Southaven board rejects bond for senior center, tables plans

Southaven officials for a fourth time voted Tuesday against issuing a $6.5 million bond to build a senior citizens activity center.

In a 5-2 vote, the board voted against issuing funding to build the center. The board then voted 5-2 to table the matter indefinitely.

Even though the bond issuance was rejected, that did not stop several people, including Alderman Randall Huling and Mayor Greg Davis, from making passionate speeches on why the board’s decision was a mistake.

For the first 20 minutes of the 6 p.m. meeting, Huling presented a slideshow on the success of the city’s park system. The presentation also included financial figures that showed the city has a healthy reserve fund and could afford to build the senior center.

After he finished, Davis took the floor with microphone in hand and blasted the five aldermen who voted against the bond and to table the matter.

Red-faced and near tears, Davis told the aldermen he did not understand their logic for voting no. He said their fear of the bond hurting the city’s bond capacity and bond rating was unfounded.

The five aldermen who voted against the bond: Ronnie Hale, William Brooks, Greg Guy, Ricky Jobes and George Payne, said it would not hurt the city to be fiscally responsible and wait a year on the center because by then some of the city’s bond debt will have been retired, and money will be freed up for projects.