Concerns impacting small towns across southeast Mississippi

ROY HOWARD COMMUNITY JOURNALISM CENTER-As lawmakers debate priorities during the 2026 legislative session, leaders in small towns across southeast Mississippi say statewide decisions can have outsized impacts.

Kristen Kaylor with the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center shows us how challenges in small towns reflect much broader concerns.

McLain is home to fewer than 600 people, but Mayor Steve McCluskey says the challenges facing his town are anything but small. “CDBG grants allow the city to upgrade sewer systems and different projects.”

McCluskey says without state and federal grants, many projects simply wouldn’t happen — from sewer upgrades to basic infrastructure.

But recent funding delays, he says, have made planning harder. “This is a dark time with the budget.”

In Pearl River County, Poplarville Mayor Louise Smith says rising costs tied to the state retirement system are making it harder to recruit police officers, stretching already limited resources even further. “I’m really concerned because we have a difficult time now recruiting our policemen.”

In towns like McLain and Poplarville, leaders say when funding shifts or policies change, there’s little margin to absorb the impact.

Public safety, infrastructure and basic services all depend on predictable support.

For McCluskey, visibility and safety go hand in hand, both for residents and for the town’s future. “The only way we’re going to get economic growth is by more visibility on the highway.”

From grant funding to retirement policies, small-town leaders say their message to lawmakers is simple: decisions made at the Capitol quickly become realities on small town main streets.