Loss of Miss Mississippi a big hit to Vicksburg’s city coffers

Losing the annual Miss Mississippi pageant this year means the City of Vicksburg’s revenue losses will be larger than anticipated.

The restrictions on businesses and tourism during the COVID-19 crises are already taking a big bite of the annual budget.

May 5, Mayor George Flaggs Jr. projected that city revenues would be down about $2.8 million, and he said he would have little choice but to begin layoffs of city employees this summer unless federal or state aid was provided to offset the losses.

Now, with the loss of the city’s biggest annual event, the Miss Mississippi pageant, Flaggs says the losses will be closer to $3.2 million.

“If, in fact, the federal government and the state government do not help us, we’re going to have to significantly cut salaries,” Flaggs said in a phone call with WLBT Saturday. “Because that’s your biggest cost, your salaries and your personnel costs.”

The city’s budget for the current fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, 2019, is $29.375 million.

Pageant organizers announced May 8 that this year’s Miss Mississippi and the Mississippi Outstanding Teen pageants will be postponed until 2021. The national Miss America pageant has also been postponed until next year. The state pageants bring millions of hospitality and tourism dollars into Vicksburg each year, and the loss will be keenly felt in the community.

Even with the additional hit to the city’s coffers, Flaggs said he believes pageant organizers made the right decision.

“Play it safe,” he said. “Put the people first.”