Mayor George Flaggs Jr.’s proposed $55 million capital improvements program will top the list of items when the Board of Mayor and Aldermen meet Jan. 28 with the county’s legislative delegation at City Hall.

“This about things specific to Vicksburg,” he said, adding that while the agenda for the meeting is still being developed, he also plans to discuss finding a way to “streamline” the city’s drug testing policy.

“We want to look at that and see if we can come up with some legislation,” he said.

The present policy, Flaggs said, is too cumbersome.

“It’s too much trouble and it’s costing too much, the way we have to do the drug testing, and I want to reduce that cost.”

North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield agreed drug testing is expensive, “But I don’t know how much we can do (to cut the cost). If you’re going to drive a city vehicle, you have to be drug tested before hand, and if you have an accident, you have to be drug tested, and that’s the board included.

“I don’t really know how much modification we’re going to be able to do on that, but we definitely need to have that conversation to see if there is something we can do that might help us save money on it. It (the costs) adds up,” he said.

“It’s costing us a good bit of money,” South Ward Alderman Alex Monsour said. “We’re just trying to see if we can save money on the front end.”

He said the board has talked with city attorney Nancy Thomas about a plan to cut costs.

“It’s expensive and we’re trying to figure out how to save some money,” he said.

Monsour called Flaggs’ capital improvement proposal a “hot button item” for the meeting. He said, however, he did not have any other items for the meeting at this time.

One item Mayfield said he wants to discuss is funding for infrastructure in the North Ward.

Some of the infrastructure in the North Ward, he said, is 100 years old, “And there’s always something on the table; infrastructure is a never ending thing in the North Ward. Anything I can possibly get for that will be a great help.”

Flaggs in April announced a proposed 10-year, $55 million capital improvements project funded by a 1 percent sales tax that includes $26.5 million for public works, public safety, tourism and paving, and $28.5 million in potential matching funds for a new port project, which is estimated at $125 million.

He said in December he would seek a local and private, or special, bill that would call for a public referendum to allow the city to levy the 1 percent sales tax on anything other than groceries, medicine, automobiles, hotels and restaurants. He indicated the referendum would be on the ballot for the 2021 municipal elections.

The proposed one-cent tax is expected to raise $3.9 million a year and payoff the $55 million bond issue in 20 years.