Lack of meeting attendance was cited as the reason the City of Laurel failed to give approval needed for a new business to locate in the city.

During a special Laurel City Council meeting Thursday, the council with a 2 to 2 vote failed to adopt a resolution authorizing the administration to commit local matching funds necessary for filing an application to the Mississippi Development Authority for Community Block Grant funds under the Katrina Supplemental Economic Development Program for a project related to improvements necessary for the location of the Hydro-Dec North America plant in the Industrial Park and also to execute the memorandum of agreement with Hydro-Dec North America.

Officials said Hydro-Dec is a transformer oil company that is locating in the Industrial Park.

Councilman George Carmichael said the special meeting was called by the city administration. However, no one from the administration attended Thursday’s meeting to address some concerns that a few of the council people had.

Carmichael and Ward Five Councilman Manuel Jones voted in favor of the resolutions. However, Council members Willie L. Evans and Felecia M. Breland voted against the issues citing their concern about the lack of attendance at the meeting.

Carmichael, Jones, Evans and Breland were the only council members present.

Other council members contacted said they were not able to attend the meeting for various reasons.

“They had reschedule it one or two times this week, and I was just not able to make it this morning,” Councilman Johnny Magee said.

“I’m out of town and will not return until Friday. I thought it was a routine matter,” Councilman Tony Wheat said. “It’s something we’ve done before. We have been working on this.

“I didn’t know there would be any lack of support,” Wheat added. “It’s purely for economic development. ... It’s a win-win situation.”

The mayor, chief administrative officer and the city attorney did not attend the meeting.

However, Woody Samples of Samples and Associates, was in attendance and attempted to answer some of the council persons’ questions.

Wanda Benson with the city’s public information office said the mayor, who was not able to attend the meeting, “whole heartedly supports this project.”

Evans said her vote was not against the project, but was out of concern.

“I’m not opposed to any of these orders. I’m reluctant to vote because it concerns me that there’s no administration or attorney present and there’s not a full council,” Evans said. “I’m just not comfortable with this right now. ... I have some questions.”