The Biloxi City Council met on August 19, 2025, to discuss a wide range of topics including park maintenance, homeless encampments, a pending garbage fee increase, and a resolution opposing the privatization of oyster reefs. The meeting opened with the mayor's report on a technology center groundbreaking at Keesler Air Force Base and a presentation from the Mississippi Tobacco Free Coalition. Council members raised constituent concerns about park conditions, public safety, and infrastructure delays. The council unanimously passed a resolution opposing oyster reef leasing after hearing testimony from a commercial fisheries advocate. Several consent agenda items were approved, and code enforcement cases were addressed. The meeting adjourned in memory of two notable Biloxians.
Technology Center. We started it at the Visitor Center at about 10 o'clock and broke ground, shovel uh uh uh some sand uh ready to go on White Avenue uh uh Judge Secrew area and uh that we went over well we had the governor and uh Dr. Kenning from Mississippi State and a lot of folks from there, and it was a tremendous uh tremendous gathering of the the general uh Wolf Davidson and uh uh first wing commander Chris uh Robinson was there, and I think it was you know Bluxy and Kickster uh really uh starting something that uh is gonna position us for a lot of growth and a lot of uh you know expansion of this this keeper. So we it's really exciting. Both events today are this week were were very positive. So uh I almost concludes my report. I'll ask Bianca Booth to come up here and give us a little uh tobacco free uh Harrison County report, okay. Welcome, Bianca. You uh my name is Bianca Booth, and this is junior. We are employees of New Beginnings Ministries of Stone County, and I am also a resident of Harrison County. I will be working as the project director for Mississippi Tobacco Free Coalition of Harrison County. Um Jerry is the IT specialist um uh for New Beginnings Ministry, and he will be developing our data charts uh for our presentations. Um now, as we face a crucial moment in Harrison County's public health history, tobacco-related illness continues to claim lives and strain our hospitals. Um and yet the solution is clear, it's effective and already working across Mississippi. Today I want to share with you um just a little bit of a backstory and some real data that shows that smoke-free policies are more than just good ideas, they are life-saving, uh cost-cutting, and community strengthening solutions. Um, a landmark study conducted by Dr. Robert McMillan uh and colleagues at Mississippi State University published in the journal of the Mississippi State Medical Association, uh analyzed hospital admission rates from 2013 to 2016 across 82 Mississippi counties. Now, this is what they found. Counties with smoke-free ordinances had significantly lower hospital admission rates uh for tobacco-related illnesses. That includes heart attacks, strokes, pneumonia, asthma, and chronic ox obstructive pulmonary disease, which is CPOD. Um hospital hospitalizations were 12% lower in smoke-free counties, and admissions for pneumonia and stroke were especially impacted. It was lower also. But here's the kicker. So this just shows that the reductions are directly uh tied to smoke exposure in um uh and then and that's not just a coincidence. So now let's talk about Harrison County, my county, our county. Despite uh being the second largest county in Mississippi, only one of its cities, which is Govport, has an ordinance since 2008. And none of the other cities, Biloxi, Long Beach, Diaborville, or past Christian, had um a smoke-free ordinance in place during the study period or even today. This places our community on the wrong side of the health divide. I ask that you allow me to come in periodically to give you health updates on how we can address these problems together. Um, not to pressure you about an ordinance, but to uh allow you to review the facts and we work together to solve uh and come up with a solution. New Beginning Ministries have been a vital partner and a grant recipient of Mississippi State Department of Health Office of Tobacco Control for over 17 years, working in Stone George and uh Green Counties. We ask that you appoint someone to be a part of our local Mississippi Tobacco Free Coalition Board and help to help bring fresh ideas and changes that will result in a healthier community in Harrison County. I truly appreciate the opportunity and hoping to form a partnership with the great leaders of this um of this city council. Thank you. Thank you, Bianca. Appreciate it. Any questions? Thank you. Appreciate it. And that concludes my report, I think, Rick, right? Thank you, Mayor. My report. There's no departmental reports. We'll get into council reports, Mr. Gray. Uh yeah. Mr. Jamie Lee. A couple questions. Get an update on uh the Claire Hornsby Park on the uh the walkway on the playground equipment.