HARRISON COUNTY, Miss.—When cities change zoning rules or annex land, those decisions can affect property taxes, development and business operations. Now, Mississippi lawmakers are debating whether the state’s more than 20-year-old public notice law does enough to ensure residents know about those changes before they happen.
Senate Bill 2893, introduced during the 2026 legislative session, would expand current requirements by mandating that counties and municipalities post zoning hearing notices not only in local newspapers, as state law requires, but also on Facebook, Instagram and X. The bill would also require notices to appear on government websites and in public buildings before a hearing takes place.
Supporters say the proposal reflects changes in how residents access information. Others argue newspapers provide an independent, permanent record that safeguards public notices from being altered or removed.
Long Beach Annexation Highlights Debate
The debate carries real implications for residents in places like Long Beach, where a proposed annexation of 1.3 square miles of Harrison County prompted questions about how effectively the public was informed.
The Gazebo Gazette published a legal notice Dec. 10, 2025, announcing a public hearing scheduled for Jan. 29. That publication met the state’s legal requirement.
Resident Misty Hopkins said they didn’t learn about the proposed annexation until neighbors discovered additional notices that were put up in the area.
“We found out from a neighbor who was curious and found something tie-strapped to an electric pole,” she said. “(My neighbor) messaged everybody trying to figure out what was going on—because we’d never received any kind of formal information or anything—just to find out that there were annexation movements already in the works.”
Ryan Bradley, who also lives in the annexation area and serves as executive director of the Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United, said he learned about the proposal in a similar way.
“I got a phone call from a neighbor who said, ‘Hey, you’ve got some papers pinned to a tree,’” he said. “That was my public notice.”
For those residents, the issue was not whether the city followed the law, but whether the law ensured people received meaningful notice.
What the Law Currently Requires
Mississippi law requires counties and municipalities to publish zoning hearing notices in a qualifying local newspaper with paid subscribers in the affected area. The statute bases eligibility on paid circulation, not total readership or digital reach.
Lawmakers last substantially updated the statute in 2004, before the documented widespread use of smartphones and social media.
Layne Bruce, executive director of the Mississippi Press Association, said newspapers provide independent verification that a government body properly published a notice.
“We provide proof of publication to the agency or government body that is required to run the notice,” he said.
That documentation ensures the notice appears exactly as issued.
“If they’re in print, there’s no chance that anything might have been altered after it was originally published,” Bruce said.
In addition to print publication, the Mississippi Press Association maintains a searchable statewide database of public notices. However, when RHCJC News searched the database for the Jan. 29 public hearing in Long Beach, the site did not display the notice.
When Notices Exist, But People Don’t See Them
Bradley, who tracks new laws and regulations that affect the fishing industry as part of his job, said Mississippi’s public notice requirements place the burden on business owners and residents to monitor multiple agencies for potential regulatory changes.
“It’s very difficult to keep up with all the different state agencies that may want to regulate your business,” Bradley said.
He said many residents no longer rely on newspapers for information, and without a digital version of the notice, communication channels quickly break down.
“Sometimes they’re for regulatory changes. They’re required to post that in the newspaper, and a lot of folks just don’t read the print anymore,” he said.
Bradley said he witnessed the consequences in late 2024 when officials discussed leasing historically public oyster reefs to private citizens—a move his organization opposed.
Officials issued public notice and gave fishermen the opportunity to object, but none were filed. Bradley said it wasn’t because fishermen supported the plan, but because they didn’t know it was happening.
“We’ve moved into modern times with cell phones and the internet. It makes sense that we modernize our public notice requirements,” he said.
What Senate Bill 2893 Would Change
Senate Bill 2893 would expand the current publication requirement to include additional digital and public postings.
In addition to publishing a notice in a local newspaper 30 days and 15 days before a hearing, counties and municipalities would also be required to post the notice 30 days and 15 days before the hearing on Facebook, Instagram and X.
In addition, the bill would require local governments to:
- Make proposed zoning changes available for public review in the local government office and local library, if practicable, 30 days before the hearing.
- Post the proposed changes on the government’s website, if one exists.
- Display public signage 30 days before the hearing if local ordinance requires it.
Bradley said expanding the reach of public notices to meet residents and business owners where they are would increase transparency and streamline communication.
“The more public notice that we can provide the residents of our state is a win-win for transparency,” he said. “The more engaged and knowledgeable our citizens can interact with state and local government, the better … our communities (are going to be).”
Bruce agreed, pointing to the benefits of expanding the state’s public notice laws while ensuring accountability and consistency stay top of mind.
“The print journalism industry … should remain the arbiter of these notices because they have been for decades, centuries, even,” Bruce said. “But we don’t deny that the information should be readily available to the public, and free for that matter, that you shouldn’t have to have a subscription to the local newspaper.”
The Senate passed the bill on Feb. 11, and it’s now in the hands of the House.
This article first appeared on RHCJC and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.