A committee of three or four out of a nine-member council becomes a power bloc instead of a committee. Two council members could be appointed to gather information individually and then present this individual information to the council in printed form. Another solution would be to have citizen volunteers to research and present information. I am strongly opposed to the present format because it creates an imbalance in the democratic process. If the average life of a residential street is 10 years, then adequate funds should be budgeted to overlay streets in a 10-year cycle.
Annexation is almost certain to be an issue facing the next council and mayor.
It is obvious from the 1989 annexation that city officials had neither an effective plan nor adequate resources to provide services to the annexed areas on a par with taxes collected. I believe that people have a right to choose whether they want to live in the city or outside the city. Unless the city can show that there is a mutual advantage to the citizen and to the city, I would oppose forced annexation. The issue will likely come up again in the next four years. Tupelo is a cosmopolitan city with many religious, social and moral customs.