City aims to borrow $3M to fix flash flooding problems

LAUREL, Miss. (AP) - A south Mississippi city wants to borrow $3 million for drainage repairs.

Laurel Mayor Johnny Magee tells WDAM-TV that the bond issue won’t fix all the city’s drainage issues, but it could allow the city to provide local matches for grant funds.

Magee says recent rains show that Laurel’s drainage system needs the work, saying “people get sick of flash flooding.”

The city would repay the debt over 15 years.

Residents have 60 days to protest the plan before the city moves forward.

Magee says he hopes to start work within the next three to four months. He says drainage is just one of the city’s unmet needs, along with road paving and sewer repairs.

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Information from: WDAM-TV, http://www.wdam.com