Video: Court Ruling Clears Way for Starkville Office

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) — The state Supreme Court clears the way for Starkville to begin work on a new city hall and eventually police department.

City officials say they may break ground within two weeks. The city plans to tear down the old electric department and West Brothers Construction will build a new city hall on the site. That should take 18 months to two years. Work then will begin on a second phase renovating the existing city hall into a new police department and court complex.

Voters twice have narrowly rejected bond issues for the project but last year, aldermen reached An 8 million dollar deal for West Brothers to build the facility and lease it back to the city.

“It’s just an extraordinary day for the city. This is going to give us the opportunity in the immediate future to break ground on a new city hall project which will enable us once that project is complete, to repair the current city hall to serve as our future police headquarters,” Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman said of the ruling.

Resident William McGovern challenged the process in court but today’s ruling by the Supreme Court ended that challenge.