OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Southaven City Council Meeting - August 18, 2026: Routine Approvals, Land Swap, and Property Maintenance

Mayor and Board of Aldermen — Tuesday, August 18, 2026
BodySouthaven, Mississippi
SessionMayor and Board of Aldermen
DateTuesday, August 18, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 39:43

Transcript — Verbatim
3:54

Prayer of Otterman Gallagher.

3:55

After that, please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance that will be led by Otterman Lars George Payne.

4:07

We so want to be like you, Lord, but our flesh is weak.

4:15

And to be like you in every way that we can, Lord.

4:19

We pray that you would uh be with us today, that you would bless this meeting, and that you bless our city.

4:52

One was on August four, two thousand twenty-six.

5:00

So is there a motion to approve the minutes of both those meetings?

5:02

So moved.

5:03

Okay.

5:04

Second.

5:04

We have a motion, Alderman Hoot, second waterman pain.

5:07

Is there any discussion?

5:09

Hearing none, roll call.

5:10

Alderman Payne.

5:11

Yes.

5:12

Alderman Jenkins.

5:13

Yes.

5:13

Alderman Hoot.

5:14

Yes.

5:14

Alderman Jerome.

5:15

Yes.

5:16

Alderman Gallagher.

5:16

Yes.

5:17

Ardom Wheeler.

5:18

Yes.

5:18

Alderman Florida.

5:20

Yes.

5:21

That motion carries.

5:22

Next on our agenda, we have some personnel from Atmos with us.

5:27

I know I see Brad.

5:29

And uh y'all want to reward us for just not knocking for digging safely, right?

5:34

That's it.

5:34

All right.

5:35

Well, I don't dig any lines here.

5:36

We got some people in the room that manage all the digging, but we appreciate y'all taking the time to show that appreciation.

5:42

So do you want to get a photo up front?

5:44

Yeah.

5:50

Can I say something real quick?

5:52

Sure, sir.

5:53

It's I don't know if anybody's aware of this, but August is national safe digging month.

5:59

And we like to give this gold to communities or contractors that do a lot of work for us or do a work around our utilities and that do it safely.

6:11

As you know, digging around gas lines is a very hazardous ordeal if you do it wrong.

6:18

City of South Haven continues to do the right thing.

6:23

All the guys in the back back there that call us on a regular basis.

6:30

But building relationships with these communities.

6:33

And I will say this, it's very rare that communities do this.

6:37

So the City of South Haven is one of the few that receives this Gold Cup.

6:42

And just want to thank you guys for that.

6:45

And just they're a good fit with us, and we fit with them good.

6:49

So thank you very much for that.

6:51

So thank you.

6:59

Man, thank you.

7:00

Pretty good.

7:06

All right.

7:07

Thank y'all.

7:07

Yeah, thank you.

7:08

You got my cell number?

7:10

I didn't.

7:11

All right.

7:11

I appreciate it.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████21%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████████18%
Code Enforcement██████████████████18%
Public Safety██████████████14%
Parks and Recreation██████████10%
Technology and Innovation█████████9%
Economic Development████4%
Signage Regulation████4%
Public Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Southaven City Council Meeting - August 18, 2026

Mayor Darren Musselwhite presided over the regular meeting of the Southaven City Council on August 18, 2026. All aldermen were present. The agenda included routine approvals, a major economic development announcement involving a land swap with an affiliate of SpaceX AI, a public hearing on property maintenance, and several other items. All votes were unanimous unless noted.

Consent Calendar / Routine Approvals

  • Minutes Approval: The minutes from the August 4, 2026 meeting were approved.
  • Atmos Energy Award: August was recognized as National Safe Digging Month; Atmos Energy presented the city with a Gold Cup for safe digging practices. The award was accepted by the utilities team.
  • MSES Contract: Authorized a master contract with MSES for decontamination of police vehicles, allowing case-by-case use without board approval.
  • Police Vehicle Purchase: Approved the purchase of 16 Dodge Durangos from Landers Dodge at state contract pricing totaling $690,288 (contract #8200-83285).
  • Surplus Firearm for Detective Tim Yancey: Approved a resolution to surplus a firearm to Detective Yancey in recognition of his service.
  • Consultant Selection for Road Projects: Approved the selection of a consultant for preliminary engineering for the Airways Road Resurfacing Project and the Getwell Road Walking Path, pending MDOT guidelines.
  • Grenada Railroad Permit Agreement: Approved a $350,000 permit fee with Grenada Railroad for the State Line Road project, with the railroad performing the required work.
  • Personnel Docket: Approved as presented.
  • Utility Bill Leak Adjustment Docket: Approved as presented.
  • Claims Docket: Approved in the amount of $5,199,080.95, including demand checks.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Property Maintenance Resolution: A property owner of 3965 Liscock and 2184 Ashland (speaking on behalf of himself and his wife) requested removal from the list of properties to be cleaned by the city. He claimed the grass had been recently mowed. Code Enforcement Officer Victor stated the property was inspected that day and had tall grass (approximately 18-20 inches). The board explained that being on the list does not automatically incur charges if the owner maintains the property, and the owner assured they would cut the grass the next day. The board approved the resolution.

Discussion Items

  • Expansion of Leisure and Recreation District: Nick Manley presented a resolution to expand the existing leisure and recreation district in the Snowden District to include newly developed areas. The district allows open containers of alcoholic beverages, identical to the Silo district. The mayor noted that the district promotes walkability and entertainment. Alderman expressed support, and the resolution was approved unanimously.
  • Mayor’s Report – Land Swap with MZX Tech LLC (SpaceX AI affiliate): Mayor Musselwhite announced that the city has agreed to exchange its police/fire training center property on Two Lane Road for a larger property on Sweeney (south of State Line Road, adjacent to 20 acres already owned by the city) plus $40 million. The funds will be used to build new, state-of-the-art training facilities. The mayor emphasized the project’s economic impact, calling it the most influential in DeSoto County and Mississippi history, and noted national security implications. The deal was approved by the board.
  • Proclamation – Never Give Up Day: The mayor read a proclamation declaring August 18, 2026 as “Never Give Up Day” in Southaven, encouraging perseverance and resilience.
  • Planning Agenda – Conditional Use Permit: A request for a conditional use permit for a hair braiding and extension salon at 8020 Highway 51 North was presented. The required half-mile radius survey showed the nearest similar businesses were 1.2 and 1.4 miles away. The planning commission recommended approval with a one-year permit and four-year extension, with one dissenting vote (Commissioner Wilkinson). The board approved the permit unanimously, with a note to address windows covered in posters.

Key Outcomes

  • All motions passed unanimously except where noted (planning commission had one dissenting vote, but board vote was unanimous).
  • Approved expansion of the leisure and recreation district.
  • Approved purchase of 16 police vehicles.
  • Approved resolution to clean private properties; property owners were advised to maintain their lots to avoid charges.
  • Approved conditional use permit for the hair braiding salon.
  • Approved the land swap agreement with MZX Tech LLC, including $40 million payment to the city for new police/fire training facilities.
  • Authorized executive session for police department personnel, claims, land acquisition, economic development, and interdepartmental personnel (no action expected).

The meeting then moved into executive session.

Meeting Transcript

Prayer of Otterman Gallagher. After that, please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance that will be led by Otterman Lars George Payne. We so want to be like you, Lord, but our flesh is weak. And to be like you in every way that we can, Lord. We pray that you would uh be with us today, that you would bless this meeting, and that you bless our city. One was on August four, two thousand twenty-six. So is there a motion to approve the minutes of both those meetings? So moved. Okay. Second. We have a motion, Alderman Hoot, second waterman pain. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, roll call. Alderman Payne. Yes. Alderman Jenkins. Yes. Alderman Hoot. Yes. Alderman Jerome. Yes. Alderman Gallagher. Yes. Ardom Wheeler. Yes. Alderman Florida. Yes. That motion carries. Next on our agenda, we have some personnel from Atmos with us. I know I see Brad. And uh y'all want to reward us for just not knocking for digging safely, right? That's it. All right. Well, I don't dig any lines here. We got some people in the room that manage all the digging, but we appreciate y'all taking the time to show that appreciation. So do you want to get a photo up front? Yeah. Can I say something real quick? Sure, sir. It's I don't know if anybody's aware of this, but August is national safe digging month. And we like to give this gold to communities or contractors that do a lot of work for us or do a work around our utilities and that do it safely. As you know, digging around gas lines is a very hazardous ordeal if you do it wrong. City of South Haven continues to do the right thing. All the guys in the back back there that call us on a regular basis. But building relationships with these communities. And I will say this, it's very rare that communities do this. So the City of South Haven is one of the few that receives this Gold Cup. And just want to thank you guys for that. And just they're a good fit with us, and we fit with them good. So thank you very much for that.

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