Extending the city limits of Port Gibson could bring more industry and opportunity for residents, city officials said Saturday at a meeting called to inform the public about a proposed annexation that could double the size of Port Gibson. The proposed annexation would stretch northwest of the city to include Grand Gulf, the only nuclear power plant in Mississippi. The proposed plan to include Grand Gulf was the only plan discussed.

More than 350 Port Gibson and Claiborne County residents filled the gymnasium at A.W. Watson Elementary School for what Port Gibson Mayor Armelda Arnold said will be the first of many planned meetings on the subject.

Questions and concerns arose from some residents who believe the plan is only a way of increasing tax revenue.

Arnold said the annexation plan, which she and the board of alderman have been working on for about a year and a half, is not about increasing taxes, but about helping the city grow. One of the ways she plans to improve the city after the proposed annexation is to bring economic development to the port where the $3 billion plant overlooks the Mississippi River.

&#8220This annexation is important to the survival of Port Gibson,” she said.

While Arnold said taxes will be increased as a result of bringing parts of the county into the city, she focused on what the city could offer its citizens. Some of those advantages are increased fire and police protection for those people now paying only county taxes, as well as more room for housing and industry.

&#8220We have people wanting to come in, but there is nowhere to do any type of economic development,” she said. &#8220The city doesn’t have the ability to offer space. We need to grow and we are going to grow.”

Port Gibson resident Pete Guido questioned the mayor and alderman on how they would finance the additional services needed to make the expansion.

&#8220We would use taxes and additional revenue – hopefully from Grand Gulf,” Arnold said in response to Guido’s question. &#8220There are federal funds and grants that we would tap into and we will keep taxes as low as possible.”

The mayor and alderman have drawn up a map, which is a draft of the proposed annexation. The map, which was shown in Thursday’s edition of The Port Gibson Reveille and passed out at the meeting, shows the proposed annexation extending northwest to Grand Gulf all the way to the bank of the Mississippi River. The map does not include specific road and street names to be included in the plan. Arnold said a more detailed map will be drawn in the next month.

The study of the proposed annexation is being done by Jimmy Gouras of Jimmy Gouras Urban Planning Consultants, which has drawn the plans. Gouras not at the public meeting to answer any questions regarding the study.

Arnold said she and the board will eventually make the study public, as well as continue the discussion on the proposed plan with the public for the next two or three months. If enough support is gained, they will take the next step to see the plan into fruition. State law requires an annexation to be approved by Claiborne County Chancery Court, which would decide whether the city needs the additional area and whether it can afford to maintain it.

Arnold believes the annexation is the only way to make Port Gibson grow as a city.

&#8220Since the 1950s, nothing has been done,” she said. &#8220If we don’t do something right now, nothing will be done. Port Gibson has 1,834 citizens and people are dying and leaving – there’s no opportunity. This is something good for the community and we’re going to move forward.”