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The Magee Board of Aldermen met on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, for a regularly scheduled meeting. Mayor Mark Grubbs updated the board on ongoing projects throughout the city, including the construction of the new playground at the city park. He said the installation of the playground equipment is nearly complete, and bids are being sought for landscaping.
Grubbs announced that Dr. Lisa Ainsworth will be opening a new veterinary clinic behind Tractor Supply in Magee.
In September, the Mississippi Department of Transportation will begin work on adding a new stoplight on Highway 49 at the Shell station south of Magee, and eventually, the crossover at Siloam Road and Highway 49 will be closed permanently.
The board passed a resolution to create an advisory committee for parks and recreation in the city. It also adopted a resolution to honor the late former Mayor Dale Berry, who passed away on July 28, 2025. Donations in his memory can be made to the city, and any donations made will go to the Jimmy Clyde Sportsplex, which Berry was instrumental in renaming in honor of former Mayor Jimmy Clyde.
Alderman Alison Berch requested that the intersection at Oak and Maple be made into a four-way stop. The board approved.
Berch also advised the board that Barret Thompson, Mississippi State University Extension Agent in Simpson County, can provide the city with suggestions for environmentally friendly pesticides that can be used in the city’s ditches.
The board approved the Claims Docket, as well as the payment of two invoices for tree cutting that were tabled at the board’s previous meeting.
Zoning Board Chairman Jim Ball appeared before the board, asking it to consider reimbursing the zoning board members’ travel expenses to a Central Mississippi Planning and Development District (CMPDD) training in Pearl on Friday, October 10, 2025. There is no fee for the training, which will be held from 8:30-12:00 that day.
Ball also told the board he believed their approval of having CMPDD revise the city’s comprehensive plan was “money well spent.” He said the city’s population has decreased, and from 2020 to 2024, the number of owner-occupied homes decreased 12% while renter-occupied homes rose 5%.
In addition, Ball suggested the city begin planning celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and pledged $500 to help fund special activities to celebrate next year.
The board discussed the city’s noise ordinance, and Alderman Lawana Thompson suggested it be changed to an earlier time.
Alderman Suzie Bourn said she believed people would be happy to see the time changed to 10 p.m.
Alderman Julian Harper had mixed feelings about the change, asking “Would that hour change the complaints?”
Discussion ensued about the city’s ordinance, and Police Chief Denis Borges said, “The ordinances aren’t really straightforward for what we can and cannot do, in my opinion.”
Thompson asked, “Do we need to get a little more teeth put into that ordinance?”
Harper expressed concerns about a change in the ordinance affecting businesses that are busy until eleven o’clock that do not receive complaints.
He suggested the board look into the ordinance and put more details into the ordinance.
With that in mind, the board agreed to table the issue until the next meeting.
The board appointed the following people to the Parks and Recreation Committee:
- Mayor Grubbs nominated Jacob Blakeney and Josh McNulty.
- Alderman Sue Honea nominated Anthony Garner.
- Berch nominated Todd Mangum.
- Thompson nominated Fontain McNair.
- Bourn nominated Marjorie Buffington.
- Harper nominated Cortez Chapman.
The board also approved the following appointments to the Cemetery Committee:
- Joy Harris and Ronnie Ranking, nominated by Mayor Grubbs
- Taweisa Meador, nominated by Honea
- Ricky Anderson, nominated by Berch
- Jason Ratcliffe, nominated by Thompson
- Lyndel Cockrell, nominated by Bourn, and
- Jane Everett, nominated by Harper.
The board approved a motion to accept a donation of playground equipment from Boswell Regional Center. The equipment will be used at Marvin Jackson Park.
The board discussed the possible closure of 1st Street SE between 12th Avenue SE and 10th Avenue SE.
The street in question is a gravel road and has gates at each end.
Public Works Superintendent Tim Bray said, “The street’s been closed ever since it was built. Nobody uses the road.”
Ball told the board, “It’s really not a street,” but asked, “Does the city actually own it?” He said, “You may own the easement, but you may not own the street.”
“We can’t close a street we don’t own,” Bourn replied.
The board agreed to table the issue while research is done to determine whether the city does, in fact, own the street in question.
Bray informed the board that his department was down to one bush hog again. He asked everyone to remember that when it comes to cleaning ditches, “We’ve got about 200 miles of ditches” to maintain.
The board approved two requests from Chief Borges for members of his staff to attend training classes. The first for dispatchers and jailers will be held August 20 and 21, 2025, in Mendenhall. The cost is $600 for two to attend. The second request was for a fire dispatch class with a cost of $150 at the Simpson County Sheriff’s Department on August 22, 2025. The board approved both classes, and Borges told them the classes are accredited and fully reimbursable.
Finally, Borges informed the board that there will be a free CIT class on September 9 and 10, 2025, at the Magee Volunteer Fire Department. The class, which is for dispatchers, will focus on mental health issues. Thompson told the chief about resources available through the American Red Cross and said she would give him contact information so the city’s police can access those resources.
Fire Chief David Craft told the board he has begun making contacts with businesses to complete fire inspections. He has given several businesses 90 days to clean up excess tires and will continue contacting the rest of the businesses in town.
“There are codes and there are ordinances that the city has,” Craft said. “If you’re gonna live in this city, you have to abide by the codes the city has adopted.”
“We’re not picking on anybody,” he continued. “This is city-wide. We’re going to enforce them.”
He told the board that some of the city’s businesses have never been inspected.
“It’s going to take a while,” Craft said. “There are 300-something businesses.”
He impressed upon the board the importance of having the inspections up to date.
“It protects all of us,” he said.
Zoning Administrator Penny Aguirre gave the board information about iWork software, which she said would aid the city in reporting code violations and permitting inspections.
“It would speed us up dramatically,” she said.
The board approved three special event applications.
The first two were from Main Street Magee. The organization will hold Rock the Block on August 23 from 6 to 9 p.m. It will be a family-friendly event and will include a school supply drive. Food trucks will be on site as well, and there will also be a “Jeeping the Block” event that day.
In addition, Main Street will hold Dinner Under the Stars and Artwalk on Main Street on September 13 from 6 to 9 p.m.
Finally, the board approved a request from Aaliyah Chatman to hold a Back to School Belt Bash on Saturday, August 9.
Jimmy Zila presented the board with four bids for air conditioning at the Sportsplex. The board asked that he contact the companies to ascertain what warranties are included before they make a decision.
The board approved a bid from Richardson Athletics for 3 new mounds at the cost of $9,996.60.
Zila told the board that Copiah Academy hosted a tournament of 16 teams, and the city will host 27 teams on August 30.
Harper asked Zila about the status of the splashpad. Zila told the board that the city will have to pay Oddyssey to come look into the problem.
“They will come, but it will cost us,” he said.
He told the board the cost would be $3000 plus the cost of repairs and equipment.
“Do I think it’s worth it?” he said. “Every bit because I can’t fix it.”
Harper agreed, saying, “I believe it’s worth it.”
In other business, Harper asked the board to consider replacing the backboards of basketball goals in Marvin Jackson Park with metal backboards, not glass.
The board entered executive session to discuss possible litigation.
