HATTIESBURG NEIGHBORHOODS
CONTACT INFORMATION
Main Office, City Hall
200 Forrest Street
1st and 2nd Floor
601-545-4675
Code Enforcement
601-554-4675
Planning
601-545-4599
Building
601-554-1003
Neighborhood Coordinator
601-554-1005
The roots of the city’s neighborhood planning program — Neighborhoods Building Hattiesburg’s Future can be traced back to 1999-2001. The program set out to establish an information exchange between the city’s governing body and neighborhood residents. The process consisted of three phases: 1) Initiation, 2) Organizing/Outreach, and 3) Visioning/Planning
The City’s neighborhood development coordinator plays a vital role in providing important and timely information regarding city meetings, public hearings, programs and public awareness messages to the neighborhood “network.” The coordinator also assists, as a liaison, in providing information for organizing new associations and neighborhood watch groups. The neighborhood coordinator also provides the associations with information about new developments, new ordinances and upcoming issues and events that will affect their neighborhood, such as zoning changes and road improvements. There are currently 43 neighborhood associations city-wide.
The Neighborhood Development Coordinator also attends numerous meetings with non-profit organizations geared to providing services for disadvantaged citizens.
COUNCIL OF NEIGHBORHOODS
The Council of Neighborhoods was established in 2000 to provide a forum for neighborhood leaders to express ideas, issues or concerns about city services or projects. The council met quarterly to allow the associations an opportunity to sit at the table and listen to presentations geared to the interests and concerns of the neighborhoods.
In 2007, the group became a separate entity with elected board members and officers. The group holds regularly scheduled monthly meetings and invites speakers to address current neighborhood issues.