Consider This: Jackson Property Management

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Any day of the week we could address a new topic that would spotlight Jackson’s inability to address and manage its responsibilities.

It’s actually really sad, because the city was once a vibrant, thriving community. There are a few bright spots in the downtown area around the State Capitol, in Fondren and in Belhaven, but that’s about it.

One item that has gotten quite a bit of attention lately is the terrible condition of many city properties.

Leading the charge is Councilman Ashby Foote, and here’s what he said at a recent council meeting:

“It’s time we man up and woman up and take care of our own facilities. We’ve sat here for the last six years and allowed our own buildings to become a blight and to be boarded up and become places for homeless people to hang out. That’s unacceptable. We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to clean up other properties across the city, and we’ve effectively abandoned our own properties. The example we set is terrible.”

From the Tisdale Library to the Eudora Welty property, the Mississippi Arts Center to the Animal Shelter, the properties have been neglected for years and the city can’t keep up with the basic maintenance.

As Councilman Foote requested, there should be an audit of existing properties and then an aggressive campaign to sell the properties the city no longer uses.

Doing that would put the properties back on the tax rolls generating much needed revenue, with new owners making repairs and improving the neighborhoods where they are located.

It’s management 101, but as we have seen time and time again, sometimes the commonsense ideas don’t ever see the light of day.

Hopefully that won’t be the case this time and the city will follow through with Councilman Foote’s recommendation and implement this plan.

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