COLUMBUS, Miss. (WTVA) -- A big decision has just been made, and the vote is unanimous.
Columbus now has a comprehensive plan that all members of the City Council hope will serve as a roadmap for the right kind of growth.
"We're looking at our entire city. We're looking at it from the neighborhood level. We're looking at it from Main Street and our focal points how to make connections throughout the city. We look at land use, transportation and issues such as drainage and infrastructure and areas where we can make improvements," Columbus City Planner Christina Berry said.
Drainage needs to take top priority, according to Councilman Joseph Mickens.
His east Columbus home has flooded four times during the last 12 years.
"It's been put on the back burner for so long. They keep talking about expense or cost so much, but I feel like we need to make it a priority," Mickens said.
An overhaul of the system would require untold millions. For that reason, the opinion of most on the City Council seems to be take one step at a time to make improvements.
"Simple things can be done immediately -- cleaning out the drains, identifying where the drains are and ditches are and re-looking at the 1971 master plan and updating it to see how much does it really cost to fix," Councilman Kabir Karriem said.
The comprehensive plan gains praise from at least one Mississippi Main Street official who believes progress in phases will work well toward achieving the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life.
