Biloxi council backs budget amendment to buy nine mobile scoreboards for A.J. Holloway Sports Complex

Biloxi City Councilors on March 24 discussed and signaled support for a late-added budget amendment to buy nine mobile scoreboards for the A.J. Holloway Sports Complex.

Councilor Kenny Glavin framed the measure as time-sensitive, saying youth baseball had already begun and that organizers were hosting an 80-team tournament this week. "We have this beautiful facility out there that we also use for travel ball, tournament ball," Glavin said, adding that mobile scoreboards would fill an immediate need while the city pursues permanent outfield scoreboards necessary for hosting larger, state-sanctioned all-star events.

Glavin said staff and legal reviewed the resolution and found no legal obstacles, and he described outreach to potential sponsors and anonymous donors who have helped underwrite park amenities. The council noted that the scoreboards would show inning/time/score information that parents, coaches and officials need to run games efficiently.

Council members praised the community engagement around youth sports. "For every dollar we invest in recreational and municipal facilities, we as a city get back $100," one councilor said, urging colleagues to support the item. Another councilor detailed a recent weekend with nearly 400 youth at opening ceremonies and more than 2,000 attendees including families, underscoring the local economic and civic benefits of well-equipped fields.

The resolution had been added to the agenda late because the council wanted to order equipment quickly and avoid delaying games already scheduled. Council discussion also referenced potential sponsorship conversations with beverage companies and local businesses to offset costs. Staff noted the item was not expected to pose legal issues and that funding had been identified in the proposed budget amendment.

The council did not record a separate roll-call vote for the scoreboard item in the transcript beyond the discussion recorded in the policy agenda section; staff and council members committed to moving the resolution forward and to coordinate procurement so equipment would arrive for scheduled events.

Next steps: staff will proceed with order and procurement under the directions discussed by council and return paperwork as required for budget amendment processing.