NATCHEZ &8212; Ask mid-sized to large cities in Mississippi what their community development division does and how it&8217;s structured, and you&8217;ll get a different answer in every town.

Some function as a traditional planning department, with few other functions; others take in planning and myriad of other tasks added over the years.

But they all seem to have one thing in common: either they&8217;re a part of the planning department or have a planning division as part of their department.

How it would work here

Tuesday, aldermen and Mayor Phillip West voted 4-3 to amend this year&8217;s budget by $100,000 to create a community development department. &8220;And it would report directly to the mayor&8217;s office,&8221; West said Wednesday.

The existing planning department will continue to oversee planning, historic preservation and zoning matters, code enforcement and the like.

The separate community development department, as the mayor and some aldermen envision it, would handle programs such as providing decent housing, finding more funds for recreation and revitalizing downtown, in addition other special projects not yet specified.

How other cities do it

Vicksburg&8217;s Community Development Division, which is under that city&8217;s planning department, is responsible for almost all activities associated with a traditional planning department.

Those include advising planning, historic preservation and zoning boards; rewriting sign, parking and zoning ordinances; putting together a comprehensive plan; and providing information on preservation tax credits and fa?ade grants.

In Hattiesburg, the community development division is two steps removed from the mayor&8217;s office, being under a planning and zoning division that itself is under the department of urban development.

To revitalize the community, the division uses Community Development Block Grant or federal Home funds to create programs for low- to moderate-income citizens, especially home construction or repair programs. Other programs include demolition of dilapidated housing, clearing of overgrown lots, fa?ade improvements and infrastructure improvements in lower-income areas.

Except for the fact that it&8217;s under a larger urban development department, Gulfport&8217;s Community Development Division sounds similar to what Natchez officials have in mind.

With CDBG and Home funds from the federal government, that division oversees programs &8220;geared to low- and moderate-income individuals,&8221; Community Development Coordinator Karen McCarty said.

Those include housing down payment assistance programs and finding funds for nonprofits, recreation facilities and programs and infrastructure programs.

The growth of a department

In Meridian, the community development department started out as a traditional planning department. But planning is now just one division of the department. Other divisions and tasks include downtown development, retiree recruitment, urban forestry and transportation planning.

They also include a Keep America Beautiful program, grant research and administration, coordinating cultural programs for the city, flood plain management, building codes and inspection and operation of the intermodal center. That doesn&8217;t include the help the department provides in funding and planning infrastructure for economic development projects, planning annexation and planning reapportionment. &8220;When I got here 23 years ago, it was just planning,&8221; Director George Farrar said. &8220;The city has added (other) programs on as there was a need.&8221;

The main thread that makes such varied programs a natural part of his department, Farrar said, &8220;is that they all have to do with providing a service to our citizens and improving quality of life.&8221;