STEVEN A. McCALEB
103 ALVERADO DRIVE
LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI 39560
PHONE & FAX: (228)-868-8428
E-MAIL: mccaleb4thdist@aol.com
WEB SITE: www.mississippiwebsite.com
August 27, 2000
By CHRISTINE HARVEY
THE SUN HERALD
Monday, April 30, 2007
Isn't it odd that when I was annexed
into Long Beach in 1980
I was promised new water and sewer by the politicians.
That by paying city taxes I would
benefit by being annexed into the the
city of Long Beach.
Here it is 21 years later and I still
do not have new water and sewer.
But our Mayor wants us to pay for new water and sewer.
What happened to the promises
I say we the citizens of Long beach
have a referendum
to lower the Mayors pay by 10%, and do away with paying
the Alderman.
Since the city of Long Beach has had
21 years to provide
the services which were promised, the number one priority
should be new water and sewer service.
I would rather pay to have the books
looked at
to find out where all of our tax money has gone
for the past 21 years.
| Water, water everywhere John Campton, the city's engineer, has identified several neighborhoods where serious flooding occurs. From this list, and additional areas that the Board of Aldermen will point out in the next few weeks, the city plans to create a priority list of drainage projects. The neighborhoods identified so far:
Ward 1: Trautman Avenue at Magnolia Street and U.S. 90 Ward 2: Burke Avenue and Old Pass Road, Jeff Davis Avenue Ward 3: Gates Avenue and Rosalie Drive, Lynn Avenue and Valentine Drive, Gardenia Street and Wright Avenue, Nicholson Avenue and U.S. 90
Ward 4: Chloe Street and Marjorie Court, Joyce Street and Rita Lane, Gandy Circle and Mount Bass Ward 5: Hickory Drive and Wisteria Lane, Lover's Lane and Daugherty Road Ward 6: Warwick Circle and Alverado Drive,
Roddy Circle and Valarie Drive, Palmyra and Shalimar streets, Leigh
Street and Maxine Drive, Kuyrkendal Place
|
LONG BEACH - James and Patricia Skinner moved to Long Beach 16 years ago with the plan of staying forever.
But drainage problems plaguing the city and flooding in their Roddy Circle home are causing the couple to reconsider.
Every ward in the city has serious drainage problems. Although Leigh Street and Maxine Drive have long been regarded as the worst of the worst, residents in other areas are saying their situations are just as bad.
They are fed up and want to know what the city plans to do to help them, but the city is planning to ask the residents to help themselves. No money has been included in next year's budget for drainage projects, save for routine maintenance and emergency repairs.
Possible special tax
Officials say the likely solution would be to ask voters in a referendum whether they want to pay higher taxes to get the work done.
"In other words, we're paying for somebody else's mistake - or shortsightedness," said Patricia Skinner.
Her neighbor, Ronnie Wallace, feels much the same.
"I ain't paying nothing," said Wallace, whose house has flooded three times this year alone. "(The money) would be used for something else. It would not be used for what it's supposed to."
His wife, Sandy, showed pictures of how a June flood threatened to ruin their home. Water outside rose over the car tires. Inside, it was halfway up the toilet bowl.
When a storm starts churning so does her stomach.
"I see it hit the end of the driveway, and we start getting everything off the floor," she said.
During recent heavy rains and the remnants of Tropical Storm Allison, houses that had never flooded did, in some cases past the knees.
City engineer John Campton estimates it will cost $2 million to $3 million to do the 16 major drainage projects that he has identified as the most pressing. Mayor Robert Bass thinks the price tag for all projects, big and small, could reach $5 million.
No money in the budget
At several recent Board of Aldermen meetings, Bass told concerned residents that the city was contemplating issuing a bond to do some of the work since it had paid off another bond this year.
But he later realized that the city couldn't issue the new bond since it was projecting a $500,000 loss of revenue for next year's budget. The money saved by not paying the retired bond would have to be used elsewhere in the budget, Bass said.
Since much of the city's flooding flows in from the north, some aldermen say Harrison County and Gulfport should help foot the bill to fix it.
But the city is largely on its own to find a solution. As soon as the end of the year, residents might vote in a referendum on whether to pay a special tax assessment for years to come. Revenue from the assessment would be dedicated to drainage projects.
"The will of the people," said Alderman Joseph McNary. "Let the people decide what to do."
Alderman Jimmy Levens said there's no way around asking the taxpayers for help.
"For us to fix (the drainage problem) is major money," he said. "We don't have the money, so we have to go borrow it."
The good side of borrowing the money now is that interest rates are low. Also, contractors have lowered their prices because work is slow.
Buyout program for hardest hit
The city has been able to offer some relief in the form of a buyout program targeting the hardest hit areas: the Leigh Street and Maxine Drive area.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency put up $4.2 million three years ago to buy 58 homes, 24 of which the city has already acquired, said Eddie Bigelow, who is administering the program. The city expects to close on another eight to 10 houses by the end of September, she said.
It also is hoping to amend its FEMA request to include areas that are becoming increasingly flood-prone, particularly those caught off guard in June by Tropical Storm Allison, Bigelow said.
The Skinners and Wallaces may apply for the buyout, but they are doubtful they will receive enough money to buy new homes without immersing themselves in new debt.
"We can't sell our house," Ronnie Wallace said. "Who wants it? I don't want it."
The Fire Department knows of about 230 homes that flooded in the storm, Campton said. Assistant Fire Chief David Bass is contacting those households to gauge interest in the buyout program and to answer questions about damage to their homes. He said anyone who is interested can contact him.
In the meantime, the city is compiling a priority
list of drainage projects so it will know where to start work when money is
available. Campton said he hopes the aldermen will have a final list of drainage
problems in their wards by the Sept. 4 meeting.
Christine Harvey can be reached at 896-2393 or at clharvey@sunherald.com
STEVEN A. McCALEB
COMMENTARY
MY OPINION