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SATURDAY, mARCh 13, 2010 • 50¢
TOpIC
Less sleep Sunday
Don’t forget to set clocks ahead one hour 11 12 1 10 2 at 2 a.m. Sunday. 9 3 8
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Downtown Partners
AP
SpRING fORWARD Some will grumble as time chages D1
By Shelia Byrd The Associated Press
WEAThER Today: Partly cloudy; high near 58 Tonight: Partly cloudy; low near 42 Mississippi River:
Friday: 25.3 feet Fell: 0.8 foot Flood stage: 43 feet
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ONLINE www.vicksburgpost.com VOLUME 128 NUMBER 72 4 SECTIONS
JACKSON — A tax credit opposed by Mississippi’s county officials because they say it gives certain housing developers too big of a break will remain on the books for at least another year. Legislation to rework the 2005 tax break died this session after developers and county supervisors and assessors couldn’t reach an agreement. The law applies to so-called Section 42 developers who use federal tax credits to build More legislarental tive action complexes for people who qualify for affordable housing. Under the law, the developers are assessed by the income generated from the rental units rather than the cost of the real property. Officials have said the apartment owners are paying about one-third of what they could be paying in taxes without the law. That formula causes counties to assess other taxpayers at higher rates to make up the difference, said Derrick Surrette, executive director of the Mississippi Association of Supervisors. The bill that died this week in the Senate Finance Committee would have taxed the developments like all other rental property, but also provide a 35 percent tax break, Surrette said. Marty Milstead, executive vice president of the Homebuilders Association of Mississippi, said the proposal was excessive. “It would have doubled the taxes on some family homes. In some cases tripled,” Milstead said. Surrette didn’t dispute that fact. “Right now, they’re paying very little to no taxes. If you’re coming from nothing, to get there you’ve got to triple,” Surrette said. Surrette and Milstead said the two sides will continue to work on an agreement with hopes of introducing another proposal next session. Under Section 42 of the
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A9 1781: The seventh planet of the solar system, Uranus, is discovered by Sir William Herschel. 1925: The Tennessee General Assembly approves a bill prohibiting the teaching of the theory of evoluGov. Austin tion. (Gov. Peay Austin Peay signed the measure on March 21.) 1969: The Apollo 9 astronauts splash down, ending a mission that included the successful testing of the Lunar Module. 1980: Ford Motor Chairman Henry Ford II announces he is stepping down, the same day a jury in Winamac, Ind., finds Ford Motor Co. innocent of reckless homicide in the fiery deaths of three young women in a Ford Pinto. 1996: A gunman bursts into an elementary school in Dunblane, Scotland, and opens fire, killing 16 children and one teacher before killing himself.
Housing tax break will stay in place
mEREdITh spEnCER•The Vicksburg PosT
Mathew Mixon, who has lived downtown for about a year, walks his dogs Bella, left, and Kappa along Washington Street Friday. “I like being downtown, especially
on nice days like today,” he said. “You can just open the windows and get a nice breeze.”
Mayor rolls out list of board members First meeting Downtown partners members of the downtown adviset for today The sory board are: By Steve Sanoski ssanoski@vicksburgpost.com
The names of the members of the long-discussed advisory panel on downtown issues to the Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen have been announced, and the 15 picked by Mayor Paul Winfield are set to meet for the first time today. Under the label Downtown Partners, the board members are slated to attend a four-hour meeting at The Bazsinsky House to begin looking at ways to better blend retail, residential and entertainment interests in downtown Vicksburg. “I’m charging the Downtown Partners with establishing a clear vision for the future of downtown,” said Winfield, who first pledged in October to form the board and said then that he hoped to have it in place by the start of 2010. “All of the Downtown Part-
• H.C. Porter — artist and owner of H.C. Porter Gallery on Washington Street. • Ronnie Sanders — manager of Duff’s Tavern & Grille on Washington Street. • Mark Doyle — musician and nephew of Bobby Doyle, owner of Burger Village on Washington Street. • Larry Gawronski — executive director of VenuWorks, contracted manager of the Vicksburg Convention Center and Auditorium. • Karen Davis — owner of Tresses On The Terrace beauty salon on Crawford Street. • David Day — radio host and owner of The Klondyke on North Washington Street. • Andrew Dawson — co-owner of The ners are stockholders, and they’re all interconnected — whether they like it or not. I expect them to work together and improve downtown.” Winfield said he believes the board will meet monthly, but added they will likely decide on a schedule for themselves today. As meetings progress, the mayor said he
Bazsinsky House on Monroe Street. • Steven Marcus — owner of Marcus Furniture on Washington Street. • Remy Massey — Realtor and downtown resident. • Tillman Whitley — curator of The Jacqueline House African-American Museum on Main Street. • Larry Prentiss — owner of LD’s Kitchen restaurants on Levee Street and Halls Ferry Road. • Harry Sharp — owner of The Duff Green Mansion and chairman of the Vicksburg Main Street Program. • Blake Teller — attorney. • Alice Hebler — owner of Paper Plus on Washington Street. • Steven Tzotzolas — owner of F&G Beverages of Washington Street.
hopes Downtown Partners will look at ways to improve downtown zoning and other ordinances, as well as the branding of downtown. Eventually, he would like the board to visit other similar cities in the South that have shown successful downtown growth. Aside from the Downtown Partners members,
the board will also have a moderator and a handful of “observers,” including the mayor, Police Chief Walter Armstrong, City Attorney Lee Davis Thames Jr., Chief of Staff Kenya Burks and Buildings and Inspections Director Victor GrayLewis. “If they ask me my opinSee Downtown, Page A9.
See Tax break, Page A9.
‘Derelict’ VWSD trailers headed for demolition By Pamela Hitchins phitchins@vicksburgpost.com Trailers used as classrooms for decades were officially declared surplus property and approved for demolition Friday in a special called meeting of the Vicksburg Warren School District Board of Trustees. The trailers, located behind Vicksburg Junior High, are in the way of upcoming construction but would not survive being moved to another
site on school property, Superintendent Dr. James Price said. “Neither building is habitable,” Price said. Arthur Jones of JBHM Architects of Jackson wrote in a site report that one of the portable buildings shows signs of water damage and the possibility of mold. Both are “in a derelict state.” Any usable materials will be salvaged by the contracSee Trailers, Page A9.
KATIE CARTER•The Vicksburg PosT
Equipment is parked near the classroom trailers at Vicksburg Junior High Friday.