Board of Aldermen Meeting: June 23, 2023
The Board of Aldermen had a very brief meeting on June 23rd. Philip Lilly, our Public Works Director, presented the department head report to the Board. He discussed the recent bad weather and the number of trees and limbs that must be dealt with. The city had just completed the clean-up from the previous storm.
Mayor Fisher presented for approval the appointment of Arthur Bridges to the City of Clinton Parks and Recreation Board. It was approved unanimously.
The Board was very pleased to approve a conditional use for a site plan for the development of a food truck court at 901 Northside Drive. Andrew and Mandy King presented their plan to develop the food truck area, which would include a building or pavilion for indoor dining, space for about a dozen food trucks, landscaping, and other amenities. The Board unanimously approved the conditional use. Since part of the development will be on city property, the city will get appraisals to determine an appropriate rental price before further actions can be taken. The Board also voted to extend the approvals for three existing food trucks in the city by up to 90 days to allow time for the food truck court to be built.
The Board also approved a certificate of appropriateness for the lights at Hillman Commons. The developer told the Mayor and Board that the project would be ready for opening on August 1. They are continuing to work on appropriate uses for the retail space on the first floor. He said that although they had invested a lot of money in the development that the market was good in Clinton, and the project would be successful.
In the work session during the previous meeting, the Board discussed two potential zoning changes, but the Board did not indicate a desire to move forward on them. One would have allowed for the selling of produce on land zoned Agricultural. The other would have allowed venues, such as wedding or conference venues, to be placed in areas zoned Residential. The Board continued its discussion of the redistricting map, and the issue will be placed on the agenda for the first meeting in July.
Mayor Fisher also gave an update on economic development in the city. There is a plan to develop an economic development umbrella organization that would take responsibility for bringing economic development to the area. This non-profit organization would have a board of directors who would hire the economic development director and would seek out opportunities for development. The group is currently writing bylaws, creating a board of directors, and seeking IRS approval for both a 501(c)6 and 501 (c)3. Similar organizations exist in the Tupelo area, the Hattiesburg area, Starkville, and Vicksburg.
