Flowood Past and Future

Jan. 18, 2023

Source: Rankin County News, Charles Bailey

FLOWOOD – Gary Rhoads makes a convincing point that an investment in Flowood may be the best deal in Rankin County. The Flowood mayor spoke recently with the Rankin County News about the city’s evolution and his future goals and aspirations.

RCN:  Around here, it all starts with the millage rate. Over a number of years, the leaders chopped property taxes down to 20 mils, which is the lowest in Rankin County when you factor in that no one here is charged a garbage bill.

RHOADS:  That was the plan, through the controlled growth that we’ve had. As we grew, we maintained our same services and were able to generate more income through growth. We passed that (savings) on to the taxpayers.

RCN:  That leads straight to another thing I wanted to talk about, your Police and Fire Departments, which are the best, if not two of the best in the county. When you need help, you can expect both to be on the scene in a matter of minutes.

RHOADS:  A lot of training goes into that. We have a good group that are being led by our more experienced personnel. Our motto here has been, “This is our home, so let’s treat everybody like they’re guests at our home.” We want to provide a safe place to live and be servants at the same time.

RCN:  Your Fire Department carries a Class 3 rating. That’s phenomenal.

RHOADS:  I think there are four others in the state that are a Class 3. Millions and millions of dollars have gone into that. That’s every thing from fire hydrants and water supply to training and equipment to personnel. Flowood has always kept utilities and infrastructure a first priority. You don’t look at that once every six or seven months. You look at it on a daily basis.

RCN:  Going back a couple of years, how much of an economic hit did the city take from COVID?

RHOADS:  Looking at our (sales) tax revenue, we had one month that we were down. In 2020, we had about one month when we were down about $20,000. Other than that, it’s been an upward climb.

RCN:  The housing market has been steady, and there are major residential developments underway.

RHOADS:  That involves a lot of little things, like ordinances that have been established to maintain property values, putting different stores in the right places, and maintaining and growing all of our city departments. You go down Lakeland Drive and you see shrubbery and greenery and flowers in the median. The view of what you’re coming into, I hope, gives people the impression that this is different. The appearance adds value, and we invest a lot into that.

RCN:  One major development, Waterpoint (off of the East Metro Corridor), will bring a mix of retail, commercial, professional, assisted living, and lake-front dining to Flowood. It will be unique to Rankin County, that’s for sure.

RHOADS:  Right. They’re starting to build houses there now, and the corporate headquarters for Community Bank is up and running, and what is planned will follow. A lot of the (2023) growth will depend on the national economy. You don’t do a lot of growing with this sort of inflation, or these interest rates. Hopefully, those numbers will come down from where they are today, and you’ll see a lot more happening. You will have things sitting and waiting, because they don’t want to borrow 6.5- or 7- percent money.

RCN:  Your movie theater just closed, which, instead of being a downer, could open a shiny new opportunity.

RHOADS:  Regal closed their doors all over the United States, while they were right in the middle of a rehab. But I think what will come will be better that what was planned. We have two or three theaters now wanting to be there. That’s one of the hottest corners (at Airport Road and Lakeland Drive) for visibility and traffic counts that you’ll find in Mississippi.

RCN: As far as upcoming capital projects go, you have a big one planned near Women’s Hospital.

RHOADS: They’re in the process of building it right now. We’re widening North Flowood Drive out, putting storm drains and curbs and gutters in, from Lakeland Drive to the intersection where the new Jackson Heart facility is being built. That will make it more accessible to come from Lakeland to Women’s and you’ll be there at the Medical Parkway, and those medical facilities.

RCN:  Anything else along those lines on the radar?

RHOADS:  The major project I want to see get under construction this year would be the continuation of the widening of Lakeland Drive (going east). Phase Two went from Grant’s Ferry to 471, and we have five schools out there. There are miles of traffic, every morning, and every evening. There are beautiful homes out past 471 and they’ve created a piece of heaven out there. They need to get to work, and the kids need to get to school. We’re working with the Legislature and Department of Transportation and I hope we get some funding this year to get that started, and make it a safer situation for our children. There is a tremendous amount of growth east of Flowood now.