Mayor David Starling met with the Yazoo County Board of Supervisors this week to re-establish the working relationship and potential partnerships that were dissolved during the city’s previous administration.
“I would like to give an early ‘thank you’ to all of you,” Starling said, during Monday’s county board meeting. “I do intend to solicit your help, but at the same time, if there is anything that the city may do for you, please do not hesitate to ask us. I think that is what it should be, a relationship where we can depend on each other.”
“I hate to come to you in a first meeting to solicit some help to possibly help clear out some the waterways and ditches that are flooding our city,” he continued. “We are currently trying to lease a backhoe.”
Supervisor Cobie Collins said the county board is more than happy to meet with Starling to rekindle the working relationship between the two governing boards. And to offer any advice to the first-time mayor.
“If you want to go with lease purchase, it is under warranty the whole time,” Collins said, to Starling concerning the city’s push to acquire a back hoe. “I was told the one you have is in the shop. I want to talk to you about that, and I want to talk to you about the insurance we have got. It is my understanding that your insurance goes up about 17 and half percent every year. I know this is all new to you. But we are self-insured. I tried to talk to last mayor, but she felt…all I suggest is that we could look at.”
Starling said the city is open to any suggestions that could save them money at the time. He also added that Ricky Harris, the city’s fire chief, is in the process of reestablishing the relationship between the city fire department and the county volunteer fire departments.
“Ricky is already talking about the fire departments coming back together,” Starling said. “I would also love to see our police department and sheriff’s department working together. I would love to see you assist us in some areas. I just can’t for the life of me understand, but Shady Lane is a bad area. Why the city police department won’t go in there…we are going to work to have a transition and come back together.”
Terry Gann, chief deputy of the Yazoo County Sheriff’s Department, said a meeting is scheduled to discuss such a partnership.
“We are going to start helping you out with some of your calls,” Gann said. “I can’t pull in the county for every cat in a tree, but burglary, fights, where you need backup…we can be there.”
“Ricky and I have a had a good relationship,” added Jack Willingham, county emergency management director. “I feel like it will just get stronger.”
Collins said the county volunteer fire departments, particularly District 3, never stopped helping the city.
“The city stopped helping the county,” he said. “But we feel it is our responsibility to work together.”
Starling said the city board is eager to work together moving forward.
“And if you remove some of those stop signs, we can help too,” Collins said, with a laugh.
“I let myself be completely transparent,” Starling replied. “We have implemented work sessions. Some of them (the stop signs) are just completely ridiculous, and we are going to be looking into that.”
Starling and county leaders also agreed to discuss the possibility of a new transfer station for collecting trash and rubbish.
“It would save both of us money,” said Supervisor David Berry. “Volume is the key to it. The more volume you have, it will help both of us.”
Collins added that the county is paying for the study surrounding a potential transfer station, adding that it would not cost the city anything.
“The county is paying for the study,” Collins said. “It won’t cost the city. Otherwise, you would have to pay for your own plan. She (former mayor Diane Delaware) simply just didn’t want to…we are going to move on from that.”
The county board meeting ended with both parties agreeing to have meetings and discussions to move the community forward in a positive direction.
