August 31, 2026 - The Timpson City Council debated during their Friday, August 28, 2026, meeting over a street project previously approved by the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC).
These projects were described as repairing the roadways leading to two cemeteries in the city on both Garrison Street and Railroad Avenue; however, the council was apprehensive about moving forward with the original plan.
Mayor Cedrick Grace commented that he didn’t feel the meeting should take very long for the council to consider the project due to previous approval by the council.
“As I remember, when I was running for mayor, this was already on the agenda and in that meeting if my mind serves me correctly, that motion had already passed to go forward with the Railroad and the Garrison Street project,” said Grace. “So, I was at the EDC meeting the other night and I think everything is pretty much still the same, but if you look back in your records here you also have that in your minutes as well, I had missed it before where the motion was made and it was passed and all of the council members was in favor of the motion.”
Bert Coan, councilman, asked why the item was before the council if it had already been approved.
What was before the council wasn’t the approval of the project, and instead was to authorize the engineering firm Goodwin Lassiter to advertise for bids on the project.
Coan said that being new to the council he had some questions in that he didn’t know what an EDC was.
Coan asked “Is that money that we have somewhere, or is that a grant money or what exactly is it?”
Misty Burgess, City Secretary, defined for Coan what the EDC is and she explained that a third of the city’s sales tax revenue goes to the EDC every month to only be used for streets, betterment of the city, downtown lighting, things that benefit the economy and lawn care at SoSo Park. Burgess also clarified for Coan that the other two thirds of the sales tax go into the general budget of the city.
Coan asked how much money was in the EDC budget at the time of the meeting and she stated there was $432,000 in that fund.
“This is the only thing that the EDC can pay for is stuff like this,” said Burgess.
Coan commented that the EDC had around $400,000 and what he was looking at would bring the project cost to over $1 million. Burgess shared that the intent of the EDC would be to pay $250,000 up front and then take out a loan from Austin Bank for the balance and pay a monthly note toward the loan.
Coan questioned who the EDC is, and Burgess explained that it’s a board of six people.
“But the city’s going to be the one responsible for it, that’s the problem,” inserted Ronnie Wolfe, councilman.
Further clarification from Coan was needed on who is a part of the EDC and if it involves other municipalities. Burgess explained that it is just the Timpson EDC board operating under the umbrella of the city of Timpson.
Debra Smith, former Timpson mayor and EDC board member, asked if she could say something and Wolfe quickly said “no.”
“I’m not understanding this, in my heart, because I go there every day to Woodlawn Cemetery and I ride that road and it is absolutely horrible, it’s really bad,” said Coan.
He said that Smith had recently stated if the city would pay $20,000 toward the materials, then the commissioner would be able to complete the Rosehill Road project that was left incomplete by the company that had worked on that road.
“There’s a street fund that Mr. Wolfe asked to set up some time ago that has money in it for streets improvement,” said Smith. “When the trash trucks are real heavy, there’s a 5% rebate each month on trash pickup that went into that account.”
The sewage treatment plant was another expense that Coan asked about and Burgess said that is paid out of the water department funds.
“I just would hate to see us get overextended, and I’m telling you I mean it in my heart I drive that [road] every day I take my dogs down through there and walk on that,” said Coan.
Coan asked how long it took to accumulate what’s now in the EDC budget and Wolfe asked how much it takes in each month.
Burgess explained it just depends on how much sales tax was incurred that month and she said it averages around $10,000 a month.
“The payoff on the water meter and the distributer system is $1.4 million over 10 years at 4.2% interest,” said Wolfe. “That’s $140,000 a year right there that we’re gonna have to pay that note off.”
Wolfe said that he could see the city getting overextended very easily, and Coan said he could be looking at it incorrectly, but he sees the EDC as more like a savings account. Burgess said it wasn’t really the case and that the money could only be used for what it’s designated.
“I’m for fixing those streets, I’m just not sure I’m for fixing them right now if that makes sense,” said Coan. “I mean if we’re already paying a note on something else, or a couple of notes, I’d almost like to see that note get down before we get another note.”
Smith interjected that it’s different money, and Wolfe said that it’s still money the city is responsible for under its umbrella.
Penny Ramsey, councilwoman, stated that sales tax goes into the EDC fund every month, which is basically what is paying the note every month.
Coan asked about the sewage treatment plant loan, which Burgess clarified does come out of the EDC fund and is paid back to it monthly. Coan also brought up possible other expenses such as truck repairs and Charleston Johnson, councilman, said that those funds wouldn’t come out of the EDC and Coan asserted that would still be a note.
Coan proposed waiting six months for the EDC to accrue more value in its funding, which based on previous gains would potentially be around $60,000,
Smith commented to mayor Grace about a project the EDC and city have already accomplished through partnership for roadways in the city.
“The EDC, and the city, have already done one road project. There was a little over $700,000 in it and it’s almost paid down,” said Smith.
Smith described the project began in 2021 and included work on McLaughlin, Holly from the railroad tracks to the highway and then to 2nd Street.
“EDC requires that the road projects start out in what they call business to market, so you can go from your major highways to your business section which we consider downtown and businesses over here, and you can go from railroads to businesses,” said Smith. “So, we did several streets for like $705,000 and we made every note.”
Wolfe asked how much was owed on that note, and Burgess stated the last payment is in May 2027. Wolfe was concerned about paying on that note and adding on the potential new one for Garrison and Railroad. Smith explained that $432,000 has been accumulated in the EDC account while also paying the previous note and covering other expenses included fixing sidewalks, and park mowing.
“That money is like if you compare it to the technology fund, they have a very specific limited use, and we had to go through the attorney and the auditor to find out if we could loan money to the city when the city needed it and they said ‘yes,’ as long as it was paid back and book keeped,” said Smith. “That money is in its own economic development fund and the board, Kyle Bridges at the bank talked to his upper people. The board and the EDC is responsible, that sales tax is posted against it, and yes the city is named on it because the city is over the umbrella of the EDC.”
She further elaborated the EDC has more fluid money than the city and it would come out of sales tax funds. Burgess explained the previous loan payments are split between the EDC and the city street improvement budget.
Green questioned how $92,000 was allowed for the water treatment facility when it isn’t a street.
“The $90,000 is being loaned just like we loaned, what $135,000 or something during the ice storm,” said Smith. “You can borrow from departments, but it has to be paid back. One time during one of the emergencies, we literally had to borrow from the utility deposit account.”
Smith stated the water department was in such desperate need during that time that it was the first time they had done a major interdepartmental loan, and it was common practice before she became mayor for money to be moved from the electric account to the water account because it was never in the black.
Coan said he wants for the street project to be done, but he was in favor of postponing until the other note is paid off which is in May 2027.
Wolfe contended that oil sanding some of the less traveled roads in Timpson is an option and it was his belief that the county could be involved in a project like that, in light of the county having a pug mill to produce oil sand and since the city of Timpson is a part of Shelby County.
Ramsey referenced a previous meeting where the council was in favor of seeking more affordable options for working on the city streets of Timpson and she expressed concerns over the roadways the EDC approved for anyone traveling to the cemeteries and regular school bus traffic.
Wolfe said she would have to ask former-mayor Smith about that and he quizzed her on if she thought those were the worst roads in the city, to which she conceded they weren’t the worst; however, she included them as being amongst the worst.
Wolfe stated again his favor for oil sand and he said that it was a less expensive option.
Mayor Grace suggested there is grant money available for streets in Timpson.
Ramsey expressed apprehension about delaying the project for an extensive period of time, and certainly not until May 2027.
Wolfe quizzed her again on the importance of the roads over the sewer treatment plant, “I ask you this question, is the sewer treatment plant more important than roads? Because, we’re going to be under enforcement with the sewer treatment plant.”
She agreed they were in the top three together, and that if the sewer treatment plant wasn’t in compliance it would cost the city more money than it has. Wolfe continued with his focus being on the water treatment plant and meters.
“We were told, in this council meeting when we bought electronic water meters that they would save enough money in labor and water to retire the note,” said Wolfe.
Wolfe argued the meters still have to be read, labor savings haven’t been seen, chemical usage hasn’t decreased and there hasn’t been an increase in water usage.
“That’s not going to retire the note, we’re going to have to retire that note through the water department at $104,000 a year, average,” said Wolfe. “$1.4 million, he said, 10 years 4.2% interest.”
Ramsey asked Burgess if the chemical costs have decreased and she said that the costs have decreased a little.
Coan inquired about tabling Goodwin Lassiter seeking bids on the street project until January so that research could be conducted on possible alternatives such as grants and oil sand.
Burgess advised the council that tabling wasn’t really an option and that instead they would be denying approval of Goodwin Lassiter advertising for bids on the project since the EDC and the council had already approved for the project to go forward and the project goes back to 2025.
Wolfe brought up the Rosehill Road project which was recently underway and he was certain that was the county's engineer on that project and questioned why the engineer didn’t install ditches.
The Rosehill Road project was an undertaking accomplished via an interlocal agreement between Shelby County and the city of Timpson, which began being considered in 2022. (County Seeking Administrative, Engineering Proposals Toward Grant Funded Project in Timpson).
Judd “Tuffy” Green moved to not allow Goodwin Lassiter to seek bids and maybe revisit the issue in three months and his motion was seconded by Ramsey. The motion passed with all in favor.
The meeting adjourned at 1:54pm.
As the discussions in the meeting suggested, many on the council are now considering oil sand roads for the city of Timpson, which in the case of county roads require some regular maintenance. According to the outcome of the meeting, alternatives to the original plan for Garrison Street and Railroad Avenue are expected in three months from the meeting.
Agenda items approved during the meeting include: 1. Minutes from the August 24, 2026 EDC Meeting. 2. Adjourn. Agenda items disapproved during the meeting include: 1. Goodwin-Lasiter to proceed with advertising for construction bids for the 2025 EDC Streets Project.
