OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Biloxi City Council Workshop on MIMA Diversion and Infrastructure Projects (May 12, 2026)

City Council — Tuesday, May 12, 2026
BodyBiloxi, Mississippi
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, May 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 46:37

Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

I can get a motion uh to approve the uh minutes.

0:08

So moved or approve the agenda.

0:11

Approved the agenda.

0:12

So moved.

0:12

Thank you, Mr.

0:13

Tisdale.

0:14

I have a second.

0:15

Second by Mr.

0:16

Rob.

0:16

I mean Mr.

0:17

Creel.

0:19

You look like a Rob to me, but sorry about that.

0:22

Um before we get started, yeah.

0:28

I'm gonna ask uh as a courtesy, Mr.

0:30

Uh Dane has asked to uh say a few things.

0:34

If you can just come up we'll vote on the agenda.

0:39

All in favor, those opposed motion carries.

0:44

Now, if I can ask Mr.

0:46

Dane to come up, state your name and and address.

0:49

Uh we'll give you about three minutes to speak.

0:57

Uh just goes through two now.

1:01

Put me on to on this particular agenda item we have.

1:10

You know this thing was first to see this right.

1:15

See that memorial is first thing that I came, I'll look at the lighthouse.

1:20

Very impressive when inside visitor center or visitor labor's pattern.

1:25

And then I'm going across the street.

1:29

I remember the first thing I went to Disney left 35 years ago.

1:36

How clean.

1:40

So a simple little thing, like a garbage can where people come, keep it clean, get a you know, make sure, but I see over there they're overflowing, they're dirty.

1:52

That's an impression that people when they first come here see.

1:55

That's your Vortex sort of a blocky.

1:58

Make it your shining star.

2:00

We're doing oh look how clean this is.

2:03

These people that's so important.

2:05

A little simple little item, and it's not expensive.

2:08

You know, what's a top of a garbage can cost to clean, paint or something?

2:13

Get a can of cane.

2:14

Those are simple things you can do.

2:16

And I thought there's so many ideas to be creative, also to generate more money to apply for items like the library.

2:27

I can help with that.

2:28

I've done it all across the country.

2:31

I raised millions of dollars for cities who have no money, get creative.

2:36

We brought out our flag.

2:38

I told you last week.

2:39

We brought out our flag.

2:40

We raised a fundraiser, we took a picture, sold it for a dollar.

2:44

80,000 pictures posted were sold, donated to the USL.

2:49

Think they were happy?

2:50

Absolutely.

2:51

There's a lot of ways, what I'm saying.

2:53

Creative, unique ways the city can take it out of on their own initiative, your own creativity.

3:00

It's not hard.

3:01

Do you want to wait for the federal government something?

3:04

You know, you're gonna wait a long time.

3:06

Help.

3:08

The creativity is here.

3:10

You can do it.

3:11

I'll help.

3:12

I'll give you ideas that work in the past.

3:15

We're doing uh world's largest flag again for Memorial Day in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████████████████████████33%
Fiscal Sustainability█████████████████████████25%
Water And Wastewater Management████████████████████████24%
Public Works███████7%
Procedural██████6%
Public Engagement████4%
Parks and Recreation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Biloxi City Council Workshop Discusses MIMA Diversion Funds and Infrastructure Priorities (May 12, 2026)

On May 12, 2026, the Biloxi City Council held a workshop to discuss the allocation of Mississippi Infrastructure Modernization Act (MIMA) diversion funds and a potential general obligation bond for various infrastructure projects. The meeting included public comment, a detailed review of project lists, and discussion of funding constraints and priorities.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Mr. Dane, a resident, expressed support for improving the cleanliness and appearance of the lighthouse area, suggesting simple measures like cleaning or painting garbage cans. He also offered to help the city generate ideas for creative fundraising, citing his experience raising millions for other cities and organizing a world's largest flag event for Memorial Day.

Discussion Items

  • Consent Agenda: The council approved the agenda (motion by Mr. Tisdale, second by Mr. Creel) with no opposition.
  • MIMA Diversion and GO Bond Projects: Christy, a city staff member, presented an updated list of projects that could be funded through MIMA diversion debt service (approximately $12.9 million) and a general obligation bond (approximately $8.3 million after adding $305,000 for West Biloxi Library roof replacement). Three new items were added: citywide water meter replacement (3,000 non-reading meters), Bellevue main thoroughfare construction road (to alleviate construction traffic), and library roof repair.
  • Water Meter Replacement: Christy explained that 3,000 water meters have failed after 10 years, requiring manual reading which is time-consuming. The water department lacks staff and excess revenue for replacement. Some council members questioned using MIMA funds for this, suggesting the water enterprise fund should cover it; Christy noted a rate study is pending and using MIMA avoids a large rate increase.
  • Bellevue Road: Council member Mr. Schumacher noted the road is part of an existing agreement with developers to build internal roads, and using MIMA funds for a construction road would help divert truck traffic from narrow local roads.
  • General Obligation Bond Details: Jason, a finance advisor, explained that a single GO bond would be issued, with debt service for MIMA-eligible projects paid from MIMA funds, not general fund taxes. For an $18 million bond (including non-MIMA projects), annual debt service would be about $1.45 million over 20 years, with approximately $1 million covered by MIMA.
  • MIMA Fund Usage Requirements: Staff clarified that MIMA funds must be obligated within the year received, and cities cannot use them to replace normal operating budgets. The state is becoming stricter about recapturing unused funds.
  • Council Concerns: Several council members raised issues: Mr. Tisdale requested dated handouts and questioned funding for Edgewater Estates water lines if a WRO grant fails; Mr. Marshall criticized receiving the spreadsheet only during the meeting; Mr. Nail asked about flexibility to shift funds between projects; Mr. Creel inquired about future MIMA payments and the asterisks on the spreadsheet (noted as mayor's markings).

Key Outcomes

  • No formal votes were taken on project allocations; the workshop aimed to inform future decisions.
  • The council acknowledged the need to prioritize aging infrastructure, including water systems in Edgewater Estates, and agreed that flexibility is needed as unforeseen issues arise.
  • The mayor's spreadsheet will be revised to correct totals and include date stamps.
  • Staff will provide copies of MIMA expenditure reports to council members upon request.
  • The workshop concluded with a motion to adjourn, which carried.

Meeting Transcript

I can get a motion uh to approve the uh minutes. So moved or approve the agenda. Approved the agenda. So moved. Thank you, Mr. Tisdale. I have a second. Second by Mr. Rob. I mean Mr. Creel. You look like a Rob to me, but sorry about that. Um before we get started, yeah. I'm gonna ask uh as a courtesy, Mr. Uh Dane has asked to uh say a few things. If you can just come up we'll vote on the agenda. All in favor, those opposed motion carries. Now, if I can ask Mr. Dane to come up, state your name and and address. Uh we'll give you about three minutes to speak. Uh just goes through two now. Put me on to on this particular agenda item we have. You know this thing was first to see this right. See that memorial is first thing that I came, I'll look at the lighthouse. Very impressive when inside visitor center or visitor labor's pattern. And then I'm going across the street. I remember the first thing I went to Disney left 35 years ago. How clean. So a simple little thing, like a garbage can where people come, keep it clean, get a you know, make sure, but I see over there they're overflowing, they're dirty. That's an impression that people when they first come here see. That's your Vortex sort of a blocky. Make it your shining star. We're doing oh look how clean this is. These people that's so important. A little simple little item, and it's not expensive. You know, what's a top of a garbage can cost to clean, paint or something? Get a can of cane. Those are simple things you can do. And I thought there's so many ideas to be creative, also to generate more money to apply for items like the library. I can help with that. I've done it all across the country. I raised millions of dollars for cities who have no money, get creative. We brought out our flag. I told you last week. We brought out our flag. We raised a fundraiser, we took a picture, sold it for a dollar. 80,000 pictures posted were sold, donated to the USL. Think they were happy? Absolutely. There's a lot of ways, what I'm saying.

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