Two new members were added to the Yazoo City School Board this week.
Pattie Taylor-Wright and Zelda Baker were appointed by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen this week.
Ward 3 Alderman Rev. Gregory Robertson and Ward 4 Alderman Aubry Brent Jr. did not participate in the voting process because their wives are employed by the school district.
In addition to Wright and Baker, Jackie Stokes and Carlos Magee were also nominated to fill the seats of former board president John Wallace and former board member Willye Neal Thomas.
In other business during the meeting Monday:
* Auditors David Bridgers and Karl Goodman told the board that the city’s audit looks good except the city needs to ensure that its purchasing system is used as it is designed and that the city needs to have an accurate inventory of its capital assets.
“You have a purchasing system in place, but it’s not operating the way it’s supposed to,” Bridgers said. “You just need to put a little pressure on the departments.”
* The following neglected properties were declared menaces to public safety:
321 North Ward Street
801 West Broadway
111 Central Alley
109 Locust Street
721 Webster Street
* Police Chief Jeff Curtis said his officers wrote 211 citations during the month of July, up from 97 in July 2015.
“A lot of that is due to extra patrols and things like seatbelt violations,” Curtis said.
* Curtis said that incidents at night clubs in the city have dropped considerably since the early closing hours went into effect.
“It has been working very well,” Curtis said.
* Mayor Diane Delaware described plans of the Convention & Visitors Bureau to create murals downtown that depict historical people and places from the area. The board agreed to support those efforts.
Delaware said she had a successful meeting with local business owners recently, and she plans to hold more meetings with them in the future.
“They asked me to start a chamber, but I told them I have no authority to do those things,” she said.
* Delaware said the city is pursuing a grant to get a train station, but it won’t be easy because other cities are competing for the grant.
* Delaware announced that there will be a Town Hall Meeting on Sept. 8 at 5:30 p.m. and a community clean up day will be held on Oct. 15.
* The city presented a resolution honoring retired police officer Doug Kirkland for his service to the city.
* The city passed guidelines for honorary street designations. The signs must be brown and white, and the name will only be “lane, place or way.” The signs will be placed on top of the existing street signs, and the shape will be consistent with existing signs. If citizens request the signs, they are responsible for the costs.
