Seven social service agencies will share in nearly $150,000 in city funding in measures expected to be approved by the Biloxi City Council during a meeting Tuesday afternoon.
The social-service funding is among the nearly three dozen issues scheduled to be discussed during the council’s meeting, which begins at 1:30 at City Hall. The meeting is open to the public.
The agencies include Catholic Social Services ($38,000), South Mississippi AIDS Task Force ($19,600), Mental Health Association of Mississippi ($19,600), Back Bay Mission ($14,000), Visions of Hope ($16,800), Loaves and Fishes ($16,800) and Society of St. Vincent De Paul ($19,600).
The council agenda also includes first notice of a proposal to re-zone 99 acres of land off Louise Road in Woolmarket that would establish a uniform zoning classification to accommodate a proposed 172-lot residential subdivision. The matter could be decided at the next meeting of the council.
Also on the agenda: a measure to approve $16,000 in funding for Cruisin’ the Coast, federally-funded change orders for construction revisions at the Visitors and Civic centers, and measures proposing that the city apply for nearly $385,000 in law-enforcement grants.
To read the entire agenda and supporting resolutions, click here.
Healthcare announcement scheduled for Tuesday afternoon
Mayor A.J. Holloway will be joined by a number of elected officials and healthcare leaders Tuesday afternoon for a presentation the mayor is calling “an important announcement about the future of healthcare for Biloxi and Harrison County.”
The announcement is scheduled for 4 p.m. at a site on Tommy Munro Drive in Biloxi Commerce Park, adjacent to Cedar Lake Medical Plaza.
Cruisin’ seeing heavier traffic in first days, police chief says
“I was a little surprised by the tremendous turnout we’ve seen so early,” Police Chief John Miller said of this year’s Cruisin’ the Coast, which began attracting traffic and spectators on Friday even though the event itself didn’t begin until Sunday.
Said Miller: “Anytime the weather’s great – and it has been — I think a lot of people choose to get here early because they know we have a great deal to offer.”
Cruisin’, the eight-day block party that stretches from Ocean Springs to Bay St. Louis, is expected to attract more than 5,000 registered vehicles and thousands of auto enthusiasts. Live entertainment and gatherings are planned at several locations along the Gulf Coast.
Miller said he hoped vehicle owners and spectators who line U.S. 90 to watch the parade of cars are respectful of traffic laws and private property.
“Each year, we have a number of front-beach property owners sign letters asking us to make sure no one trespasses on their property,” Miller said. “We have an obligation to those property owners, I think, but at the same time, we want everyone to have a great time. We’re just asking people to be respectful of others.”
To see the Cruisin’ schedule, click here.
News and notes
Webcasting: Sgt. Jackie Rhodes, public information officer for the Biloxi Police Department, discusses Cruisin’ the Coast and other events in the “City Desk” webcast recorded last week. You’ll also learn about a new restaurant – Port City Café – that has opened in downtown Biloxi. To listen to the program, taped Thursday at City Hall, click here.
Financial issues: The city’s new fiscal year – FY 2012 – began on Oct. 1, and you can see some of the key components of the budget – the combined funds statement, statement of revenues, and departmental summaries – on the city’s web site. To visit the financial section, click here.
