Southaven City Board of Aldermen Meeting - May 19, 2026

The Southaven Board of Aldermen met on May 19, 2026, with the Mayor presiding. The meeting opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. The board addressed a series of routine approvals, contract amendments, and policy decisions, all of which were passed unanimously unless otherwise noted. The mayor also delivered a comprehensive report on city projects and the ongoing XAI noise mitigation efforts.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of the May 5, 2026 meeting.
• Approved a contract amendment with TK Elevator Corporation for elevator maintenance at the lease precinct at Silo, adding $315, bringing the monthly cost to $1,195.02.
• Authorized a sole source purchase from Clearview AI for facial recognition software (patent granted in 2022) for the police department.
• Approved MML travel and named Alderman Hoots as primary delegate, Alderman Lewis as secondary.
• Ratified an emergency expenditure of $7,315.30 for repairs.
• Approved a service agreement with Unity Solutions for improved connectivity and reliability at city water treatment facilities at $3,640 per month.
• Approved a resolution declaring police department surplus property (rifles, suppressors, shotguns, etc.) for disposal through licensed dealers.
• Approved a change order for Fire Station #3 of $7,996 to use wooden trusses instead of metal trusses for enhanced fire resistance.
• Approved a court department agreement with Best Vending to place a vending machine in the new court building.
• Approved an agreement with Dr. Joe Hiley (Emergency Medical Resources PLLC) for EMS medical director services at $1,500 per month through June 30, 2029.
• Authorized a sole source purchase from NeoGov for PowerDMS software: $8,844 for year one and $10,918 for year two.
• Approved the SCADA software license renewal: a three-year quote billed annually at $19,080 for seven licenses.
• Approved a resolution to clean private property; no public objections were raised.
• Accepted a $315 donation from Lucky Dog to the animal shelter.
• Approved the personnel docket as presented.
• Approved the utility billing leak adjustment docket.
• Approved the claims docket in the amount of $2,533,273.16, including demand checks. (Note: The transcript reads "$2,533, $273.16," likely a transcription error.)

Discussion Items

• Tabling of Turf and Right-of-Way Contracts: The board discussed an amendment to the master facilities contract for Hummingbird Garden maintenance. Initial bids for phase one and two were approximately $30,000 per year. Staff are exploring performing some maintenance in-house to reduce costs. Additionally, an amendment to Premier Turf for Nail Road median and right-of-way maintenance was questioned for its $7,250 per month cost. Both items were tabled for further review; staff will bring revised scope and cost details to the next meeting.
• Planning Commission Appointment: The board agreed to amend the ordinance to allow aldermen to replace planning commissioners at any time, not just at term end. Following that change, Alderman Lewis nominated Ginger Bacon as Ward 1 Planning Commissioner; the appointment was approved unanimously.
• Mayor's Report: The mayor provided updates on several city initiatives:
  • The new court building is nearly complete and will be occupied within a few weeks.
  • Recommended the purchase of a street striping machine (~$250,000) to allow in-house striping with thermoplastic material; no action taken but will be revisited.
  • State Line Road has been resurfaced from Highway 51 to the interstate; the MDOT patch under the interstate is still pending.
  • Star Landing-Sweeney and Mill Branch-Town & Country roundabouts are going to bid soon.
  • Consideration of medians on Mill Branch north of State Line; staff noted right-of-way and parking constraints that may affect feasibility.
  • State Line Road west widening project is designed, awaiting resolution of railroad crossing issues.
  • Central Parkway to Church multi-use trail approved for construction later this year.
  • Airways resurfacing from Goodman to Nail Road approved with MPO funds.
  • XAI noise mitigation: The mayor reported that XAI has installed three sound walls and is more consistently keeping decibel levels below 50, though not always. Permanent turbines are expected by the end of the year to further reduce noise. The mayor emphasized ongoing monitoring and responsiveness to citizen concerns.

Key Outcomes

• All consent calendar items passed unanimously.
• Two contract amendments (Hummingbird Garden maintenance and Premier Turf right-of-way) were tabled for further cost analysis and scope refinement.
• Ordinance changed to allow aldermen to replace planning commissioners at any time; Ginger Bacon appointed to Ward 1.
• No action taken on the street striping machine; it will be revisited.
• The board entered executive session to discuss claims and litigation involving public works, police and fire departments, utilities personnel, economic development, and interdepartmental personnel, with no action expected.