Your Clarksdale Press Register applauds the Mayor and Board of Commissioner’s plans to clean up Clarksdale. It is a project they have been working on for at least three years.
Those who have lived here for some time may not realize what their community looks like to tourist, industrialist looking to locate a factory in Clarksdale and retail companies looking to open a new store in our city.
But that clean up is not moving fast enough and we want to urge city fathers to once again get serious about this program. At one time the city had plans to tear down 50 houses a year, but that is apparently did not happen this summer.
Again we think this is an idea and city program that Clarksdale has to stick with.
We all probably have a house in our neighborhood that is in a deplorable state of repair.
The house is unoccupied. It gets a couple of broken windows and juveniles crawl in for a look. The more sinister adults come around and steal anything of value. At some point the house catches on fire, the fire department puts it out and the neighborhood has an eyesore.
We said earlier it is good the city has finally decided to embark on an effort to clean up their dilapidated homes.
The plan was for the city and contractors to quickly tear down these properties and haul the debris to the dump. Contractors were to be hired to come in with dirt and level the property. The goal was to have a lot that could be mowed by the city little effort.
Clarksdale apparently has a little unencumbered cash to pay for this work. Steady sales tax revenue, collecting past due municipal court fines and a low interest rate on the recent infrastructure bond sale have bolstered the city’s bottom line. There is also American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money.
We also want to point out your Mayor Chuck Espy and Board of Commissioners have held the line on spending and stood firm on a balanced budget over the past couple of years.
In this budget season, we hope the county and our schools will look at the city’s good fiscal management and realize good stewardship of taxpayer dollars has its rewards.
Your Clarksdale Press Register is a conservative watchdog on spending your tax dollars, but this is one project this town needs. Let’s clean up Clarksdale. Let’s get to work!
