Page 21 - Grenada County, MS Build Better Together 2040 Plan

Grenada County Build Better Together 2040 Plan

Key Issues and Considerations

Through the Grenada County Today and Plan Direction phases of the comprehensive planning effort, a set of 10
Top Strategic Priorities was identified based on interactions with County and City elected officials and other
area leaders, input from the Plan Advisory Committee, other results from varied stakeholder engagement
activities, and the plan consultant’s own input. Recognizing that Housing Supply and Options was the consensus
“Job 1” item facing Grenada County in the near term, three other Strategic Priorities are most relevant to this
Growth Capacity portion of the Grenada County
2040 Plan: Higher Education Assets in Grenada County
2. Utility Infrastructure. Both City water and
especially sanitary sewer must be extended
to more areas that are prime for residential
growth, given the Housing Supply imperative
above, while also serving the needs of
existing businesses and new industries.
4. Education System Capacity. The Grenada
School District is poised to accommodate
near-term growth in its student population Holmes Community College - Grenada
but will require new or upgraded facilities to
accommodate a dramatically higher head
count. On the other hand, there is concern
that the higher education footprint in
Grenada County should be even larger today
and certainly into the future, so more local
and Mississippi youth can continue their
education here, choosing from a wider array
of programs at both Holmes Community
College and through the University of
Mississippi Medical Center in Grenada. Along University of Mississippi Medical Center - Grenada
with housing and infrastructure, both
workforce quantity and readiness are further essential factors in sustaining Grenada County’s economic
trajectory.
6. Government Capacity. Local government in general, at both the City and County levels in Grenada
County, must prepare to step up their capabilities and capacity to serve more constituents and program
users. This applies most importantly to police, fire and emergency medical services but also extends to
development review and permit processing, street maintenance, parks and recreation services, code
compliance, utility billing, judicial activities and the entire range of public programming each entity
provides. Furthermore, perhaps as clear as anything to date in this planning effort is that Grenada County
residents and business interests want to see City and County government “on the same page” and
working together amicably rather than at cross purposes.

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