The City of Laurel will conduct a public hearing Thursday concerning a rural general public transportation program.

A representative of the Mississippi Department of Transportation gave city officials a presentation on the state’s public transportation program and what it offers during a recent Laurel City Council meeting.

The city announced in November that it was beginning to explore the possibilities of a public transit system.

City officials conducted a public forum on Dec. 8 to discuss whether the city needs general public transportation.

Many of the residents attending the forum said they supported the idea, however, some said more research is needed to determine the cost and affect it would have on the city and its finances.

Charles Carr, administrator of MDOT’s Public Transit Division, gave a presentation to the City Council earlier this month informing the city about state assistance that can be provided to the city concerning public transportation.

Carr said funding is available to the city for the purpose of supporting public transportation in areas with less than 50,000 populations.

He said funds may be used for capital, operating and administrative assistance to state agencies, local public bodies, Indian tribes and non-profit organizations, and operators of public transportation services.

Lula Cooley, City of Laurel’s community development coordinator who is coordinating the city’s efforts, said residents from throughout Laurel and Jones County are invited to the meetings concerning transportation.

“We want to get input from as many people as possible,” Cooley said. “We want them to tell us what they want us to do.”

According to the city’s public notice about Thursday’s public hearing, the goals of the Rural General Public Transportation program are: to enhance the access of people in non-urbanized areas to health care, shopping, education, employment, public service and recreation; to assist in the maintenance, development, improvement and use of public transportation systems in rural and small urban areas; to encourage and facilitate the most efficient use of all federal funds used to provide passenger transportation in non-urbanized areas through the coordination of programs and services; and to provide for the participation of private transportation providers in non-urbanized transportation to the maximum extent.

Cooley said more specific details regarding eligible activities, program requirements and the program criteria will be provided at the public hearing.

Carr said a public transportation program where a bus make designated stops may not be a good idea for a city the size of Laurel.

“Laurel is not Atlanta,” he said. “To try to do a project to mimic that would be doom to fail.”

Carr said officials would need to look at the city’s needs and develop a program specifically for those needs.