In a city known for its maze of procedures and requirements for building, things are about to get a little simpler.

Under a proposed new planning code, the two boards that handle planning and zoning will be combined.

Currently, the city has two volunteer boards — the planning commission, which deals with building applications, and the board of adjustments, which grants zoning variances.

The idea is to streamline the application process, planning consultant Corinne Fox said.

“Instead of having two boards, all functions will be combined into one,” Fox said. “Most cities in Mississippi do that. It’s just following that precedent. It’s something we thought was advisable.”

That way, residents looking to build or make additions will only have to come to one board instead of two, Board of Adjustments Chairman Ed Godfrey said.

“I don’t think it’s a bad move,” Godfrey said. “It will definitely mean meetings on average will be longer with more on the agenda, though.”

The two boards — one with nine members and one with five — will combine at first, creating a 14-member board.

As terms come up and board members retire, the board will eventually shrink back down to nine members, Fox said.

The change might not happen anytime soon, though, City Planner Dennis Story said.

The city is asking the state to approve updates to its charter involving the planning commission and board of adjustments, which could take 90 days or more, Story said.

Then, the board of aldermen must approve the new code. After that, it takes 30 days before it takes effect, Story said.

“We may be talking January before it goes into effect,” Story said.

Besides the board changes, the proposed code combines various city codes, such as the planning code, the sign ordinance and the bed and breakfast ordinance.

Very little will change in terms of zoning, Story said.

“The new development code is probably 90 percent of the old development code,” he said. “Some of the districts are being renamed, but the uses allowed in those districts will basically be the same as they are now.”