Some Yazoo City residents expressed a desire to help improve their community during the Mayor and Board of Aldermen meeting Monday.
“What can I do to help clean up the community,” asked Noble Latiker. “I want to help. I want to start with me because when I get out there others will want to get out there. I’m here and want to do whatever I can do to help.”
Mildred Brown said that she heard residents speak about problems like crime and cars speeding through neighborhoods in the last city board meeting.
“Those problems are real, and those problems are going to continue because we don’t have the resources to deal with them,” Brown said. “I live in ‘the real hood.’ I have ditches in my neighborhood. A lot of people don’t have ditches”
Brown said she didn’t come to complain, however.
“I’m not here about problems; I’m here about solutions,” she said. “When I came to Yazoo City in 1968 this was a booming and beautiful town. It’s not that anymore. We are better than what we are displaying here.”
Brown said she lives in Ward 4, and she wants to form a group of residents volunteering to clean up their neighborhoods. She proposed a meeting with Alderman Aubry Brent. Jr. to form a plan.
“We can clean this community up,” Brown said. “There’s no need in waiting on somebody to come in here and help us. This is our community, and I want to be proud of it. We need to get busy.
Mayor Diane Delaware said the city welcomes any help and noted that the city’s “4x4” plans are designed to address these issues.
Brent said he would like the city to consider an idea proposed by a resident to enact a one percent sales tax that would be dedicated to improving city streets. Brent said the tax would not be implemented on groceries.
“Other cities are doing this, and we need to look into it,” Brent said. “Our streets are in terrible condition.”
Brent said it may be useful to allow residents to buy their own hot mix to patch potholes.
“We could buy it in little sacks, and we could start the process of patching up these holes,” Brent said. “Some feel that when we start messing with the streets we’re going to be set up for a liability situation, but we’re tearing up our vehicles anyway.”
Resident Natalie Gibbs said there are areas in her neighborhood that badly need attention. She said she wants to see any ordinances that address problems in her neighborhood enforced.
Mary Brown also noted that there are areas in her neighborhood that need attention. She said there are other problems that need to be addressed as well.
One particular issue she noted was the frequent problem of loud motorcycles racing through the city at night.
“There are people speeding at night on motorcycles,” she said. “We have some real problems. I don’t know who’s responsible, but somebody is, and something needs to be done about it.”
