by Hunter Dawkins

Tuesday evening at the Long Beach City Hall, the city Board of Alderman (BOA) unanimously passed ordinance number 640, which will prohibit confinement of a child in any motor vehicle in such a manner that puts them in a life threatening situation.  Long Beach is the first municipality in Harrison County to enact this resolution.

Following this resolution, the BOA unanimously approved the tidelands grant award for the 2019 fiscal year where the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources will disburse $300,000 appropriated from the state legislature.

After, the Long Beach BOA authorized project activations for the Pineville Road Sidewalk Phase II and the Klondyke/Commission Road intersection improvements.  Alderman-at-Large Donald Frazer then spoke to City Attorney Jim Simpson about drafting an ordinance to increase Water and Sewer Tap Fees.  Once Simpson concurred, Frazer motioned with a unanimous passage.

Long Beach Mayor George Bass brought up attic storage in City Hall and the need for bookshelves.  The BOA approved Bass to get cost estimates for construction shelving in the attic storage space of City Hall.

Then, discussion about an incident between the school district and homeowners where complaints were being issued to Bass.  Alderman Tricia Bennett volunteered to contact the School District Board to discuss a resolution in this matter.

Finally, the Board approved an engineering consulting firm to perform a feasibility study for the 5 Points Intersection without exceeding a specific amount, approved a contract amendment for Hurricane Nate repairs, and heard City Engineer David Ball’s update on Lover’s Lane Drainage Improvements.  “We’re ahead of schedule,” said Ball about this status.

In other actions:

The Long Beach BOA terminated the employment of a Recreational worker, tabled the hiring of a library board appointment and the restate building and water/sewer ordinances.  Simpson asked the Board if he could follow up with Municode to codify the city’s ordinances.

Bass spoke to the Board about a large number of applicants to fill the school board vacancy.  According to the mayor, a workshop will be set up to review the resumes and each candidate will be allowed to come before the board after the evaluation.