Residents press council for indoor pool, forensic audit and senior repairs during citizen forum

Residents used the council's citizen forum to press elected officials on several recurring priorities: building an affordable indoor pool, ordering a forensic audit of city finances and accelerating repairs for seniors and low-income residents.

Doctor Matthews urged the council to pursue an indoor pool near the beach that would be affordable and would provide swim lessons. "Our children need to know how to swim," the speaker said, asking the council to consider a facility similar in function to the Croc Center in nearby Biloxi.

Multiple public speakers called for a forensic audit of city finances. Sandra Wash said repeated agenda items and irregularities reinforced her request: "We need a forensic audit because there's no way possible we're gonna keep bringing and taking back the same people," she said.

Speakers also raised practical concerns tied to the federal shutdown and local service delays. Kelvin Barnett and other residents described hunger and benefit interruptions among families; several asked the city to organize food drives and use emergency funds. Seniors asked about porch repairs and delays in Community Development Block Grant work, and one resident said she had been waiting two to three years for home repairs.

Council members acknowledged the concerns, pledged follow-up and requested staff data. The chair asked staff to provide a recapitulation of Harbor Lights enterprise fund spending and to provide the audit timetable and late-fee data requested by councilmembers.

What happens next: staff agreed to provide detailed budget allocations for Harbor Lights, three months of late-fee data, and to follow up with constituents on senior repairs and urban renewal questions.