Between 2,500 and 3,000 leaders from cities and towns from across the state, along with state officials, vendors and their families, are in Biloxi this week for the annual summer meeting of the Mississippi Municipal League.
Delegates and guests began arriving Sunday and the conference, being held at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center, runs through Thursday.
“This is usually one of our larger conventions of the year, when you consider the size and number of room nights,” said Mayor and former MML President A.J. Holloway, who will join Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes in welcoming the group during a general session Tuesday morning.
Representatives of the state legislature, attorney general and state auditor will update local leaders on new laws and regulations, while other sessions focus on myriad issues, including best practices for conducting public meetings, how to reduce electricity costs, and municipal borrowing.
Dozens of equipment suppliers and consultants will have exhibits in the convention center as well.
Theme of this year’s conference: “Municipal Leaders: Charting the Course.”
The MML, incidentally, is the official non-profit private organization of nearly 300 cities and towns across Mississippi. The organization lobbies state and federal policymakers on   municipal issues, provides educational sessions and technical support for municipal officials, and is a networking medium for municipal members.
Learn more about the MML
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Point Cadet Plaza to host summer celebration Friday
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will tout its Summer Food Service Program during a three-hour celebration geared for children on Friday at Point Cadet Plaza.
The event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., will feature former NFL star Deuce McAllister and such kiddie fare as an inflatable slide, games from the Mississippi Department of Education, and demonstrations from the Biloxi Fire and Police departments. In addition, a disc jockey and zumba instructor will be on hand.
Incidentally, the splash pad at Point Cadet is open each day now, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
See the complete schedule for Friday’s celebration
Procedure set up for funding requests
Biloxi city leaders will be crafting a new municipal budget in August, and even though city funding may not be available for social-service agencies and other organizations, Council President Paul Tisdale still wants to be aware of funding requests and the numbers of individuals served by various groups.
Tisdale has crafted a “Request for Funding 2014-2015” form that seeks such information from groups, and those interested should turn in completed forms by July 25, the last Friday in July.
“Many organizations do great work in Biloxi,” Tisdale writes on the form, “however, the availability of funds is a major factor in determining whether requests are fully funded, partially funded or not funded at all.”
Download the two-page form in Excel
See the form as a PDF
News and notes
Sports Hall of Fame: The deadline for nominees for the Biloxi Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2014 is rapidly approaching. In fact, it’s June 30. To read how you can submit a deserving honoree, click here.
Grand affairs: Police Chief John Miller says that 16,000 is the final reported attendance for the Darius Rucker concert Saturday at Harrah’s Gulf Coast. Another 20,000 auto enthusiasts viewed the Scrapin’ the Coast auto show — either on the Coast Coliseum grounds or along U.S. 90. Said Miller: “We want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding with the traffic issues we faced this past weekend. ” You can see a host of concert and traffic photos on the city’s Facebook page. To go there, click here.
Water quality: The city’s annual report on the quality of municipal drinking water will be mailed to the city’s water customers this week. To see the report now, click here.
