CENTER FOR GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT IN MISSISSIPPI SIXTH EDITION EXTENDING KNOWLEDGE. CHANGING LIVES. Municipal Government in Mississippi Sixth Edition Sumner Davis and Patrick Miller, Editors Contributors Michael T. Allen Sumner Davis Patrick Miller Janet Baird William D. Eshee Jr. Jerry L. Mills Robert L. Barber Sr. Rodney Faver Keith Parsons Tim Barnard Gary E. Friedman Mariah S. Morgan Dana B. Brammer Brian Garrott Krista Sorenson David Brinton Tom Hood Kim Turner Michael Caples Samuel W. Keyes Jr. Shari T. Veazey Thomas S. Chain Michael Lanford Randall B. Wall Brad C. Davis Frank McCain Joy Young With forewords by Gary Jackson, PhD, and Shari T. Veazey © 2017 Center for Government & Community Development Mississippi State University Extension Service Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762 © 2017. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcribed, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the Center for Government & Community Development, Mississippi State University Extension Service. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information regarding the organization and operation of municipal government in Mississippi. It is distributed with the understanding that the editors, the individual authors, and the Center for Government & Community Development in the Mississippi State University Extension Service are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required by the readers, the services of the Office of the Attorney General of Mississippi, the Office of the State Auditor of Mississippi, a municipal attorney, or some other competent professional should be sought. We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Extension Service of Mississippi State University, cooperating with U.S. Department of Agriculture. Published in furtherance of Acts of Congress, May 8 and June 30, 1914. GARY B. JACKSON, Director ii CONTENTS Contents ......................................................................................................................................... iii Foreword from the Mississippi State University Extension Service ............................................. ix Foreword from the Mississippi Municipal League ..........................................................................x Preface ............................................................................................................................................ xi Contributors ................................................................................................................................. xiii Chapter I: Historical and Constitutional Development of the Municipality in Mississippi ............1 Development of Municipal Government in the United States .............................................2 A Brief Mississippi History .................................................................................................4 Constitutional Development of Municipal Government in Mississippi ..............................7 Chapter II: Using the Mississippi Code of 1972, Annotated ..........................................................10 What Is the Mississippi Code? ...........................................................................................10 Does the Code Contain the Latest Version of the Statutes? ..............................................10 How Do I Find the Statutes on a Particular Subject? .........................................................10 Chapter III: Functions and Powers ................................................................................................13 Sources of Municipal Power in Mississippi.......................................................................13 Classification, Creation, Abolition, Expansion, and Forms of Municipal Government ..................................................................................................................14 General Powers and Home Rule ........................................................................................15 General Administrative Matters .........................................................................................17 Municipal Ordinances ........................................................................................................17 Emergency Management ...................................................................................................19 Health, Safety, and Welfare ...............................................................................................20 Police, Police Departments, and Municipal Courts ...........................................................24 Fire Departments and Districts ..........................................................................................24 Public Utilities and Transportation ....................................................................................25 Streets, Parks, and Other Public Facilities .........................................................................25 Inter-Governmental Cooperation .......................................................................................26 Chapter IV: Forms of Government ................................................................................................27 Mayor-Board of Aldermen Form .......................................................................................27 Commission Form ..............................................................................................................31 Council-Manager Form ......................................................................................................33 Mayor-Council Form .........................................................................................................36 iii Chapter V: The Nature of the Municipal Corporation ...................................................................41 The Municipal Charter .......................................................................................................41 Municipal Powers ..............................................................................................................42 Home Rule .........................................................................................................................42 Home Rule Permits ................................................................................................51 Home Rule Does Not Permit .................................................................................57 Sovereign Immunity ...........................................................................................................61 Classification, Creation, Abolition, and Expansion ...........................................................69 Classification ..........................................................................................................69 Creation ..................................................................................................................69 Annexation or Contraction .....................................................................................72 Deannexation .........................................................................................................77 Combination ...........................................................................................................77 Abolition ................................................................................................................78 Addendum A ......................................................................................................................79 Legislative Sovereign Immunity in Mississippi ....................................................79 Addendum B ......................................................................................................................80 Overview of Annexation ........................................................................................80 Pre-Annexation Planning .......................................................................................80 Legal Requirements ...............................................................................................86 Trial Preparation ....................................................................................................87 Trial ........................................................................................................................88 Post Trial ................................................................................................................93 Chapter VI: Officers, Boards, and Commissions ...........................................................................94 Duties of Certain Municipal Officers ................................................................................96 Boards, Commissions, and Authorities ..............................................................................99 Chapter VII: Open Meetings, Public Records, Conflicts of Interest ...........................................102 Open Meetings Act ..........................................................................................................102 Public Records Act ..........................................................................................................106