The Webster Progress-Times
A junk vehicle hauler explained his services to the Eupora Board of Aldermen on Monday.
Michael Ray of West Point met with the board at the request of Alderman Henry Flowers, who said the city has had some success with its junk vehicle ordinance but not to the degree that he had hoped it would.
Ray, who buys abandoned cars, told board members he had hauled 75-100 junk vehicles from Webster County in the past year, and could respond within 24 hours of a call. He said another town calls him to haul off abandoned cars and that he requests a uniformed officer accompany him.
Ray was told that here, residents in violation of the city's junk vehicle ordinance would be told to contact him themselves to haul off a car or face court action if not in compliance by a certain date. Ray, who is currently advertising his services in the Progress-Times' Classifieds section, agreed to that and said he would leave business cards at the police station.
In a matter tabled from January and February, the board voted 4-1 to grant a variance to Nancy Hollis in order to convert her commercial building on Gwenn Ray Drive to a residential apartment. Mayor Tommy Lott said a firewall had been constructed as required and that the apartment met building code requirements.
Alderman Jack Haney, who voted nay, questioned the impact of mixing commercial and residential properties in that area.
During department head reports, Park Director Mike Narmour said the first city baseball tournament is set for next weekend and that he already had about 15 teams lined up to participate.
City Clerk Lesa Hardin reported that sales tax collections for calendar year 2008 were up. A table she prepared shows 2008 collections totaled $414,576, up nearly $15,000 from the previous year and the highest in at least a decade.
Mayor Tommy Lott also said sales tax collections year to date were up almost 5 percent, while collections for most cities in Mississippi were down. Lott said he appreciated people supporting local businesses.
Additionally on Monday, aldermen voted to:
¥ table appointment of a representative to the Prairie Opportunity Inc. board of directors to replace Haney, who has vacated his position on that board.
¥ engage Watkins Ward and Stafford to perform the city's internal audit for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.
¥ advertise excess Water/Sewer Department vehicles.
¥ accept budget amendments that affect grants only.
Although again not on the agenda as required, James Townsend was allowed to address the mayor and aldermen briefly about various concerns. He requested that the board consider them at its next meeting, including attractions, signage, annexation, attracting industry, legalizing alcohol sales and implementing federal stimulus package projects.
Townsend also met with the board Feb. 2, when he did not request beforehand to be on the agenda either. The city administration normally requires a person who wants to be on the agenda of the next board meeting to file a request by noon the preceding Friday.
Townsend asked questions about and discussed a variety of issues then, including what is being done to attract industry, the lighting of the Highway 9 and 82 intersection, the selling of concessions by himself at the city parks, and the Eupora Christmas Market and attractions in town. He was encouraged to contact Cynthia Wilson of the Webster County Development Council and Narmour for more information. Townsend said Monday that he had met earlier that day with Wilson and that she had addressed most of his concerns.
Also addressing the board briefly Monday about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was Cherraye Oats of Parents and Youth United for a Better Webster County. She said details about local stimulus funds would not be available until today.
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