Officials keeping eye on sales tax revenue, future industry

Tomorrow marks a new year, unblemished and full of promise, hope and potential. Time to make plans, dreams and resolutions. For area leaders, they’ve been looking forward to 2012 and have plenty of ideas and hopes for the city, county and state.

Cleveland Mayor Billy Nowell, Ruleville City Councilman Billy Marlow, Bolivar County Board of Supervisors President Andrew Williams, Cleveland-Bolivar County Chamber of Commerce Director Judson Thigpen and State Sen. Willie Simmons all have high hopes for 2012.

Nowell is hopeful for more funds for the city to keep government providing top-notch services for residents. And he’s looking to do that by folks purchasing more goods in Cleveland.

“I’m hoping our sales tax increases and that all of our businesses do well this next year,” he said. “The economy is bouncing back a little bit so we hope our town will stay in stride with what we’ve done this past year and maybe a little better.”

One of the hopes Nowell and other city leaders are working on is getting the proposed Grammy Museum out of the planning stages and start a physical project.

“We hope to get all of our preliminary work done this year but we’ve got a lot of money to raise and a lot to do before we can say when we’re putting any shovels in the ground,” he explained.

Marlow knows his constituents are “concerned about the federal budget and the high unemployment rate.” But he’s seeing and hoping for some positive signs ahead for Ruleville.

“In Ruleville I see economic growth here,” he said. “The hospital is still growing and I am concerned about the cutbacks in the Medicare budget that might be coming down the pipeline but I’m hoping as a rural hospital they’ll have a little mercy on us.”

Small businesses will be setting up in Ruleville, according to Marlow. “We have a couple of prospects — some mom and pop businesses — we’ve got some property set up for them.”

With minimal housing development happening, Marlow has hopes of more people moving to the area who already work there. The city has been working on cleaning up and maintaining the city’s look to attract more people and businesses to the area.

Bolivar County will be focused on ongoing infrastructure projects as well, according to Williams.

“Over the past four years we’re working on streets, grounds and sewage treatment and a grant to remodel the courthouse in Rosedale,” he said. “And we’re looking forward to working with the chamber and other arms of government to bring in more economic development. We want to bring jobs here to Bolivar County.”

After losing more than 7,000 residents the past decade, Williams hopes to find answers to keeping the population and increasing it with new jobs.

“We’ll be calling agencies and holding them accountable to do things to attract industry to Bolivar County,” he said. “That’s our main focus. Keep Bolivar County a safe, clean place and improve our school system. When industries consider coming to an area they look at law enforcement and school systems.”

Thigpen has hopes to keep the momentum the Chamber has helped start will continue in 2012.

“We just completed our Community Pride campaign and it would be my hope that people would take what we have here in Cleveland be good ambassadors of Cleveland and Bolivar County,” he said. “We’ve got a lot to be proud of here.”

Thigpen has hopes that the economy would continue to improve throughout the county, state and across the U.S.

“We would hope that retailers and wholesalers would have a good year this next year,” he said. “I hope sales kick back up. I don’t know of any businesses expanding but some folks have requested some information but its nothing we can plant seeds on right now.”

With a new governor coming to Jackson, Simmons hopes to partner with the incoming team and strengthen the Delta area.

“We have new leadership and I’m the kind of person who with that leadership looks for and works for opportunities,” Simmons said. “So I’m going to be optimistic and say that we’re going to work hard for the Delta.”

On his “hopeful to-do” list, Simmons has plenty of projects listed.

“We’re looking to get money for the Grammy Museum in Cleveland,” he said. “That’s going to be good for our tourism and economic development. As good as the local government has been in raising up money for it, we’re going try and generate some money from the state.”

Repairing flood damage to a major park in Bolivar County is on his “hopes” list.

“The port was flooded and Wildlife and Fisheries has been reluctant about wanting to re-invest and put monies into (The Great River Road State Park),” he explained. “But we want to see what we can do so it will continue to be a viable park that we can utilize for citizens in Bolivar County and the surrounding area.”

Simmons also is hoping to find ways to help healthcare, education, the highway system and ports in Greenville and Rosedale.

“We want to get more economic development around the ports and we want to work with the new leadership to make that happen,” he said.