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Record of Proceedings

South Haven City Board Meeting - April 21, 2026: Proclamations, Tax Exemptions, and Springfest Celebration

Mayor and Board of Aldermen — Tuesday, April 21, 2026
BodySouthaven, Mississippi
SessionMayor and Board of Aldermen
DateTuesday, April 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
5:05

I'm now calling this meeting to order.

5:06

Please stand with us.

5:08

We'll be led in prayer by Otterman Gallagher.

5:10

Please remain standing after that for the Pledge of Allegiance that will be led by Ottoman at large George Payne.

5:19

Heavenly Father Lord, we thank you for the opportunity to be here tonight.

5:23

We thank you for the good things that you've given us, Lord.

5:26

We know that all good things, all things work together for good for those that love the Lord, for those who are called according to his purpose.

5:33

Lord, uh we don't know what's going on in the rest of the world with all the fighting and all the innocent people that are uh suffering, Lord Jesus, but we know that you have your hand on it, Lord.

5:43

So we ask you to bless those people, Lord, and bless our time together in your name we pray.

5:48

Amen.

5:51

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and the Republic for which it stands.

6:09

First on our agenda this evening is the approval of minutes for the April 7, 2020 meeting.

6:15

So move.

6:17

Second.

6:18

We have a motion, Motherman Hooks, second Alterman Jerome.

6:21

Is there any discussion?

6:24

Hearing none, roll call.

6:26

Alderman Payne.

6:27

Yes.

6:27

Alderman Lewis.

6:28

Yes.

6:28

Alderman Hook.

6:29

Yes.

6:29

Alterman Jerome.

6:30

Yes.

6:30

Alderman Gallagher.

6:31

Yes.

6:31

Arteman Wheeler.

6:32

Yes.

6:32

Artemis.

6:33

Yes.

6:34

That motion carries.

6:36

Next on our agenda, we have uh special guest with us tonight.

6:40

We have a special proclamation that we're going to present in just a few minutes.

6:44

But our guest uh this evening is Khalil Benson.

6:49

And uh Mr.

6:50

Benson is a South former South Haven High School football player, and um he just finished a little game just a few months ago.

6:57

He was on the on the winning end of the college football national championship D1 for the for Indiana University, so a pretty big deal.

7:07

We see him in the audience, so it's gonna be a pleasure to meet you, sir.

7:10

And before I read the proclamation and say a few words, I just want to tell you that being a former South Haven High School quarterback for three seasons, and this is no knock on my offensive line.

7:21

I have some talented players, but if I had somebody with your size, I may have played a little bit longer.

7:25

So I'm kind of mad that I didn't have you playing back then.

7:28

So but we're very proud of you.

7:30

It's a big deal.

7:31

Uh that's why we wanted to bring you in public at this meeting.

7:34

This is the official uh meeting where the business of the city of South Haven happens, and we want the people to always know that we have pride in our city, and so when we see one of our sons do well, we're proud of that.

7:46

So, like I'd never met you before, somebody brought it to my attention uh the day like two days before your game, that you were gonna be playing that game.

7:55

And uh so many people in South Haven were very excited about that.

7:59

And uh I love your story.

8:01

Um, and so I think it's we're gonna read the proclamation, but the thing I love the most about your story is you took the things that you learned in high school that your mom and your dad and your family all taught you.

8:13

You had uh, you know, you had hurdles to jump throughout like everybody else does, and your story of leaving South Haven, having you know offers to play college football, and you ended up at Indiana University.

8:26

And I don't have to remind you that when you signed with Indiana, nobody ever expected y'all to win a national football championship.

8:34

You were you you were a basketball school for decades and decades, and the the story of Indiana totally, what you what your team did and what you did going there, not knowing that and being a part of that progression from being a mediocre college football program to be the best in the country, that's a great story, and we're very proud of you for that.

8:55

And uh the only other the other thing I want to share with you is obviously with your talent and with your size, you have great sports opportunities that await you.

9:05

You're the NFL is out there.

9:07

We know that you're gonna have opportunities there.

9:10

We're gonna be following you, but uh the advice I want to give you and remember this, and you've been through it already in high profile sports, there are gonna be a lot of lonely days on the road.

9:19

It's not always gonna be a national championship where you're hosting the trophy up in there.

9:23

There are gonna be some days when you want to give it up and come home, but always remember to stick it out and always know that however you do, the people of South Haven are proud of you.

9:33

So we're very proud of that.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████████30%
Community Engagement██████████████████████22%
Public Safety███████████████████19%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████12%
Signage Regulation███████7%
Budget Equity Analysis█████5%
Pending Litigation█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

South Haven City Board Meeting - April 21, 2026

The South Haven City Board met on April 21, 2026, to conduct regular business. The meeting opened with a prayer led by Alderman Gallagher and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Alderman-at-Large George Payne. Key actions included approval of multiple resolutions, a special proclamation, and discussion of upcoming Springfest events. All votes were unanimous unless noted.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes Approval: Approved minutes from the April 7, 2020 meeting. Motion by Alderman Hooks, second by Alderman Jerome. Unanimous roll call vote.
  • Resolution for Crime Stoppers Assessments: Authorized removal of the $1 assessment from city tickets and holding of funds for future city crime stoppers program. Motion by Alderman Hooks, second by Alderman Payne. Unanimous.
  • Tax Exemptions for Three Businesses: Approved 10-year personal and real property tax exemptions for Mel Foods Sales LLC, XL Inc. DBA DHL Shipment Supply Chain, and MG8A Mississippi Memphis Distribution LLC. Motion by Alderman Hooks, second by Alderman Jerome. Unanimous.
  • Sole Source Purchase for Parks: Authorized purchase of proprietary slow-release fertilizer from Galaxy for city parks. Motion by Alderman Wheeler, second by Alderman Gallagher. Unanimous.
  • Final Change Order for Court Renovation: Approved final change order reducing project cost by $5,110.68, closing out the court renovation project. Motion by Alderman Payne, second by Alderman Jerome. Unanimous.
  • Bid Award for Fire Station #3 Addition: Awarded bid to Murphy and Sons for $288,150 for a bed hall addition at Fire Station 3. Motion by Alderman Gallagher, second by Alderman Wheeler. Unanimous.
  • Resolution to Clean Private Property: Adopted resolution granting authority to clean private property as presented. Motion by Alderman Payne, second by Alderman Hooks. Unanimous. No public comment from interested parties.
  • Planning Agenda Item 1 - Barbershop Conditional Use Permit: Approved conditional use permit for a barbershop at 230 Goodman Road, Suite 101 (amended from originally requested two suites). Motion by Alderman Jerome, second by Alderman Hooks. Unanimous.
  • Planning Agenda Item 2 - Breeding Shop Conditional Use Permit: Approved conditional use permit for a breeding shop at 9200 Highway 51 North. Motion by Alderman Lewis, second by Alderman Hooks. Unanimous.
  • Planning Agenda Item 3 - Lot Vacation: Approved vacation of two lots from Rayburn subdivision to clean title for the new Kia/Honda dealership. Motion by Alderman Flores, second by Alderman Wheeler. Unanimous.
  • Donation Docket: Accepted two donations from 10th Inning Barn Grill to the animal shelter ($208 and $275). Motion by Alderman Payne, second by Alderman Hooks. Unanimous.
  • Personnel Docket: Approved personnel documents as presented. Motion by Alderman Payne, second by Alderman Gallagher. Unanimous.
  • Utility Billing Leak Adjustment Docket: Approved leak adjustment docket as presented. Motion by Alderman Payne, second by Alderman Hooks. Unanimous.
  • Claims Docket: Approved claims docket in the amount of $3,980,351.44 including demand tax. Motion by Alderman Payne, second by Alderman Hooks. Unanimous.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made during the meeting.

Discussion Items

  • Proclamation for Khalil Benson: Mayor Muslewite presented a proclamation declaring April 21, 2026 as "Khalil Benson Day" in honor of the former South Haven High School football player who was part of Indiana University's national championship team. Benson's achievements included a degree in sociology, a Big Ten championship, and participation in the Rose Bowl, Peach Bowl, and National Championship. The mayor praised Benson's story of perseverance and community service.
  • Generator Failure at City Hall: The mayor informed the board that a generator failure at City Hall during the ice storm necessitates a replacement costing approximately $250,000. A temporary rental may be required. Funds will be transferred from overages in other budget areas, avoiding a budget amendment.
  • Mayor's Report on Springfest: The mayor highlighted the city's 46th birthday celebration, noting the Springfest carnival is underway, a dual-sanctioned barbecue contest (KCBS and MBN) is fully booked with a waiting list, and a city hospitality event will be held Friday evening at the Snowden House lawn at 6 p.m. The mayor emphasized Springfest as a small-town reunion tradition.
  • City Attorney's Legal Update: Attorney Nick Manley noted that the contract to purchase land on Malone Road (previously owned by the Racket Club) is being entered into the minutes and will close this week.

Key Outcomes

  • All motions on the consent calendar passed unanimously with roll call votes.
  • The board approved entering executive session for litigation against the South Haven Fire Department, economic development within the city, and interdepartmental personnel matters with no action. Motion by Alderman Gallagher, second by Alderman Wheeler to determine need; motion by Alderman Hooks, second by Alderman Lewis to declare executive session. Both carried unanimously.
  • No budget amendment was required for the generator expense; funds will be reallocated internally.
  • The Springfest celebration continues through the week of April 21, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

I'm now calling this meeting to order. Please stand with us. We'll be led in prayer by Otterman Gallagher. Please remain standing after that for the Pledge of Allegiance that will be led by Ottoman at large George Payne. Heavenly Father Lord, we thank you for the opportunity to be here tonight. We thank you for the good things that you've given us, Lord. We know that all good things, all things work together for good for those that love the Lord, for those who are called according to his purpose. Lord, uh we don't know what's going on in the rest of the world with all the fighting and all the innocent people that are uh suffering, Lord Jesus, but we know that you have your hand on it, Lord. So we ask you to bless those people, Lord, and bless our time together in your name we pray. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and the Republic for which it stands. First on our agenda this evening is the approval of minutes for the April 7, 2020 meeting. So move. Second. We have a motion, Motherman Hooks, second Alterman Jerome. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, roll call. Alderman Payne. Yes. Alderman Lewis. Yes. Alderman Hook. Yes. Alterman Jerome. Yes. Alderman Gallagher. Yes. Arteman Wheeler. Yes. Artemis. Yes. That motion carries. Next on our agenda, we have uh special guest with us tonight. We have a special proclamation that we're going to present in just a few minutes. But our guest uh this evening is Khalil Benson. And uh Mr. Benson is a South former South Haven High School football player, and um he just finished a little game just a few months ago. He was on the on the winning end of the college football national championship D1 for the for Indiana University, so a pretty big deal. We see him in the audience, so it's gonna be a pleasure to meet you, sir. And before I read the proclamation and say a few words, I just want to tell you that being a former South Haven High School quarterback for three seasons, and this is no knock on my offensive line. I have some talented players, but if I had somebody with your size, I may have played a little bit longer. So I'm kind of mad that I didn't have you playing back then. So but we're very proud of you. It's a big deal. Uh that's why we wanted to bring you in public at this meeting. This is the official uh meeting where the business of the city of South Haven happens, and we want the people to always know that we have pride in our city, and so when we see one of our sons do well, we're proud of that. So, like I'd never met you before, somebody brought it to my attention uh the day like two days before your game, that you were gonna be playing that game. And uh so many people in South Haven were very excited about that. And uh I love your story. Um, and so I think it's we're gonna read the proclamation, but the thing I love the most about your story is you took the things that you learned in high school that your mom and your dad and your family all taught you.

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