I favor a formal committee system with every councilman participating, based on his experience and interest in a particular area of work. Also, I favor a formal reporting format for each committee to the council in its entirety. The city should include a reasonable sum in each budget for street overlay. A plan to resurface all city streets over a stated number of years will be more cost effective for our citizens than a large, debt financed project. The amount of money budgeted for this must be determined by the council after adequate study of the needs and costs.
Annexation is almost certain to be an issue facing the next council and mayor.
Annexation should be considered by our city if the City Council determines that it is mutually beneficial to both the city and to the citizens living in the area being considered for annexation. The issue will likely come up again in the next four years. Tupelo must be competitive with the other cities in our state if we are to fully develop our position as a city of choice for convention and festival activities. I feel that the issue should be thoroughly studied by the council and after a public hearing on the matter, decided on the basis of what is best for Tupelo. Downtown parking shortages present a recurring problem, according to downtown merchants and professionals.