Aldermen split on $500,000 matching grant request for third rail spur

At a special called meeting Aug. 28, 2026, Alderman John Cain moved to authorize Monroe County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kelly A. Martin to submit a Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) Site Development Grant application for a dollar-for-dollar matching grant up to $500,000 to cover the remaining costs of a third rail spur for the Rail Project. Alderman James Ivory seconded the motion.

The minutes record the roll-call vote: "Alderman Ivory and Alderman Cain voted 'Aye'. Alderwoman Moore and Alderman Belle voted 'Abstain'. Alderman Holliday voted 'Nay'." The transcript does not state an explicit outcome (for example, "motion carried"), and no additional instructions or next steps are recorded in the meeting text.

The proposed grant would be a matching award capped at $500,000 to fund the remaining costs associated with constructing the third rail spur tied to the Rail Project. The motion was presented without recorded additional discussion in the minutes; the meeting record does not include staff estimates of total project cost, matching sources, or whether the board or staff would return with follow-up materials for a subsequent meeting.

"Alderman Ivory and Alderman Cain voted 'Aye'," the minutes state, reflecting how each member's vote was recorded.

Because the transcript only records the roll-call votes and not an explicit statement that the motion passed or failed, it is not possible from this record alone to say whether the board authorized the chamber director to submit the application. The board scheduled its next regular meeting for Sept. 1, 2026.