The results of an Oct. 22 planning forum, in which dozens of local civic and business leaders participated indicated that Vicksburg and Warren County is divided on many issues, including consolidation of city and county government.
Vicksburg residents may favor consolidating city and county government, but city and county officials are mixed over whether combining the governments is a good move, and some are against it.
South Ward Alderman Willis Thompson said the response to the forum question of consolidation indicates the residents don’t understand the way local government is set up.
“We can’t consolidate because of the way we are each set up,” he said.
What Thompson fails to recognize is consolidation is not without precedent.
A consolidated city-county is a city and county that have been merged into one unified governing body. It has both the powers and responsibilities of both city and county government.
Wyandotte County, Kansas merged with Kansas City, Kansas in 1997 and formed a unified government with a mayor/CEO, three county administrators and a 10 member board of commissioners. The plan to merge the two governments was put to the voters in the form of a referendum and overwhelmingly passed.
Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr., who supports consolidating some city/county functions to eliminate duplication, said consolidation is wrong because the county and the board of supervisors were established by the state Constitution.
“We are a statutory body,” he said. “The Constitution says you shall have five supervisors. We can have as many as we want. You can’t mix it like that.”
North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield added the county does not deal with utilities, adding the rural water districts are private organizations.
“Their road department is over county roads, they don’t have to deal with the Interstate,” Mayfield, a former county supervisor, said. “The state is over the bridges. And you have the courthouse and they collect our (property) taxes.”
Board of Supervisors President Bill Lauderdale and District 1 Supervisor John Arnold both said they would be willing to consider consolidating governments, and both favor consolidating services if possible.
“I think anytime we can consolidate something and give a better service at a better price to the people, I think it’s great,” Lauderdale said. “We ought to do that.”
He said consolidation hasn’t been examined close enough.
Indeed consolidation hasn’t been explored enough and it’s time to take a close look at it.
At least eight other consolidated city-county governments exist, predominantly in the South.
Warren County is unique in there is only one incorporated city in the county.
Consolidation makes sense for our community and it’s time our leaders set aside their differences and work together to move our community forward.