Olive Branch named one of fastest growing suburbs in America

The September 3, 2024, Board of Aldermen meeting commenced with an invocation led by Alderman Gilear Hart, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. All members were present, establishing a quorum for the session.

During the meeting, Mayor's updates highlighted Olive Branch, Mississippi, being recognized as one of the fastest-growing suburbs in the United States, ranking sixth on a list compiled by GoBankingRates.com. The report noted the city's population at approximately 45,938 as of 2022, nearing the 50,000 mark. This accolade follows a recent designation by Fortune.com, which named Olive Branch one of the best places for families to live in 2024, marking it as the only city in Mississippi to receive such recognition.

The mayor expressed gratitude for these acknowledgments, clarifying that the city does not actively apply for these rankings but is instead identified based on its demographics and growth statistics.

Additionally, the meeting included a review of human resources statistics, detailing onboarding and volunteer events, as well as emergency service dispatch data. The fire department reported 436 EMS dispatches and 364 fire department calls in the previous month.

The Board also addressed a consent agenda comprising 25 items, which was approved unanimously after a motion by Mr. Wallace and a second by Ms. Henderson. The meeting concluded with a commitment to provide more detailed statistics from the police department and other departments in the next session.