Vicksburg community planner and the driving force behind last year’s charrette has resigned one week after city officials announced the death of local plans for SmartCode.

Ann Daigle turned in her two-week notice Tuesday under pressure from the city administration. City officials would not discuss her resignation, but said that Daigle was committed to seeing the SmartCode form of zoning regulations introduced in Vicksburg.

Vicksburg’s mayor and aldermen had met with Daigle several times over the past few months to discuss the copyrighted system of land-use, appearance and other standards through which residents could map a community’s future.

Daigle could not be reached.

“We’re disappointed to see Ann leave the organization, but it is very clear that she wants to pursue Smart Growth development, and it was determined that Smart Growth was not going to work in Vicksburg,” said Mayor Laurence Leyens.

Daigle was hired after the post of zoning administrator had been vacant for nearly a year, leaving a proposed zoning makeover plan assembled by a citizen committee still on the shelf. Shortly after she started work in November 2001, Daigle announced plans to introduce SmartCode in Vicksburg and to hold two public planning sessions called “charrettes” this summer.

To tailor the SmartCode for Vicksburg, the city hosted a team of design professionals during two summer sessions and held two public hearings. The total cost of the charrette was $250,000.

City officials now say they will return to more traditional zoning planning, incorporating elements from the charrette and the proposed zoning codes.

Daigle previously worked for the City of Monroe and was paid a salary of $50,000. City officials said they have not started looking for a replacement yet.

Daigle is the second person in the city’s planning department to leave in the last two months. Long-time City Planner Ronnie Bounds quit in December, saying he agreed with the administration’s approach to community development, but citing conflicts with the mayor and aldermen.

Wayne Mansfield was hired last month as his replacement.