The Olive Branch Board of Aldermen will take up a federal grant application for the city airport’s control tower, a tax exemption for medical device maker Teleflex and new water and sewer rates when it meets Tuesday, Oct. 6. Mayor Ken Adams and the board will meet at 6 p.m. at the City Municipal Court Building, 6900 Highland Street. The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed on the city’s YouTube channel.
The city posted the agenda Friday. Most of the business is on the consent agenda, which the board usually approves in a single vote unless a member asks to pull an item for discussion.
Key Items Before the Olive Branch Board of Aldermen
Airport tower grant: The board is asked to authorize an application for an Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act competitive grant for a project the agenda calls “OLV ATCT Rehabilitation and Modernization.” OLV is the code for Olive Branch Airport (Taylor Field), and ATCT stands for airport traffic control tower.
Teleflex tax exemption: A final resolution would grant Teleflex, LLC a five-year ad valorem tax exemption on personal property.
Water and sewer rates: Aldermen will consider a resolution setting water and sewer rates under state law. The agenda does not list the proposed rates.
Opioid settlement funds: An interlocal agreement with DeSoto County covers how opioid settlement money will be allocated.
Chalk art grant: The city would accept a $1,678 grant from Visit Mississippi for a chalk art contest.
ADA coordinator: The board will consider an updated ADA accessibility grievance form and policy and name Ryan Elrod as the city’s ADA coordinator.
Road and Utility Projects Wrap Up
Several of this year’s street projects are set to be closed out. Final change orders with Lehman-Roberts Company would cut the FY26 annual surface treatment contract by about $208,562, to roughly $1.63 million, and raise the full-depth reclamation and asphalt overlay contract by about $82,542, to roughly $2.34 million. A third final change order with Vance Brother, LLC would bring the FY26 preservation treatments contract to about $929,404.
The board will also consider a $244,350 change order for W&T Contracting Corporation on the Water/Sewer South Area Project 2. That would raise the contract from about $10.13 million to about $10.37 million.
Other Business
Other consent items include up to $1,000 for the 2026 Veterans Day luncheon, up to $3,000 for Senior Center holiday and summer luncheons, $500 for Halloween candy handed out at fire stations and city events, and several small donations to the Olive Branch Animal Control Department made in memory of Nichole Rushing Gains-Ross.
Planning items include the final plat for The Reserve Subdivision, formerly known as Cherokee Park, which would create nine single-family lots on about 7.26 acres off Crumpler Boulevard. The board will also hold hearings on whether several overgrown properties should be cleaned up by the city.
An executive session is planned to discuss personnel in several departments, including possible promotions in the police and fire departments, and pending litigation. The full agenda is posted on the city’s website.
