Dogs, Debris And Deadlock
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Brush and debris await pickup on West Lee Street, one of many piles that have sparked debate over the city’s ability to keep up with debris collection demands.
WATER VALLEY – Discussions about stray dogs, brush and debris pickup, overgrown property, broken equipment and Watermelon Carnival preparations dominated a June 16 meeting of the Water Valley Board of Aldermen, highlighting demands on already stretched city departments.
During the meeting, the board unanimously approved the hiring of an applicant for the newly created Public Works Director position, a job responsible for overseeing streets, sidewalks, drainage, public buildings, the airport, cemeteries and municipal maintenance projects.
The applicant attended the meeting and participated in extensive discussions about the position’s responsibilities, as well as additional duties and challenges raised by board members.
Mayor Tommy Reynolds made it clear the city hoped he could begin work as soon as possible.
“We need you immediately,” Reynolds said after the vote. “We’ve got a Watermelon Carnival coming up and it’s critical that we be prepared.”
As the meeting continued, Reynolds outlined some of the challenges facing the department.
“We’ve got, of course, the cemeteries, and we’ve got the buildings,” Reynolds said. “We’ve got to make sure that things are clean and picked up, neat and nice.”
Reynolds noted the city currently has only one mower in operation, with another still in need of repairs. He also stressed the importance of training employees to perform multiple tasks.
“Will you show others how to operate equipment?” Reynolds asked. “Everybody needs to know how to do a little bit.”
He also acknowledged the city’s difficulty attracting and retaining workers.
A chair awaits pickup along a Water Valley street. Aldermen voted 2-1 on June 16 to shift responsibility for collecting bulky household items and brush from the street department to the Water Valley Utility Commission.
“The dynamic salaries we pay, $10 an hour, you know, we’ve got to do something about that,” Reynolds said.
The discussion soon shifted to animal control when Mandy Beard of Second Chance Animal Alliance appeared before the board. Beard said she requested to be placed on the agenda after reading comments stemming from the June 2 board meeting regarding the city’s contract with the organization and questions about how frequently the shelter was being used.
“It appears it’s a little misleading,” Beard said.
Beard said she was concerned by comments made during the June 2 meeting that suggested the shelter had not been utilized by the city this year.
“One of the questions was why are y’all paying if no dogs have been brought in,” Beard said. “And that’s not true. They were brought in right after the ice storm.”
During the discussion, city officials confirmed the city currently has no designated animal control officer after the previous dog catcher quit following a dog bite.
At one point, Reynolds pointed to the newly hired public works director as a possible solution.
“Now we have somebody who would have the key and is not afraid to catch dogs,” Reynolds said.
The comment immediately raised questions.
“So he is going to catch dogs after hours?” Ward Two Alderman Demetrius Ingram asked.
“We will have to discuss that,” the applicant replied.
Ward Four Alderperson Nicole Folson questioned whether those duties belonged with the position.
“But his job is not to go out and catch dogs,” Folson said. “That is not what we hired him for.”
The discussion soon expanded into questions about shelter access and after-hours animal complaints.
“Is there a place out there for the police to take dogs right now, if they catch a dog tonight?” Ingram asked.
Beard said she had repeatedly attempted to determine who possessed the key to the shelter after the departure of the city’s previous animal control officer.
“I’ve asked, ‘Hey, who has the keys?’” Beard said, a question that was not answered during the meeting.
The conversation then turned to what residents should do when confronted with loose or aggressive dogs.
“If somebody called the police department at nine o’clock, they don’t want to hear somebody come out there in the morning,” Ingram said.
Beard recounted a recent complaint from a resident.
“Dispatch wouldn’t even put her through to anybody,” Beard said. “They just said, ‘Sorry. Countywide, citywide, there’s nobody that will help you.’”
“We are going to try and work out a plan, a rational plan,” Reynolds replied.
“I understand, but people aren’t being very rational when they call us,” Beard responded.
The city and Second Chance Animal Alliance ultimately agreed that residents should continue reporting animal complaints through the county dispatch center.
From there, the board turned to another issue that has generated debate for months: the collection of brush, limbs and bulky household items.
Ward One Alderman Joe Magnuson renewed a proposal first raised during the June 2 meeting that would transfer responsibility for bulky-item collection to the Water Valley Utility Commission. His earlier motion died for lack of a second.
“I would like to make the motion again,” Magnuson said.
Magnuson argued the city had made little progress addressing the problem.
“I have very little faith in the city government to do a satisfactory job,” he said.
Reynolds immediately challenged the remark.
“When you don’t have faith in the city government, you don’t have faith in the citizens that elected the city government,” Reynolds said.
“Don’t try and twist my words, Tommy,” Magnuson replied.
Utility Commission Chairman Brandon Presley, who also attended the meeting, said the commission continues receiving calls from residents frustrated by debris collection issues.
“The only reason we’ve raised this for three months is because people are calling us,” Presley said. “We’re trying to offer a solution.”
“We’re not asking for the headache, trust me,” Presley added. “But there’s not almost any time that goes by that people are calling us.”
The newly hired applicant was then asked whether the city could improve the service.
“It’s a possibility,” he said. “But I definitely know it’s been an issue. Because we’ve dealt with trying to get bulky items picked up, furniture, people calling mad.”
Folson argued the city was already expecting too much from a position that had not even officially started.
“We just hired him,” Folson said. “Number one, he’s got to give notice. Number two, he’s going to have a whole lot that he needs to take over and get acquainted with.”
Folson then began listing the responsibilities discussed earlier in the meeting.
“The Watermelon Carnival is coming up. Grass needs to be cut. Cemeteries need to be taken care of. We’re talking about brush. We’re talking about operators and all of that.”
“This stuff needs to be picked up,” Folson stressed.
Presley said the Utility Commission was simply trying to offer assistance.
“The people need their stuff picked up,” Presley agreed.
Magnuson’s motion ultimately received support from Folson.
Alderman-at-Large Herbie Rogers voted against the proposal, resulting in a 2-1 vote with Ingram abstaining.
“I don’t believe two out of three is an adequate number,” Reynolds said about the vote tally.
He also said he had “10 days to consider” the matter, a reference to a possible veto by the mayor.
Presley responded by suggesting the Utility Commission simply withdraw its offer.
“How about we just withdraw our offer to take it up?” Presley said. “That will get you out of that fix and y’all can have it.”
Presley said the commission had raised the issue repeatedly because residents continue to call the utility commission seeking assistance.
“The people need their stuff picked up,” Presley said.
Reynolds responded that additional study was needed, while Presley countered that the matter was ultimately under the city’s control.
“You have day-to-day operational control of the city,” Presley said.
Throughout the meeting, board members repeatedly turned to the newly hired applicant for input on issues ranging from animal control to brush collection, underscoring the broad range of responsibilities expected of the position.
However, the hiring ultimately fell through.
Following the meeting, the applicant told the Herald he had declined the offer and would remain with his current employer, leaving the city once again searching for a public works director.
The board also voted to begin the process of creating an official city road registry.
Reynolds described the effort as a way to modernize city records and establish a permanent inventory of public streets.
“This is just to try to keep our town in this century,” Reynolds said.
City Attorney Daniel Martin said the registry could help avoid future disputes over whether streets are public or private.
The process will include publication of maps, public review and a public hearing before any final adoption.
The meeting concluded with comments from Panola Street resident Dale Knuth, who argued the city needs to focus more attention on routine maintenance.
“I think maintenance, new programs are wonderful, but maintenance is hard,” Knuth said.
Knuth cited faded stop signs, missing street signs and damaged sidewalks. He also said he pointed out a problem with a storm drain grate on Market Street two years ago that still has not been repaired and expressed concern that a child could fall into the opening if the problem is not addressed.
Frustrated by the lack of progress, Knuth said he eventually researched the cost of a replacement himself.
“I found I could buy one for $181 and they would ship it in less than two years,” Knuth said.
