easement all the way down to Montgomery. But so we, for many, many years, our dues was $60 a month. But still, we tried to maintain the neighborhood. We have nice signage that leads into the neighborhood. And then we recently got everyone to agree to do this landscaping project. But this property continues to be... an issue with us, and I understand Chris's position, but no one lives in the property. Chris has not lived in the property for over a year. We've personally talked about it. I've talked about it with him many times, even tried to bring him a few buyers, but we just can't get any traction. So this really is a last resort for us. It's not a public safety issue like crime. Of course, crime is a public safety issue. but it's certainly a quality of life issue. We are all good stewards of our home, and I just don't, I have to give a no confidence vote that anything will happen to the positive with this home. And of course, when you look at it, it kind of looks like a neat house. I think at one time it was. But you don't have to peel the onion very far to see the serious problems You know someone working on a ladder outside this house is not going to fix this house initially, I thought when we Started looking at it and talking about it as a neighborhood. I thought the house might be salvageable But it's really in our opinion after we've studied this a little bit more through these photos and such we we believe that it's uninhabitable and cannot be fixed There are two very small children who live in close proximity to this home. Probably the master bedroom of this home is maybe 20 feet from this mold and this issue. And of course, we in our neighborhood, even in our covenants and our HOA, we have the right to go on other people's property rights. to deal with drainage this issue is a huge issue in our neighborhood if you know this we're on a hill it drains right down to north montgomery right where sherwood road comes in pretty much close to there and of course there's been no drainage work done on this property at all so you can imagine the mold and the rodents. One of my neighbors has found rodents in her garage, it's right across the road from here, a couple of times and the rats have even gotten into the vehicles. She had a high-end vehicle, it cost thousands of dollars to fix the wiring on her vehicle. So again, we just don't have a lot of confidence. And I think our point to you tonight is it's beyond our control to enforce this kind of a problem with the mold. Particularly, I'm very worried about that at this point. So, we would really like your help enforcing and enforcing the standards and would ask that you not give any more time because this has been a recurring problem for more than a decade, maybe two decades. I'm not sure how long Chris has owned the house, but about 10 years ago there was a gaping hole in the roof. The city did at that time force some repairs, but as you can see, only a few years later, we're back. We're back to square one. So in closing, just remember that this is a recurring issue and I also want to mention that if we were to act as a board, we don't have the money, again, we don't have the money to hire lawyers or do anything like this to enforce it ourselves. So we ask that the city enforce the standards that are in the code and take the appropriate action on this property.

Thank you.

Thank you. Okay.

All right. Closing as a public hearing. Mr. McMullen, would you come up here, please? Yes. I'm sorry, Mr. McMullen.

What now?

Mr. McMullen. Oh, okay. I'm sorry. Sorry. Did you go into this house with the code enforcement? And is it demolish worthy?

Most of the damage that has the leak and everything was confined to one area of the house with a flat roof over it. The rest of it was just where water leaks had been Over time from the ceiling, roof leaking. Roof has been repaired since then, but not over that flat roof area. Okay. So the bones are still good? Yes. From what I could tell, yes. Even in the attic, it still looked good. Basically, it was the moisture. But there is a mold problem in there, no doubt.

Okay. All right. I just... Other than that hole in the roof, it didn't look like the rest of the house was falling in.

Yeah, the master suite area is where that was at.

Okay. All right. Any questions of Mr. McMullen while he's up here? No, ma'am. No. Okay. All right. Well, thank you. All right. Alderman Vaughn? Yes, ma'am. Bring him. Would you come back up?

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you. Alderman Vaughn has a question.

I got a question. You said you had a realtor working on you. So you were talking to a realtor about getting it sold.

Can you say one more time he was talking about asking about a realtor to get it sold Yes, I I'm good friends with Heather. She helped me buy my other property.

So we have our existing relationship How long you think how long do you think you're taking eight weeks is too long how long do you think it take I Would like at least a month.

I mean four weeks Six weeks would be good

Anything else, Alderman Vaughn? No, ma'am. All right. Anyone else? All right. Thank you anyway. Thank you. Appreciate it. All right. Any discussion? Well, I need a motion. And if someone wants to give a timeline.

Four weeks, Mayor.

Alderman Vaughn, you have a motion to approve that this or to... Find that this particular piece of property is in such a state of uncleanliness is to be a menace to public health safety and welfare Such that cleanup should proper the property should occur with within the four-week timeline. Is that correct? Correct Okay, so a motion from all involved.

Do I have a second mayor before we make a second? Make a comment to that real quick.

Well, let me get a second Was that your hand for a second I was going to try to offer a friendly amendment, okay, wait Mike, okay, I

I fully appreciate wanting to move with all due speed to get this resolved. I think that probably the best solution going forward is if the property is sold and a homeowner moves into it. I think four weeks is pretty tight. Having bought a house in the last two years, four weeks is pretty tight to identify and complete a buyer and complete a sales transaction. I would like to offer a friendly amendment to give him two months to have it sold or to make repairs to the property.

Would you accept that, Alderman Vaughn?

I accept that, but nothing past that.

Okay, two months, so let's say eight weeks. Eight weeks? Yes, ma'am. Okay, all right. Alderman Vaughn, that would be your motion with the amendment to be eight weeks. Is that correct? Yes, ma'am. All right, do I have a second? I'll second that. A second from Alderman Moore. Any further discussion?

Mayor, one question I recognize. Vice Mayor, yes. Thank you, Mayor. Eight weeks come, expire. What's the next step?

Well, I understand. Then we would obviously look at if there is no improvement made to it, then it would be for us to either board it up. and put a lien on the property to that effect to keep it from further deteriorating, or else we would be in a position to demolish it. That's the reason I asked Mr. McMullen if there was adequate substance to the building that demolishing it would be necessary or not. Because we've seen some pretty... dilapidated structures that this one doesn't quite fit as much dilapidation as we have seen over the years so that's what I was trying to ask is if it is something that can be remediated and so that's the best I've got right now Vice Mayor but if nothing happens obviously we would find ourselves in a position to have to take it out of his hands and determine what would be best based on building inspection and code and it and to see if there's an opportunity to salvage it before it gets further damaged or else do a teardown.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, sir. Alderman Skinner.

I agree with Vice Mayor. I feel like after listening to my constituents, I feel like a quicker timeline needs to be put in place as opposed to eight weeks or two.

Okay, well, I've got a motion and a second, so let's go ahead and vote that way, vote yes. voted up or down, and then we can modify it if it doesn't pass.

May I ask one further question? If the eight weeks is approved and if there's a sale that occurs during that time, does that eight weeks travel with the new owner?

Well, the new owner would at least give us an opportunity to revisit and determine that they get a building permit and that they move forward with the remediation. Because that's the thing, is we have been We've been fairly gracious over the last number of years about this because if someone will come get a building permit, I mean, we've seen it a number of times all throughout the town. If people will come get a building permit with a plan of what they're going to do, then we allow them to proceed with it. That remediation opportunity, we've done it, well, there are a number of addresses that we can pull from, but 49 Choctaws went off them. And so that was coming back to us for reasons that are unfortunate because it didn't get followed through on. But there have been a number of them that we've given given time to do so and if they pull a building permit then that allows us to understand that they are going to move forward and do something to remediate the problem as opposed to You know finding us up there cutting off Utilities and with a bulldozer to demolish it or a fire to burn it and this will maybe too close to anything for us to be able to burn But that's a fire department determination That answer the question. I think so. Okay. All right So, yes

Mr. Skinner, eight weeks is, you know, we're stretching this thing out and haven't been involved in real estate business for 30 years. You know, we could be looking at seven weeks out, then it sells, now we've got to deal with this all over again. You know, I'm not completely comfortable with how we can pick that up. You know, let's just say of the eight weeks, we've got four weeks to have it or maybe come back and say that we put an eight-week timeline out here. This thing's got to be under contract in a month, and if it's not under contract, then we give him four more weeks to get it cleaned up, and then we know we've got a deadline of the eight weeks, not we're coming up here on the end of seven weeks, and now we've got it under contract. It's going to be sold, and now we've got to deal with all summer. Somebody else is going to be working on it.

Yes, ma'am, I understand everybody at this table and the issue with this but at the end of the day nothing can be done sooner than that Anyway, regardless and we have to vote one way or another So are we wanting to shorten the timeline or we want to bring it to a vote?

Well, we have a motion now

for for eight weeks okay so uh and and unless there's further discussion we'll take a vote on it and then we'll move with a different timeline if that were if this one fails almost as strong did i see your hand again you did um would it be possible to recognize the concerns of these two gentlemen that the eight weeks is to allow time for the sale or that or that permits have been pulled and work substantial work has begun

making those improvements or do we want to get into that level of detail too much well all involved if we modified your your motion to reflect be under construction within eight weeks is that what your is that what you're proposing I think so

I'll go along with that because that's what I was thinking. He could be under construction within eight weeks. Okay. That's what I was thinking. Yeah, I'll go along with that. Okay. All right. So with that. He's got to be doing something, you know, while he's trying to get on. He could maybe make some kind of progress. Right. Well, he could pull a building permit tomorrow.

But, you know, the point is to be under construction for remediation within that eight-week time frame. Okay.

I just want to make sure there's nothing. I mean, I don't want to leave this open-ended. I want this like, I want there to be a finality to this for them.

You're not going to stop in a loop. Right.

Exactly. Be recognized. Okay, so with the caveat of the eight weeks under construction with building permit in hand, We'll make sure that that he does so mr. McMullen, are you hearing us? Would you make sure that this gentleman understands what we're saying? Before he leaves tonight All right. Thank you. All right, so motion in seconds eight weeks to have a building permit and being under construction All those in favor, please signify by saying aye opposed nay Let's be sure if you would please answer yay or nay as a city clerk calls your name Okay, the motion passes Five to two and mr. McMullen you will capture any property owner and let him know about that on the way out. All right. Thank you, everyone. That moves us over to the claims docket under finance administration. Do I have a motion? Move approval. Motion from Alderman Polk. Do I have a second?

Second.

Second from Alderman Skinner. All those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? And that takes us to the end of our agenda. Let me call for the work session, please. Oh, shoot. Yeah, we do need to hire somebody. I'm so sorry. I do this when we get past that. Yes, there you go. My apologies. Okay. Mr. Williams. You have my sincerest apologies. Skipping you was never my intent. Never my intent. All right. So under HR, we do still have request authorization to hire Chris Williams as city engineer in the engineering department. And I will let me sing his praises for a moment or two because I have been watching Mr. Williams since he's been with us in the engineering department as a... as a project manager, and he has been handling 182, he's been handling Main Street, and I can safely say with no reservations that he has saved us probably well over a million dollars in the managing of those projects. And so my opportunity to say what an asset he has been to the city is now. And so I want to make sure that I am heard when I say that because I believe everyone understands your skill set and what it has brought to the community thus far. And so I think this is a role that you will be excellent in and I am certainly hopeful that we will see the vote respect that Motion for approval from Alderman Sistronk.

Second.

I have a second from Alderman Poco. Any discussion? Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed?

Nay.

And the motion carries. Mr. Williams, welcome. And this is effective July the 1st. Yes. Because Mr. Burns. Now, let me read the call to work session. I'll keep you straight. All right. In accordance with the notice that's required under Mississippi Code Annotated 2541.13, the board will have a work session on Friday, the 12th of June, 2026 at 11 a.m. That meeting will be held at City Hall in the second floor conference room. Located at 110 West Main, notice shall be provided of the work session within one hour of this meeting by posting such notice at City Hall. The notice for the work session shall be made a part of the minutes of the board meeting, and the work session will be an open public meeting for the City of Starkville, and the public and press are invited to attend. Do I have a motion to recess, please? So moved. All right, Alderman Vaughan. Do I have a second?

Second.

Second, Alderman Skinner. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? All right, ladies and gentlemen, we are in.