We’ve all been complaining about it, now something’s being done about it. 

Lauderdale County workers demolished the first few from a list of 80 condemned homes in the area Monday, making a dent in the many abandoned, dilapidated houses that litter Meridian and Lauderdale County and annoy so many residents. 

But it’s not all sunshine and roses: There has been some controversy over who owes money to whom for the demolitions, not to mention the problem of finding the money for it in the first place. 

Meridian Chief Administrative Officer Mark McDonald estimated at a city council meeting last week that it will cost the city at least $80,000 in landfill fees to demolish the 80 houses — but the city only had $5,000 in its landfill budget at that time. 

The council passed a resolution to find the money somewhere in its budget, but that doesn’t make County Supervisor Ray Boswell any happier. Boswell has long complained that the city does not pay the county back for the use of county workers to demolish the homes. 

“We’ve been tearing down houses for (the city) for years,” he said at a board of supervisors meeting last month. “We’ve not tried to recover any of that money. And I think there’s a law that we can’t use road funds without trying to recover that money.” 

Ward 1 City Councilman Dr. George Thomas said at a Council of Governments meeting Monday that it’s not as simple as just handing money over to the county. “When they tear it down, a lien is put on the property. When it is paid, we can pay the county,” he said. 

There were few in attendance at Monday’s COG meeting, but that didn’t stop those who did attend from discussing everything from the condemned homes to plans for a new downtown in Marion.



The Meeting: Council of Governments. Jan. 11, 2010. The gathering of local officials was not an official meeting because a quorum was not present.



What Happened:



Smoking Ban:



• City Councilwoman Mary Perry said she expects the council to consider a non-smoking ordinance sometime in the near future. “We don’t have a full council that’s in favor of it,” she said, “but that is one thing that will be back on the agenda.”



Town of Marion:



• Marion Mayor Elvis Hudson said the town is toying with the idea of purchasing 25 acres of land to create a downtown area. At the moment, he said, he is trying to determine how to legally go about such a project. “So far, I haven’t made the right contacts with the right people in government to find out what steps I need to take,” he said.

• Marion Alderwoman Tammy Taylor said that Marion is beginning the new year by pushing their new logo and branding provided during a Mississippi Main Street “charrette” project performed there. She said people in Marion, Meridian, and throughout the county will soon begin to see posters, t-shirts, and business cards featuring the new logo.



City Projects:



• City Councilman Dr. George Thomas gave updates on several city projects. He said he is expecting City Hall renovations to be completed in about another year, and that he expects the 22nd Avenue Bridge project to be completed by the end of the month, but added, “It was supposed to be done two months ago.” He said the city is currently looking at options for a new police station.



Monument Park revitalization:



• Danielle Winningham of the East Mississippi Business Development Corporation said a Monument Park volunteer work day will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The park, located at the corner of 4th Street and 23rd Avenue downtown, is being revitalized by volunteers from around Meridian. People interested in volunteering should contact Winningham at (601) 693-1306.



Threefoot project:



• Perry said she had a phone call from HRI Properties, the developer that previously had plans to renovate the Threefoot building, in which she was told the company would consider coming back to Meridian. “They saw potential still in Meridian,” she said.