Calling it the most important government meeting in Lauderdale County, Meridian City Councilman George Thomas highlighted the role Council of Governments plays Monday as he prepares to retire.

 

Thomas, who is set to retire at the end of the month after more than 40 years on the City Council, will also step down from his seat as COG chair.

 

Council of Governments is a monthly meeting of elected officials from Lauderdale County, Meridian, Marion and state legislators where leaders can exchange ideas, share goings on and work together outside of a formal setting. While Monday’s meeting was his last, Thomas encouraged that spirit of cooperation to continue.

 

“The more the county can work together, the better off we are, and that was the purpose of having this organization,” he said.

 

Started 35-40 years ago, Council of Governments used to meet at 7 a.m. with breakfast provided, Thomas said. The group met at East Mississippi Power and later moved to Weidmann’s, he said.

 

“You’d be amazed how many people will come to a 7 o’clock meeting if you feed them breakfast,” he said. “It was a lot.”

 

Attendance has fluctuated throughout the years, he said, but the monthly meeting continues to pay dividends by uncovering ways for local officials to work together and combine their efforts to better serve the community.

 

Looking back on his time in office, Thomas said much of what is taken for granted did not exist when he first entered local government. Mississippi State University-Meridian did not exist in 1985, he said, and North Hills Street was just a small rural road.

 

“It was a little 52nd Avenue through a pasture,” he said.

 

Q.V. Sykes Park, businesses along the frontage roads and the Riley Center, as well as a major project to overhaul Sowashee Creek so it no longer floods each year, all happened during Thomas’ tenure.

 

Having spent more than four decades watching and helping the city grow, Thomas said a lot of good has come to Meridian during his time. There have been bad times, too, he said, but those fade and the city recovers in time.

 

“Anyway, it’s been a good 40 years,” he said.

 

Looking forward, Thomas said current and incoming City Council members will have access to new resources as Compass Data Centers begins work on a $10 billion data campus in Meridian’s industrial park. That money will open new doors and unlock new possibilities for the town.

 

Getting things done, however, will continue to require cooperation from state, local and federal leaders all working to bring about the best possible result for the communities they serve, he said. That’s how things have worked in the past and how they’ll continue to work, he said.

 

“It’s a cooperative effort. City, county, state and federal working together is where we’ve gotten any of these things,” he said. “Without that, these things wouldn’t exist.”