Public comment pros and cons

The public comment section of the Holly Springs Mayor and Board of Aldermen meetings continues to focus on the Holly Springs Electric Department and power outages, billing, and response to phone calls.

Up first to speak at the Aug. 15 meeting was regular, Jim Smith, of East College Avenue.

Smith said he still has problems with his electric bill.

He got a bill Aug. 14, which he said was good.

“So at least I’m getting bills, which is different from what it used to be,” he said.

“The billing was for a 41-day period and I’m getting a credit for $800,” he said.

He thinks the credit may be for water. He said HSUD “absolutely knows” the AMI meters are not metering the water correctly.

“What’s going on with that? If we know about it, how are we rectifying it?” Smith asked. “That’s number one. Number two is the performance of the AMI electronic readings at the Holly Springs Utility Department.”

Smith said his December 2022 electric bill was $130, but it spiked to $950 just in electric in January.

“But nobody wants to talk about that,” he said.

Smith said he follows a process of first going to HSUD, and if they fail to give him answers, he comes to the board meetings. If he gets no relief that way, he said he has to file a notice of claim against the city.

“I’m not your enemy. I may be a loud mouth, a Northerner, a dude with long hair and tattoos, but I am begging you, I am pleading with you, because I want to help. But you don’t want to talk about it,” he said.

He said sidewalks being built by the city are not ADA compatible, so he has filed a complaint with the Federal Highway Administration.

“They are going to investigate because you guys won’t,” he said.

“Obviously, his questions I can’t answer,” said Ward 3 alderman Colter Teel. “Is anyone reaching back out to him from the utility department?”

Holly Springs mayor Sharon Gipson said some of it is on the executive session portion of the agenda.

“It’s discouraging we don’t have an answer,” Teel said.

Mike Byrd of Cox Avenue was back again to talk about power outages and how it is affecting the residents of the city and county. He said he was born in the old hospital and lived in the city all his life.

District 1 supervisor Charles Terry said the easement was not the problem but a subdivision ordinance that prohibits a property owner from attaching a lot to a platted subdivision may be a problem.

“Was it before the ordinance was changed to not allow anyone to add on to a subdivision?” he asked.

Board attorney Amanda Whaley Smith said the new ordinance restricting a property owner from adding on to a subdivision road is not that old.

“It’s a working farm,” Vanelli said.

Later on Vanelli may want to add a wedding venue on the property, she said.

Supervisors discussed the location of her property down to the end of Beverly Lane on the left.

Taylor quipped he knew exactly the location because he tried to get a contract on the property when he had to sell his house to make way for construction of I-269 in the Byhalia area.

“Woods eventually denied them access to their farm,” he said.

Terry wondered if it is possible to give Vanelli a permit. She wants to let her daughter build a house on the farm, as well, he said.

Smith said Vanelli is just asking for access to a county road.

Terry sought more information regarding specifications before a vote is taken in case Vanelli wants to build more than two houses on the property later.

Willie Rhodes asked the board to do something to slow speeding on DeSoto Road to make the community safe

He said his father lived on the property in 1942 when the road was just a wagon trail and it remained a dirt road until 1953. Now the road is graveled and white-rocked. There are four new subdivisions on the road, he said.

The speed limit is 40 miles per hour, but he said it may as well be 65 mph because of the motorists.

Rhodes is retired and keeps his frontage clean of litter. County road manager Mario Jeffries provided reflective vests for him to wear.

In July, two pedestrians were struck, one pet was killed and four mailboxes were hit along DeSoto Road. Rhodes asked for either patrolling or speed humps to make the road safe for pedestrians and children.

There is a blind spot over the hill where the Head Start bus stops to pick up children. He said a “Children at Play” sign near Cedar Crest subdivision over the hill is being ignored by motorists.

Now the area also has joggers, motorbikes, pedestrians and golf carts in the road, he said.

With three board members present - Terry, Taylor, and George Zinn III, the board approved a motion to put speed humps on DeSoto Road.

Anthony and Bobbi Howell appealed a denial of a request for rezoning by the planning commission. They want to have property they own taken out of Olive Branch East Subdivision to rezone for commercial use.

The property, about 9.5 acres (eight lots), would be rezoned for use for a gas and diesel station.

Taylor said to have lots removed from a subdivision, a chancery judge has to be involved and Smith agreed.

Zoning director Ken Jones said the original rule was no commercial property in a subdivision.

Taylor made a motion to deny the Howell’s appeal “so they can move on” to chancery court to seek relief.

Supervisors recommended the appeal of a rezoning of property for a Planned Unit Development be reset because the developer canceled at the last minute, citing illness, and because two supervisors were also out due to illness or doctor’s visits.

The PUD was denied by a vote of 3-1 at a recent planning commission meeting after citizens complained the PUD would change the character of the neighborhood. The appeal was bumped up to the September 18 meeting.