Flowood aldermen approve sign variance, tax break for Rockett, plats, hires and emergency storm-drain repairs

Across meetings May 4 and May 18, 2015, the Flowood Board of Aldermen approved a range of administrative and development items, including a sign-variance for Market Street Flowood, a five-year ad valorem tax exemption for Rockett, Inc., engineering contracts and plats, personnel hires, and an emergency repair authorization for a failed storm drain.

Sign variance and development approvals: On May 18 the board granted a sign variance to Market Street Flowood to allow two monument signs (including one of 147.3 square feet) at multiple entrances to the development (tax parcels G10-60-10, G10-54-50, G10-63-20 and G10-63-30). Trademark Development Co. representative Scott Evans and Karl McCarthy of Gator Sign Co. spoke for the applicant; no opposition was recorded. The motion to approve was made by Alderman Dusty Rhoads and seconded by Alderman Kathy Smith; the vote was unanimous.

Tax exemption: The board approved a five-year ad valorem tax exemption for Rockett, Inc. covering property additions with a true value of $154,737.82, effective Jan. 1, 2015 through Dec. 31, 2019. Alderman Don Flynt moved to approve the exemption; the motion carried unanimously.

Contracts and plats: The board authorized the mayor and city clerk to sign a contract with Reynolds Engineering for smoke testing in the Castlewoods area not to exceed $55,600 and approved a resolution establishing just compensation for a water-main improvement at Castlewoods (207 Apple Blossom Cove). The board also approved a final plat for Latter Rayne, Part 2; approved the preliminary plat for Kensington Subdivision conditioned on a pool and clubhouse being constructed in Phase I, a minimum heated/cooled residence size of 2,000 square feet, and inclusion of required design elements; and approved Kensington Phase I preliminary plat. The board approved a professional services contract with Waggoner Engineering for rehabilitation of three elevated water storage tanks.

Personnel and administrative items: The board approved hiring Roger Knight as Crew Foreman (Parks & Recreation) and Paten McDaniel as Private II, Step 2, in the Fire Department’s Combat Division. Board members also appointed Alderman Deron Harmon as voting delegate to the Mississippi Municipal League, Alderman Kirk McDaniel as first alternate, and City Clerk Josh Carlisle as second alternate. The consent agenda approved on May 4 included payments and claims dockets for city departments and a final payment of $4,112.66 to Steel Services, Inc. for signage relocation tied to HWY 468 right-of-way acquisition; other consent items included authorization for city attorney Lem Adams III to travel to Washington, D.C., and a Kroger request to change Albertson Drive to Friendly & Fresh Drive.

Emergency repairs: On May 4 the board issued an emergency declaration and authorized repairs to a failed storm drain located at Hemloch and Olympic Streets in the Laurelwood subdivision; the motion passed unanimously.

All recorded motions and approvals in the minutes are unanimous among those present. Where the minutes record updates (for example, a Flowood Chamber of Commerce update by Jennifer Anderson), the meeting record does not provide substantive detail of those reports.