Council reviews engineering budget, planned truck purchase and CDBG staffing changes

At a special Biloxi City Council budget workshop, staff reviewed the engineering department—s proposed fiscal 2026 operating budget, focusing on a planned vehicle purchase, staffing changes and the relationship between engineering and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) projects. Council members discussed capital needs, the timing of environmental reviews on CDBG-funded rehabs and the department—s head count.

The issue in brief: the engineering director said the department plans to buy one pickup to replace its oldest vehicle and to reduce head count through attrition and transfers. The city—s CDBG coordinator will retire, staff said, and the department expects to replace that role and transition one position to IT; the engineering department—s active head count is projected to fall from 17 to 15 over the next year.

Why it matters: engineering maintains the city—s baseline operations and designs capital projects. Changes to staffing or capital equipment can affect project schedules and the city—s ability to deliver infrastructure work linked to CDBG-funded rehabilitation and other grants.

Major details

- Vehicle purchase: The engineering director said the department…