Warren County owns the old Mississippi River bridge. The Mississippi Supreme Court long ago ruled that 99 year 16th section leases were illegal. Kansas City Southern Railroad is the current tenant of only a part of the bridge under a 999-year lease with Warren County. Yet Warren County needs the railroad’s consent on how the county uses it’s own property? There seems something wrong with this picture. What exactly would Warren County lose by requesting a court to void the lease? The worst result is the court could deny the request and nothing would change. On the other hand if the lease was held unlawful the railroad would still need the bridge and have to pay fair rental. Surely I must be missing something.
David Sessums
Vicksburg