NATCHEZ — Adams County Supervisors went on record saying they support the regionalism effort, but Monday board members said they needed a little time to think before they dedicated money to it.

Natchez Inc. Chairman Chandler Russ presented the board with a proposal geared at marketing the entire Miss-Lou for industrial prospects. Part of that proposal included a request for $10,000 from the county to help fund the effort. Russ said he was also going to ask Natchez Now, the private-sector wing of Natchez Inc., to give $5,000, and the Concordia Parish Police Jury to give $15,000.

“Even consumers don’t see that political boundary of the river in place, so we have got to market (the area) regionally,” Russ said.

“We want to get started on this as soon as possible, hence why we went to the private sector, to limit what we ask of you.”

Russ said the request was pending the approval of Concordia Parish — the county would not have to keep its commitment if the parish did not likewise join in — but the supervisors were hesitant to commit in the middle of a budget year.

“We are trying to turn our bond rating around, we need to ensure an end of year cash balance,” Supervisor President Darryl Grennell said. “We need to get the blessings of (County Administrator) Joe (Murray).”

The county administrator said such a funding action would require a budget amendment at this time of the year. Russ said he believed the effort would be OK if the county decided to fund its portion of the project from the next county budget cycle.

“We can go on record supporting this endeavor without making the obligation at this moment before we know where we are (financially),” Grennell said.

Also during the meeting, Supervisor Mike Lazarus asked Road Manager Robbie Dollar why county mechanics are allowed to take county-owned trucks home.

Lazarus said he understands allowing crew members who are on call for emergencies to take vehicles home, but he said he could not see a rationale for a mechanic.

“There is mileage on the trucks, there is exposure on the trucks and there’s gas — it’s $4 a gallon right now, it breaks my heart to pull that pump out,” Lazarus said. “I think they can be left at the county barn.”

Dollar, who took the position of road manager in January, said he did not know why the three mechanics took the trucks home. One of the mechanics is on call for weekends, he said.

“I talked to them about it and they have done it for years,” he said. “If y’all want to stop it, we will stop it today.”

When the supervisors asked if they needed to take a vote on the matter, Board Attorney Scott Slover said the matter is Dollar’s prerogative as department head.

“As department head, if I see a vehicle that doesn’t need to go home, it needs to be parked in the (county) yard,” Dollar said.

In other news:

4The supervisors voted to change the name of Kenneth Isbell Sr. Road back to Anna’s Bottom Road.

The name change from Anna’s Bottom Road to Kenneth Isbell Sr. Road was made late last year, without objection by residents of the road. At Monday’s meeting, however, Grennell had several letters and a petition from the residents to change the name back because it was causing disruptions to their business and general confusion, including mail not getting delivered.

The board voted to name a bridge on the road the Kenneth Isbell Sr. Bridge.

4The board voted to give Murray the go-ahead to apply for a Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality grant to defray the cost of developing a new solid waste plan.

The last solid waste plan was developed in 1994, and by law must be updated every 20 years.

4The board voted to allow Southern Telecommunications to do an audit of the county’s phone lines.

Irving Bullet with Southern Telecommunications said the company will be able to save the county $11,000 a year.