County commissioners and city commissioners from the City of St. Marks held a joint meeting last week.

The two boards came together to build a better relationship and talk about issues that St. Marks is facing.

St. Marks Mayor Phil Canter said the city is dealing with a slow demise.

“We are losing businesses,” Canter said.

But the city has remarkable assets, he added.

Canter is hoping to be able to clean up the town.

County Commissioner Lynn Artz suggested making the drive into St. Marks nicer.

“The drive into St. Marks isn’t pretty,” Artz said.

She suggested doing landscaping and planting trees.

St. Marks Commissioner Chuck Shields said an idea to make it more appealing would be to cover the fences for several of the industrial businesses with hedges.

Canter agreed that the image of St. Marks is a big issue.

“It’s certainly something we should focus on,” he said.

St. Marks has a plan for a street scape that includes sidewalks and landscaping, but the city has to find the funds to be able to implement that plan, Canter said.

All present agreed that the paving done by the county in St. Marks has helped tremendously.

County Commissioner Alan Brock asked what was being done with the oil refineries.

Shields said that Murphy Oil is shut down.

Canter added that an oil refinery can be abandoned if the tanks are filled with water and the gates are locked.

Shields said he was told it’s cheaper to pay the taxes than do an assessment and clean up the site.

There was also discussion about the refinery site that is now owned by the city.

Canter said the city has moved it as far as they can at the moment.

The city needs funds to either remove it or build, he said.

“It’s time to start focusing on what we’re actually going to do with it,” Canter said.

At the end of the meeting, the officials agreed that they should meet again.

“We want to be partners,” County Commissioner Mike Stewart said.

Canter said, “We’re all a part of the same economic kingdom.”