The Forrest County Board of Supervisors has made two requests of the City of Hattiesburg - one regarding the relocation site of the Confederate statue outside the Forrest County Circuit Court building and the other regarding financial matters of that measure - if and when voters approve the relocation of the county-owned statue during the Nov. 3 general election.
David Miller, who serves as attorney for the board, came to Tuesday's meeting of Hattiesburg City Council to make council aware of supervisors' requests. The first request deals with relocating the statue to the city-owned Oaklawn Cemetery on Hardy Street, which was built in 1887 and taken over by the city in 1913.
"It contains between 53 and 59 Confederate graves, depending on which database you look at, which in any event makes it the largest site of graves of Confederate soldiers in Forrest County," Miller said. "The board also feels that location in Hattiesburg would obviously be accessible to the majority of the population of the county."
The second request from supervisors is for the city to split the cost of relocation of the statue, which was erected in 1910 and dedicated to "the men and women of the Confederacy." Miller said as a reference point, the measure to remove the Confederate monument at the entrance to the University of Mississippi in Oxford is expected to cost approximately $650,000.
"I don't know if there's special circumstances that make it particularly expensive, but nevertheless, it's a considerable expense should the monument be moved, and (the county) would appreciate the city considering to split the cost," he said.
After a back-and-forth debate on the matter during Monday's meeting of the Forrest County Board of Supervisors, board members voted 3-2 to allow voters to decide on the relocation of the statue in November. District 3 Supervisor Burkett Ross and District 5 Supervisor Chris Bowen voted against that measure.
Because the statue sits on county-owned land, the city has no legal authority to remove the monument.
"Why didn't they make the decision (at the supervisors' meeting) to move it to the cemetery, rather than carrying us through the expense and tedium of a referendum?" Ward 2 Councilwoman Deborah Delgado asked Miller. "It doesn't make sense to me; if the board had accepted (the statue) way back then to place it in the county, they have the authority (to remove it) yesterday, rather than take us through this long, drawn-out process.
"I'm not happy with it, to say the least. And the audacity for them to ask us to share the expense of moving the monument, when they could save everybody some of the cost and some of the pain, and just make the decision to move it. I'm stunned."
Council members are expected to discuss the matter in the near future and give their decision to the board of supervisors.
