Southaven Board of Aldermen Meeting – August 5, 2026
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Southaven Board of Aldermen Meeting – August 5, 2026
The Board of Aldermen of Southaven, Mississippi, met on August 5, 2026, and addressed a range of topics including approval of minutes, a task order for an indoor tennis complex concept, ordinance amendments, sole source purchases, planning applications, and received reports from the mayor and city attorney. All votes were unanimous unless noted.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes (July 21, 2026): Motion carried unanimously.
- Ordinance Amendment (Title 13, Chapter 16, Sections 13-16): Clarified that a registered surveyor (not engineer) may certify plats. Unanimous.
- Sole Source Purchase – Crawler Cable for Robotic Camera: Authorized $9,500 plus $925 installation with ICM. Unanimous.
- Ratification of Contract – Mid-South Environmental Services: Remediation of drug-contaminated police car. Unanimous.
- Resolution to File Liens and Assessments: For properties cut under ordinance 21-19-11. Unanimous.
- Resolution to Clean Private Property: Authorized cleanup of specified private properties. Unanimous.
- Personnel Docket: Approved as presented. Unanimous.
- Utilities Billing Adjustment Docket: Approved. Unanimous.
- Claims Docket: Approved in the amount of $4,625,519.31 (including demand checks). Unanimous.
Discussion Items
- Task Order for Indoor Tennis Complex Concept: The board approved a task order with Urban Arc to design an indoor tennis complex. Discussion centered on building size (8, 10, or 12 courts) and design approach. Aldermen supported a freestanding build that would allow a central pro shop and a viewing overhang. The design will include demolition of the existing facility and will present options for 8, 10, and 12 courts. Estimated cost discussed as $8-10 million (possibly $12 million). Motion carried unanimously.
- Planning Agenda:
- Item 1 – Single Lot Subdivision (1.83 acres): For a towing facility at State Line Airways Boulevard (M1 zone). All requirements met; approved unanimously.
- Item 2 – Design Review for Towing Facility: Based on prior conditional use permit conditions, the design now meets requirements: brick and stone veneer on metal building, decorative fencing, 12-vehicle storage limit, 24/7 security, and enhanced landscaping. Recommended as submitted; approved unanimously.
- Item 3 – Mixed-Use Buildings in Silo Square: Two buildings (one for bank/realtor/mortgage with upstairs lofts) north of Lucky Dog's Corner, mimicking existing architecture. Landscape plan already approved through PUD text. Approved unanimously.
- Item 4 – Scrivener's Error for Centerbrook Subdivision: Corrected side yard setback from 3 feet to 5 feet to comply with 2024 building codes. Approved unanimously.
Mayor's Report
- Budget Workshop: Scheduled for August 6, 2026 at 9:30 AM. A balanced budget proposal, prepared with Finance Director Caleb Flowers, will be presented with department heads.
- Pro Tennis Tournament: Currently underway with 60 male and 70 female professional players.
- LED Lighting Project: Replacement of lights at Greenbrook Park and Snowden Grove Park; underway, completion by September 1.
- Johns Creek Bridge Project: Drainage improvement in Summerwood neighborhood; ongoing, expected completion in October 2026.
- Airways Boulevard Resurfacing: From Nell Road North to Goodman; MPO funding approved; bids open in September, construction in October–November 2026.
- I-55 Widening: From Goodman Road to Church Road (4 to 10 lanes); state legislature funding; utility relocation ongoing; bids expected November 2026, construction spring 2027.
- Animal Shelter Recognition: Named best of 2025 by a business rating organization for the second consecutive year.
City Attorney's Legal Update
Approved unanimously as a package:
- Authorization to advertise for Airways Boulevard resurfacing.
- Approval of entry contract for LED lights at Cherry Valley (parks).
- Resolution to terminate lease contract with Tower Ventures (telecommunications tower).
- Sole source purchase of MRL Mini Mac 400 thermoplastic detail striper and trailer from Mark Wright Lines Equipment Company Inc. for $377,030.73.
- Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Southaven, Olive Branch, and DeCrew for Nalaho Creek Pipeline analysis; cost share not to exceed $12,000.
Executive Session
- Motion to enter executive session for claims and litigation involving city infrastructure, potential property easement access, economic development, and interdepartmental personnel (no action). Motion carried.
Key Outcomes
- All motions presented during the regular session passed unanimously. Roll call votes recorded for each item showed all six aldermen (Payne, Jenkins, Hoot, Jerome, Gallagher, Wheeler) voting "Yes" and no opposition.
- No public comment was received.
- The board adjourned into executive session.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome everyone. I'm not calling this meeting in order. Please stand with us. We'll be led in prayer, Bottom and Gallagher. After that, please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance that we'll be led by Otterman at Lars, George Payne. Heavenly Father, we love you so much and we're so thankful for all that you do for us, Lord. Day in and day out. You're forgiving to us and you show your love to us and your mercy to us, Lord, even though we don't deserve it, Lord. We thank you for uh what you've done for us, giving us a way to salvation, Lord Jesus, and we pray that we would do things that are pleasing to you, Lord. Lord, uh I want to take time to uh ask you to watch over our kids as they uh start school, Lord. Just keep your hand over them and keep them safe from all that try to harm them. In Jesus' name. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. Indivisible. Okay, first on the agenda this evening is the approval of minutes for the July 21, 2026 meeting. So move. We have a motion bottomerman hoot, second author and pain. Is there any discussion? Hearing none roll call. Otterman Payne. Yes. Otterman Jenkins? Yes. Otterman Hugh? Yes. Otterman Gallagher? Yes. Yes. That motion carries. Next on our agenda is a task order uh from Urban Arc for the indoor tennis concept development. I know we have uh Ryan Morris, thank you for being with us tonight. If anybody has any specific questions, but after our last meeting uh we were viewing our parks enhancement plan, uh there was um we left there with the um uh idea of uh designing a indoor tennis complex, and so that's where we are now. So we're asking uh this task order is um in compliance with all the other master uh task order contract that we've used in the past with them. So we're just asking to approve this task order so they can get busy uh designing an indoor tennis complex. I'll make that motion. Second we have a motion by autumn and wheeler, second autumn and gallagher. Is there any discussion? Hey, are they gonna have both designs? I know we said you had a more conservative one indoors that the bigger planet. Show both. So uh after talking to uh everybody, Wes, our parks director, um talking to Michael Johnson, tennis director, all of us. We also went to um uh visit um I can never remember. Leftwich. Uh we did a uh tour of Leftwitch, which is the University of Memphis um center, which is beautiful. It's it is super nice. And so we believe that it's um if we want it like the the instructions we left, let's build this thing right. So we believe if we're gonna do it right that we ought to do a freestanding build. That way we can uh what that does allows us to move like um our pro shop and other things into the center of the complex. Uh uh with the other layout, you would have it kind of off-centered and then have your tennis court separated from that.
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