Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr. has confirmed that Senate Bill 2926 — a bill aimed at helping fund a proposed sports complex in Vicksburg — has died in the Mississippi Senate. But, local legislators are hoping they can revive the bill and the life of the sports complex.

Flaggs said state Sen. W. Briggs Hopson III said the bill, which failed to get out of the Local and Private Committee, is dead in the Senate.

“We cannot afford to spend taxpayers’ money on an idea, and unless I get the blessing of the Legislature and it gives me the authority to go ahead, the sports complex is dead for the next two years,” Flaggs said. “I’m not going to continue chasing the rabbit that’s got the gun.”

Hopson said Tuesday evening he is continuing to work on a solution.

“It’s not completely dead. I’m working with the Local and Private Committee chairman (Perry Lee, R-Mendenhall) to see what arrangement can be worked out.” Hopson said. “He expressed some concerns about the way the documents were presented by the city and the county.

“I’m trying to work and see if there’s some way a measure can come out that will help support the ball field complex.”

Although the senate bill is in trouble, state Rep. Alex Monsour is hoping a similar bill in the House will have success.

Monsour has authored House Bill 1655 with Reps. Oscar Denton and Deborah Butler Dixon, which would give the City of Vicksburg and Warren County the authority to levy a two percent tax on hotels, motels and restaurants.

“I’m working on getting our bill passed,” Monsour said. “We had a little discrepancy on the language, but we’re working on getting it out of the House now.”

Monsour said he expects the chairman to bring the bill up for discussion Wednesday or Thursday.

Members of the City of Vicksburg’s ad hoc recreation committee were disappointed to learn Hopson’s bill had died in committee.

“That’s very disappointing. We had high hopes that these measures would pass the House and the Senate to put the City of Vicksburg and Warren County in a position where a sports complex would become a realization,” committee chairman Omar Nelson said. “We thought that we were in a very good position to find the funding, or at least a source of funding to support the implementation of the plans to create a sports complex.

“We may have to go back to the drawing board to find other means of revenue.”

Fellow committee member Rowdy Nosser said Tuesday a sports complex is crucial, in his opinion, for Vicksburg and Warren County to continue developing.

“I felt like if it didn’t happen this time then it wasn’t going to happen,” committee member Rowdy Nosser said. “Vicksburg’s future is tourism, not economic development.

“I felt like this was something that we could have events at 10 months out of the year and all our kids in Warren County could participate. If you can’t take care of your kids, then what are you doing everyday.”

In its December report to the city, the recreation committee recommended a multipurpose sports complex on 270 acres of land that included baseball and softball fields, 15 soccer fields, 10 tennis courts, basketball and volleyball courts and a multipurpose building with indoor pool.

In a Dec. 23, 2014 memo sent to Aldermen Michael Mayfield and Willis Thompson and other city officials, Flaggs said he was appointing two committees to determine the feasibility, location, design and finance plan for a proposed multipurpose recreation complex.

Then in February the city hired JCI Holdings LLC of Sunrise Beach, Mo., at a cost not to exceed $9,025, including expenses, to help the board find a site for the complex.

Unless Hopson’s bill is revived in the Senate, the city will need to look to alternative sources of funding for the sports complex.

But, for Flaggs, a defeat in the Legislature will force him to move on to other projects, other areas of concern.

“I’m going to focus my attention on capital improvements and infrastructure, overseeing the development of Vicksburg and promoting Vicksburg as an outstanding city without having a sports complex,” he said. “I will not spend taxpayers’ dollars on an empty hole.”

Staff writer John Surratt contributed to this report.