Brookhaven city officials made progress towards a Certified Local Government designation by establishing the parameters of the proposed historic district in Tuesday’s work session.

A Certified Local Government is a county or municipality that has established its own historic preservation commission and program that meets federal and state standards and has obtained certification of such action from Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the National Park Service.

The CLG designation would give Brookhaven a higher priority to receive grant funding and make Brookhaven eligible for annual matching grants to help restore and maintain historic places. According to the MDAH, grants may be used for such diverse projects as the restoration of historic buildings; historical, architectural or archaeological site inventory work; preparation of nominations to the National Register of Historic Places; educational programs; and staff support for new historic preservation commissions.

To become a CLG, the city must enact an ordinance establishing a historic district and preservation commission, which enforces the preservation ordinance. According to MDAH, the ordinance “includes designation provisions for the identification and registration of historic property and the protection of such property.”

So far, the mayor and Board of Aldermen have established the proposed historic district that would fall under the governance of the preservation commission. The area includes most of downtown’s central

business district, excluding some fringe areas that are more residential or may have more residential properties. The Mississippi School of the Arts has been included in the proposed district, as well as the sidewalk connecting the Amtrak station to downtown.

The board is also looking into designating several local landmarks outside of the historic district to be included under the CLG, and also whether or not these places would be subject to the governance of the preservation commission.

The ordinance that establishes the preservation commission and may include general zoning-type regulations was discussed at length at Tuesday’s meeting. Mayor Joe Cox, the Board of Aldermen and City Attorney Joe Fernald are in the process of evaluating ordinances in other communities to see what might work for Brookhaven. Most of these ordinances are variations on the state model ordinance tailored to the specific community.

The board discussed the preservation commission and possible regulations the ordinance might include, but there is much to be deliberated before putting the ordinance together.

Though developing the proposed district is a large part of the CLG program and what it deals with, this is the first of many discussions and deliberations before an ordinance is adopted. The board recognized the need for public opinion and input, and it was said there will be a public hearing when the ordinance has been drafted.