Terry holds first town hall meeting

Holly Springs Mayor Charles Terry held his first town hall meeting Tuesday, September 9, at the Eddie Lee Smith Multi-purpose Center soliciting feedback on his first 60 days in office.

As a new mayor, he faces many challenges. He inherits a crippled Holly Springs Utility Department under attack by a disgruntled public and at risk of takeover by the courts.

“We want you to hold us accountable,” Terry said.

He said the administration is trying to be transparent and to open the city.

“Tell me where we are,” he said, to a mostly friendly crowd of about 70, the majority who live in the city.

He said he believes by prayer and faith the city can pull through its difficult financial times.

The city had to borrow money to make payroll and to balance its Fiscal Year 20252026 budget.

He urged the community to move forward and ignore its past woes.

“It is a new mayor,” he said. “Where we’re going in the future is not what happened in the past.” He welcomed the public to get things off their chest, to air their concerns.

Terry cited some goals:

• improving the police force by hiring only certified officers.

• creating a balanced budget in the face of a $3 million shortfall.

• developing the Springs Industrial Park.

• welcoming new businesses.

• continuing to bring harmony to the city and board of aldermen.

• listening to the voices of the community.

• maintaining and open-door policy at City Hall.

• fostering diversity.

• working with the Marshall County Board of Supervisors.

Terry said the city’s cash flow will improve in January when ad valorem taxes start rolling in.

“People ask me, are you ready to quit, yet?” he said.

“No. I like a challenge. The city is going to grow and we are going to grow together.” Terry addressed the $12,500 a day fine the Public Service Commission placed on the city September 9 until the city corrects the failure to provide adequate electric service to its customers.

The violations didn’t happen quickly and is not going to end quickly, the mayor said.

“That would be $9 million a year,” he said. “We didn’t get here overnight. We are in receivership.

“We have situations every day. Everyday we leave, we have accomplished something when we walk out the door.

“I think we can chop that row out to the end,” Terry said using manual row crop weed and grass control farming methods of yesteryear as a metaphor.

Terry cited the balancing of the new budget as an accomplishment.

“We have accomplished something and we are walking forward, taking short steps, but we are going to get there make this a place people will want to come to,” he said. “Holly Springs is not a good place to be, it’s a good place to be in.”

Some citizens asked questions and made comments.

Chris Liddy said he has no complaints pointing to the wisdom and knowledge and ideas coming from the community.

Joseph Selman wanted to know the status of the utility department and plans to rectify the fiscal deficit in the city. Who would run the utility department if it goes into receivership? What plans has the city to pull us out of this?

Terry said the utility is working to get bills out on time to collect enough revenue to pay its over $8 million debt to the Tennessee Valley Authority and to pay Holly Springs Utility Department vendors.

Sally Godard said small groups of volunteers and nonprofits together could help the community be stronger.

Mike McCarter was concerned about the reappraisals of property mandated by the State of Mississippi and wanted to know why the city is not adjusting its mill rate down to stop property taxes from going up.

Terry said in the financial condition the city is now, it would be hard to reduce the mill rate now.

One citizen wanted to know why the city doesn’t crack down on drug dealers and people begging in the street.

Terry said once the city has enough law enforcement he thinks drug dealers will move out of the county. Law enforcement is now patrolling at night in neighborhoods, the mayor said.

Ken Exferd said speed bumps are a safety issue.

Ki Jones thanked the city for appointing him Municipal Court Judge and said he came to support the administration. He said speed bumps on Van Dorn are causing drivers to reroute to East College Avenue. Traffic there has increased ten-fold, he said. He said the dilapidated gym on MI College campus should be removed and a welcome to Holly Springs be placed in that area.

“Keep up the good work,” Jones said.

Raj Guru asked what the administration is doing to encourage new businesses to come in.

Zoning administrator Pam Lewis said there are some businesses in the negotiation process.

Guru said he wants racism to diminish in the city.

Dale DeBerry said the utility issues had been ignored for years. He said Holly Springs can be made beautiful on the outside but be rotten inside.

Jim Smith said he tried to talk to the mayor but was told he could not because of his legal case against the city and that his emails were not answered. He asked if the city will oppose the Public Service Commission in Chancery Court.

Bo Jones asked if personnel will be added at the Department of Recreation and Parks and if there is close to a million dollars in the Recreation Department’s tourism fund.

Terry said there is $900,000 in the recreation fund that is collected through the one cent tourism tax, but funds are restricted on how it can be spent. He said competitive pay will help with retention of police officers.

Calandra Scales said she was disappointed by how the city appeared unprepared at the Public Service Commission hearing.

“You gotta have a plan day one,” she said. “We give vague answers to vague people. Real people don’t want to be brushed off. I’m ready for somebody to make some tough decisions.”

Pat Glass said she has been waiting two years to get an outdoor light at her house and her neighbors have, too. She said they are told the lights are on back order. She said transformers have been blowing for 40 years.

“Lets just fix it instead of patching it, if for now we start one pole at a time,” she said.

In conclusion, Terry said he doesn’t have all the answers the public wants right now.

“I go through the day and put out brush fires,” he said “We are going to have to do what we can to put out forest fires. We are in a situation where we have to make changes.”

He said the utility has to stop patching and start fixing.

He promised more town hall meetings and hoped for definite answers with time.

He asked the public to be patient, that citizens take their concerns first to their alderman and, if problems are not resolved, to get on the agenda at a regular board meeting.

“Nothing can be fixed overnight,” he said. “We want to get to the point that you can trust us, where you can say, he told me that, and he kept his word.

“We want you to trust this administration to do what it says for Holly Springs. We will be back.” Four members of the board of aldermen were in attendance – Dexter Shipp, Patricia Merriweather, Jim Moore and Sandra Hodges.