Board Of Aldermen

By Ricki Garrett, PhD, Alderwoman at Large The Board of Aldermen are dealing with a great deal of significant issues currently, and the meeting Tuesday night (October 18) highlighted some of those issues. Following the approval of the consent agenda, the Board heard a report from our Police Chief, Ford Hayman. The good news is…

By Randy Bell   As the City of Clinton considers whether to rezone all of its farmland, it’s refusing requests to allow individual pieces of property to be reclassified as agricultural. Rob Logan’s 143 acres at Williamson Road and Pinehaven Road had been rezoned residential estate (R-E), because the previous owner had planned to build…

By Randy Bell Angry farmers crowded into a Board of Aldermen work session October 17 to fight a rezoning proposal which would push all agricultural land in Clinton into a residential classification. A Comprehensive Plan the City adopted in 2018 includes a map which shows all land previously zoned agricultural (A-1) moved into expanded residential…

By Randy Bell   Those who have ideas about what a new nature-oriented park in Clinton should include will get their chance to voice those opinions during a town hall-style meeting November 10. The consultants hired to develop an 84-acre “destination park” will assist the City with the community visioning workshop at the Wood Activity…

By Randy Bell It’s a complaint you often hear from people visiting Clinton’s Olde Towne District – it’s sometimes hard to find a place to park. But the City has a plan to create about fifty additional spots. And there’s a reason it’s being done with a sense of urgency. “We’re just trying to get…

By Randy Bell A proposal to be considered by Clinton’s Planning and Zoning Review Board later this month could shrink—or eventually eliminate—the City’s farmland footprint. It would rezone all agricultural (A-1) land in Clinton to residential estate (R-E) to allow for the construction of more housing developments. Clinton’s Director of Community Development Roy Edwards says…

By Ricki Garrett, PhD, Alderwoman at Large The Board of Aldermen meeting on September 20 was fairly short, following a three-and-a-half-hour work session on Monday evening. Our Department Head Report was presented by new Director of Parks and Recreation Courtney Nunn, who highlighted the Halloween activities coming up in Clinton. Alderman Ward 4, Chip Wilbanks…

By Randy Bell The City of Clinton has taken another step toward joining with two other municipalities to seek more funding to take care of their future sewage disposal needs. The Board of Aldermen voted at its September 20 meeting to petition the Hinds County Chancery Court to authorize the creation of the Clinton/Raymond/Bolton Wastewater…

By Randy Bell All Clinton residents will get an opportunity to have a say in what happens with the 84-acre park the City plans to build south of I-20, but the initial input will come from several small hand-picked groups who will be meeting the week of October 10 with the Design Workshop/Native Habitats consultants…

By Randy Bell For the second time in just over a year, the City of Clinton is in the market for an economic development director. Daniel Lang resigned to take a similar position with more pay in Flowood. And that’s becoming a familiar refrain in Clinton—department heads leaving for positions in other cities, state government…

By Ricki Garrett, PhD, Alderwoman at Large For those of you who missed this week’s Board of Aldermen Meeting, please know that I will do my best to succinctly cover the high points of the meeting. However, since it lasted almost three hours, that will be a little more difficult than usual. The department head…

By Randy Bell Alderman James Lott was sitting in a nail salon in Dallas sipping a Tequila Sunrise while he and his daughter got pedicures when the idea came to him—allowing the same sort of experience in Clinton. Now, he’s working with his fellow Board members to make it happen.   “I thought that would…

By Randy Bell The Clinton Board of Aldermen is poised to vote on allowing short-term rental accommodations in Olde Towne. The Board at its August 16 meeting unanimously approved a long-debated ordinance regulating the standards for renting rooms, apartments or houses for a period of at least two days but less than a month.  …

By Randy Bell Clinton could soon have a medical cannabis ordinance, even though those businesses currently can’t legally operate in the city. The Board of Aldermen voted in April to opt out of the new state law which authorizes the production and sale of medical cannabis in Mississippi, but it’s being forced to take a…

By Randy Bell In a rain-soaked August 23 runoff, voters in Clinton’s Ward 3 chose Robert Chapman as their new alderman. Chapman, the public information officer and webmaster for the Clinton Public School District, defeated attorney Ronnie Morton by about eighty votes to fill the vacancy on the Board created by the death of long-time…

By Ricki Garrett, PhD, Alderwoman at Large The Board of Aldermen had a very busy week with a Work Session, Board Meeting and a meeting to discuss possible ordinances and zoning changes in preparation for the possibility of medical marijuana being approved in the city.   As you know, short term rentals, such as Airbnbs,…

By Ward 2 Alderman Jim Martin A proposal to allow short term rentals (STRs), such as Airbnbs and VRBOs, has been presented to the Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen (BOA). It has generated much discussion. I, and I believe the other Alderpersons, will appreciate hearing your input. Presently, our Ordinance on rental properties does not allow rentals…

By Randy Bell A runoff on August 23 will determine who serves as the new Ward 3 alderman in Clinton. Robert Chapman led the field of five candidates in the August 2 special election, with 44 per cent of the vote. He’ll face Ronnie Morton, who got 27 per cent. A little more than 100…

The Clinton Courier The Wood Activity Center will host Living Young (50+) Spirit Week the week of August 29 through September 2.   The activities will kick off on Monday, August 29, with a potluck meal at 11:30 a.m. All dishes, homemade or bought, are welcomed. There will be a fellowship period, and then the…

By Ricki Garrett, PhD, Alderwoman at Large   Our Department Head report at Tuesday’s [July 19] meeting was presented by Phillip Lilley, Director of Public Works. He explained to the Mayor and Board the difficulties he is having hiring enough employees to do the work of the Department. For example, currently, there is one employee…

By Ricki Garrett, PhD, Alderwoman at Large Although I was at a meeting in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and could not participate in the Board of Aldermen Meeting last week, I was able to later watch the meeting and will share the Board’s actions with you. We were also disappointed that the rain washed out…

      Voting for Ward 3 Alderman will be held at Traceway Park (200 Soccer Row, Clinton, MS 39056) on August 2, 2022, from 7 AM to 7 PM. By Randy Bell One of the candidates running in next month’s special election for Ward 3 alderman in Clinton believes his background in the law…

By Randy Bell Clinton will soon be collecting the money it needs for improvements at the city’s parks. Voters on July 12 approved a referendum to increase the sales tax at restaurants by two percent. It’s expected to generate about $1 million a year, which the City hopes to double by using the money to…

By Randy Bell The Clinton Board of Aldermen is planning to vote on a couple of recreation proposals at its July 19 meeting. One is a project to build a new park which could take years, the other a management contract which would result in an immediate enhancement of tennis opportunities at Brighton Park. In…