“Do we need to be in the mowing business?” Ward 4 Alderman Jeff Henning asked the question — not for the first time in his tenure — at the Brookhaven Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday, May 6.

Henning addressed City Inspector David Fearn with the question, after confirming the municipality charges $250 per cutting per privately-owned lot. Fearn said the charge assessed to owners of unkempt lots was $50 at one time, but the Board had increased it to $250 in order to recoup costs and as an incentive against the property owner letting the lot go without upkeep.

“Does this cover our cost?” Henning asked, to which Fearn replied, “It probably does.”

The City goes through a long process of determining which lots are not being kept up by owners, contacting or attempting to contact the owners, and conducting a public hearing on the list of properties before anything is done by the city to actually cut the grass on the property.

Once a property has been cut by the City, or its contractor, the city sends a bill for $250 to the property owner. What happens if they don’t pay?

“If they don’t pay it, they don’t pay it,” Fearn said. A lien on the property is “the only other option we’ve got.”

Fearn said the Board can increase the per-cutting costs and pursue liens on any unpaid balances, if they choose to do so.

 

In other business, the Board:

• Approved to sell the service weapons of fallen Brookhaven Police officers Zach Moak and James White to their respective families. Attorney Bobby Moak advised the Board the weapons could not be donated, but could be sold for any amount.
• Accepted the resignation of BPD detective Leslie Falvey, effective May 14.
• Accepted the resignation of Brookhaven Fire Department firefighter Nash Durr, effective immediately.
• Approved Public Works Director Kris Xifos to attend the MsRWA Management and Technical Conference and Exhibition in Biloxi May 27-30. City will pay registration, lodging, and reimburse for meals.
• Approved a fowl permit for Paige Erwin of Shore Drive to own 12 chickens to be contained in a pen, with no roosters.
• Approved the emergency repair of Water Well No. 6.
• Approved the lower bid of $30,500 from Cliburn Woodwork to take down the already-approved structures from the March 18 public hearing. Three other bids were received, ranging from $78,815 to $400,000.
• Approved the emergency repair of a manhole at the intersection of West Congress Street and Schwem Avenue.
• Approved the lower quotes to remove and replace existing manholes on Albert Street, Eva Harris, Lake View Arms, and West Court Street, all submitted by Greenbriar Digging Services. The amounts were $12,000, $14,200, $8,200, and $17,200, respectively, to be paid with Infrastructure funds. Higher quotes were received on each project from Mitchell Contracting.
• Approved pay request No. 3 (final) from Greenbriar for work on the 2024 Water Improvements in Oak Hill Estates in the amount of $20,488.05, to be paid with Infrastructure funds.