City selects Juneteenth
The Holly Springs Board of Aldermen adopted a resolution setting Juneteenth as an official holiday for the city.
The city replaces the Confederate Memorial Day with Juneteenth, now in its second year as a federal holiday.
Other holidays the city celebrates are New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King’s Birthday, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, July 4, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The board approved Ward 4 alderman Patricia Merriweather as a voting delegate to the Mississippi Municipal League conference. Ward 3 alderman Andre Jones was selected as alternate delegate.
Ward 2 alderman Colter Teel added to the agenda a motion to accept Tennessee Valley Public Power Association’s offer to provide an assessment of the Holly Springs electric department. The board unanimously approved the motion to ask TVPPA to provide an assessment.
Board attorney John Perry advised that the city would not be relinquishing any things by accepting TVPPA’s proposals.
Mayor Sharon Gipson said she was concerned about the language in the proposal and the cost, adding that TVPPA had said initially the fee for the assessment would be paid through the city’s membership in the association.
Ward 1 alderman Bernita Fountain expressed concern.
“I think we are in a state of emergency,” she said. “It’s (the electric department is) constantly getting complaints. We’ve got to start somewhere.”
The board unanimously approved a motion to get TVPPA to assess the Electric Department.
Merriweather asked who the contact person would be at TVPPA and what timeline for the assessment has been set.
Gipson said she would talk with accounting manager Annie Mason.
“The board of aldermen is looking for a timeline,” Merriweather said. “We don’t just want to put this on the table.”
The board approved a motion to execute a rural fire protection agreement between the city and the county.
Fire chief Rodney Crane was approved to attend Mississippi Municipal League Training (for elected officials) in place of Gipson.
Mayor Gipson proposed extending the agreement with C&M Bush-Hogging to cut trees and limbs off the electric line rights-of-way.
The city had allotted $100,000 as a cap for the company to clear rights-of-way.
Fountain asked how much involvement would C&M Bush-Hogging do.
Gipson said she is trying to get an understanding from TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) regarding a $500,000 allocation from the state for right-of-way clearing.
“The weather’s changing and the trees are still blowing,” she said.
“Who is the person we are paying now and how much are you asking?” Fountain ask.
“I would say at least $300,000,” Gipson said.
Alderman Andre Jones made a motion to authorize a bid for right-of-way clearing, Teel seconded and the motion passed by unanimous vote of the board.
“I agree the process needs to be bid out,” said Fountain, adding that power outages are frequent at certain areas. “We need a dollar figure. He (C&M Bush-Hogging) has almost exhausted the $100,000.”
Gipson said she wants to keep C&M on in the short term process of vegetation management.
“What areas are they working in?” asked aldermanat-large Dexter Shipp.
Gipson said she did not know, that Chester LeSure is the one in charge of right-ofways. She cited Moore Road, Roberts Chapel Road, Kimbrough Chapel Road and Highway 311 as areas to be cleared.
“I would still like to see a dollar amount and the areas they will work, for clarity,” Fountain said.
“There are a lot of right-ofways that needs to be cut in the city of Holly Springs,” Shipp said. “It is pretty bad around these streets.”
“I would say it is greatly improved since we’ve had C&M contracting,” Gipson said.
Changing subjects, Jones said he is getting more calls for speed bumps in the Meadows.
“The more we put out, the more we have requests,” Gipson said.
Fountain brought up a concern about an ever enlarging hole on West Street in front of the Sheriff’s Department and a crack that is opening up across the street surface.
“I feel like it’s a safety issue,” she said. “Sometimes it is dangerous for people just walking. They can see it in the daytime but not at night.”
The following items were adopted on the consent agenda: • transfer of $32,190 to the public money market fund for May’s tourism receipts. Half of that, $16,095, was approved as payment to the Holly Springs Tourism Bureau.
• transfer of $2,119 to the public money market fund for the May tourism settlement. Payment of $1,059 was approved for payment to the Tourism Bureau.
• transfer of $149,205 to the general fund from May Sales Tax receipts.
• payment of $112,862 to the Holly Springs School District for the May 2023 tax settlement.
• payment of $2,446 to the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration for the May 2023 Municipal Court settlement.
• payment of $214 to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety for the May 2023 Municipal Court settlement.
• approval of a budget amendment of $159,000 to pay for construction of the dormitory for the fire station.
• approval of travel for Nikita Taylor and James Williams to take the final test at the state fire academy. Chief Crane said the test is the final written portion of the test for certification.