A public hearing will be held Aug. 6 on a Mississippi Development Authority Small Cities Community Development Block Grant for which the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors is considering applying.

The grant is for up to $2 million for site improvements at the Mississippi Steel Processing location on the Severstal campus.

The state was allocated about $11 million to be made available to cities and counties on a competitive basis for undertaking eligible economic development activities. The funds must be used to benefit low- and moderate-income people, to aid in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight or to meet other community development needs particularly urgent because existing conditions pose a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community where other financial resources are not available to meet such needs.

The economic development activities for which these funds may be used and specific details regarding eligible activities, program requirements and the rating system will be provided at the public hearing, which will be held in the supervisors’ board room in the Lowndes County Courthouse at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 6. The purpose of the hearing is to obtain citizen input into the development of the application.