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The Magee Board of Aldermen met on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. for a regularly-scheduled meeting.
The meeting was opened with prayer by Bill Caughman, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Mayor Dale Berry reminded everyone that on Wednesday, June 19 the city will observe Juneteenth. The board then approved the agenda.
Before the previous meeting’s minutes were approved, Alderwoman Lawana Thompson requested a correction be made to the minutes of the May 21 Board Meeting. The correction was needed at the bottom of page two and the top of page three, reflecting that Jimmy Zila is with the Parks and Recreation Department and Tim Bray with the Public Works Department. The board approved the minutes with those changes.
Under “unfinished business,” Thompson asked about proposals for janitorial services.
“We go no bids,” stated City Attorney Wesla Sullivan.
Thompson also asked that the board be given copies of credit card and bank statements for the past year and every month from now on.
“We need to see that monthly in our packet,” she said.
Alderwoman Sue Honea asked the claims docket be amended to remove item 129156 on page 5.
“We cannot vote on that one tonight,” she said.
The board voted to amend the claims docket and then approved it.
Susan Walker appeared before the board and explained a situation she has recently become of aware of at the Magee City Cemetery. According to Walker, on April 12, 2010, she and her late husband purchased four burial plots in the city cemetery (Lots 23, 24, 25, and 26). Another family purchased plot 22 at another time.
Walker said two individuals were listed for that particular plot, and when visiting her late husband’s grave recently, she found a double headstone had been placed on the plot and was partially sitting on plots 23 and 24.
Walker asked the board, “Can we bury more than one person in one plot?”
The board told her the stone and bench in question had been moved, but Walker is concerned someone may have been buried in her family’s plots.
“How am I assured there is not a body there?” she asked.
The board assured Walker and her husband Brent the issue is being investigated and will be made right.
Next, Jim Ball appeared before the board asking if it is possible to give Magee residents the first option when the city is selling surplus property. He also asked if a list of the streets that will be included in the upcoming paving project would be provided to the public. In addition, he suggested the board be sure the paving project addresses asphalt buildup on the sides of city streets. He said in some areas there is no transition and claimed it is not only “ugly” but constitutes a safety hazard.
Thompson asked Public Works Superintendent Tim Bray whether digging being done near a propane place was on private property or city property.
“We were looking for our main sewer line,” Bray said.
The board voted to purchase a grapple truck from Low Bid for $229,000.
The police department reported that there had been an arrest of someone who broke into a local church, and the board accepted the resignation of Joshua Bryant.
Fire Chief David Craft reported the department had received 17 calls in May, 2024. The board approved hiring Charlie Valadie part-time at $18 an hour and Michael Allen at $18 an hour, as well as hiring four part-time firefighters at $15.50 an hour.
Zoning Administrator Penny Aguirre informed the board that they have begun charting the graves in the city cemetery.
“We have records of who bought the plots, but we don’t have an accurate representation of who is buried in them,” she said. “We are working to resolve some of the problems at the cemetery.
Aguirre also requested two hearings about properties on Highway 49 S. The hearings will be held on July 2, 2024, at 6:00 p.m.
Building Inspector Kara Lucas said there are four ongoing projects in the city, including two at Millcreek. She told the board she has a list of more than 50 buildings on which FEMA needs additional information for floodplain management. The information was originally due by October 2022. The city has been given a new deadline of July 1 of this year.
“How did we miss this deadline?” asked Alderman Mark Grubbs.
Lucas asked the board for permission to attend the Mississippi Heritage Trust’s 2024 Historic Preservation Conference in Vicksburg on June 6 and 7, 2024. The board approved.
Jimmy Zila reported that at least $14,374 has been spent on the splash pad this year and last.
Mike Berry reported that the Public Works Department has bush-hogged the airport, and “It’s just looking better every day.”
He said the board has decided to use the house as a place for helicopter pilots, and there are “no roaches or anything. It’s just fleas.”
Berry has also set up a break area for pilots and reported that the jet fuel has been hauled away.
The board approved publication of the historical preservation ordinance before adjourning.
