Poplarville’s Board of Aldermen resolved to keep the millage rate the same in the upcoming fiscal year, at 54.5 mills.

The mills will go toward the city’s general fund, with one fourth of a mill going toward fire protection and one mill to fund the library, as required by law.

In a separate matter, a Poplarville patrol vehicle that had minor damage should be back on the road soon. Approximately two weeks ago, an officer on patrol took a turn too sharply and scraped two of the vehicle’s doors on a curb, said Police Chief Danny Collier. Insurance covered the repair. Collier told the Board that the body shop owner planned to make a $500 donation to the police department after the repair was complete—the same amount as the department’s deductible.

In a separate matter, Martin Luther King Jr. Drive will get some more improvements. The street recently had work done to improve drainage ditches. Jason Lamb with The Walker Associates and Public Works Director Sam Hale will get measurements to potentially add sod back in the areas that have been repaired to protect the shoulder of the roadway from erosion.

In a separate matter, the Board again discussed the city’s Cemetery Ordinance. A local resident has asked if three urns can be buried in the same cemetery plot, but the ordinance does not address how many urns can be buried in a cemetery plot.

Mayor Rossie Creel spoke with a funeral director and learned that typically no more than two urns are allowed in a single plot, or a casket with an urn on top. City Clerk Jane O’Neal also sought advice and found similar information. She said while more than two urns in one plot would be atypical, it would be possible. She recommended the Board create a hold harmless agreement if it decides to update the Cemetery Ordinance to allow more than two urns in one plot.

The Board took the issue under advisement to give the city attorney time to draft a potential amendment to the ordinance.

In other business the Board:

—Authorized establishing funds needed for the 2020 TIF Bond at Hancock Whitney Bank.

The next Board meeting is set for Sept. 15, at 5 p.m.