The Indianola Mayor and Board of Aldermen met Monday night at City Hall Annex amid a full agenda that included fleet upgrades, emergency declarations, personnel changes, and community events.
Mayor Ken Featherstone opened the meeting at 7 p.m. All aldermen were present either in person or via phone. Ward 1 Alderman Gary Fratesi participated remotely from 7:28 p.m. and arrived in person at 8:15 p.m. Aldermen Darrell Simpson (Ward 2), Ruben Woods (Ward 3), Marvin Elder (Ward 4) and Sam Brock (Ward 5) attended in person. City Clerk Stephanie Washington and City Attorney Mack Arthur Turner were also present.
The board promptly adopted the agenda and approved minutes from three previous meetings held in May.
Featherstone announced a press conference for new public works fleet vehicles scheduled for Tuesday morning, and provided a report on recent progress with public works, including ongoing painting projects. Aldermen discussed the city’s audit status when Featherstone became mayor, noting the audit from 2019 had been completed.
The board extended emergency declarations for both the police and fire departments, citing unresolved safety concerns and rabies threats. A bat removal was scheduled for Wednesday morning at Fire Station 1.
The city moved to recognize a slate of new hires, including three firefighters, a new crossing guard for the police department, and several additions to the public works and water department teams. Aesthetics Division appointments and street department hires were also approved.
During the public hearing, aldermen addressed code enforcement and property adjudications on residences and property owners along Main Street, Roosevelt Street,and Fountain Avenue. Some properties were cited for overgrown grass and the board decided that the city will cut the grass where appropriate and add the expenses to the property owners’ taxes, with resolutions passing by unanimous vote.
The board gave the go-ahead for upcoming city events, including Indianola Night Out and the Mississippi Science Fest. Noise ordinance reminders were issued, and requests to close city streets for special events were approved.
New business included a review of the city’s annual library report, budget presentations, a discussion of options for citywide timekeeping software, and approval of drainage repairs on Kinlock Road. The board tabled the timeclock software item for further study.
Payment requests for ongoing street repairs and a leak adjustment for a resident were authorized, along with approval to reimburse a water account overpayment.
Aldermen also approved travel requests for law enforcement training in Choctaw and Brandon, as well as police supply purchases.
Featherstone and the board concluded by discussing uses for opioid remediation funds, clarifying the mayor authorities, and reviewing employee payment policies. Several items related to department reports and the budget for fiscal year 2026 were moved forward.
The meeting adjourned with a reminder of the upcoming work session that was scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m.
The city did meet on Wednesday evening, in which they mostly discussed budget items in anticipation of finalizing the fiscal year 2026 budget, which takes effect on October 1.
