Board of Mayor and Aldermen approves police department reorganization among other business

The Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen handled lot of city business at its meeting Friday, Oct. 25.

The board adopted the mayor’s proposed new organizational chart for the Vicksburg Police Department, which Mayor George Flaggs Jr. announced Oct. 23. The new chart elevates Capt. Penny Jones to the newly created position of deputy chief of patrol, and clarifies lines of responsibility and communication.

The board also adopted new policies for K-9 units including safety devices for vehicles and kennels in the police department.

North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield announced he is seeking a new location for the city’s animal shelter. The current location, just off North Washington Street, is dated and prone to flooding. The facility struggles to keep up with the number of animals there, and housing dogs and cats in that facility has proven to be a challenge.

The city has received two proposals for development of the property where Kuhn Memorial State Hospital was once located on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. A previous request for proposals went unanswered, and the city recently revised and re-issued the RFP.

The city approved numerous expense items on the agenda including an ad in the amount of $2,550 from the Vicksburg Post for Vicksburg Living Magazine. In fiscal year 2019, the city paid the Vicksburg Post almost $50,000 for various ads and notifications.

In other business, apparently pickleball is sweeping the nation. South Ward Alderman Alex Monsour noted that pickleball courts will be added to sports complex on Bazinsky Road.

An artists rendering of the new pickleball courts to be added to the fields on Bazinsky Road