Bills approved in the 2008 legislative session that would crack down on copper theft, combat drug houses and enhance the penalties for some violent crimes could help make Jackson safer, city officials and delegation members say.
All of those, as well as a bill that would put $160,000 toward the Jackson Police Department’s overtime budget, are awaiting action from the governor.
But some measures that would have helped supplement the city’s budget, including a controversial hotel tax, died.
“We could have done better, and we could have done worse,” Jackson City Council President Leslie Burl McLemore said of how the city fared in the session that ended Friday. “But we are still finding it difficult to find support for funding public safety and infrastructure in the city.”
Magnolia Tribune
