photo by Hannah Reel

Adams County Supervisor Thomas “Boo” Campbell comments during the meeting as Mayor Jake Middleton listens.

City, county talk EDA; city commits to funding

By Adam Koob (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Saturday, August 29, 2009

NATCHEZ — For the first time since the inception of the Natchez-Adams Economic Development Authority, city and county boards met Friday as required by law to discuss funding for the EDA’s upcoming budget year.

And as of Friday the EDA was guaranteed at least $100,000 of its $275,00 yearly budget.

After the joint meeting ended the Natchez Board of Aldermen continued to meet and voted to continue a millage allocation that will provide the EDA with $100,000 for the upcoming budget year.

Traditionally the aldermen and Adams County Board of Supervisors have used millage to fund the EDA.

The city provides $100,000 to the EDA and the balance of the their budget, $175,000 comes from the county.

But exactly how much funding from the county will go to the EDA remains to be seen.

Supervisors President Henry Watts said there is a consensus among the supervisors that they will no longer fund the EDA with a millage.

Watts said he expects the board to vote to change the millage to an appropriation.

Watts said funding the EDA with an appropriation provides benefit for the county.

“If we have to we can change the appropriation in the middle of the year,” Watts said after the meeting.

Conversely, had the board continued to fund the EDA with millage, as the aldermen have, they would not be able to make any funding adjustments until August of 2010 as directed by legislation.

Watts and his fellow supervisors said they felt the option to change funding mid-year was beneficial because change in the structure of the EDA appears imminent.

In recent weeks Watts, Natchez Mayor Jake Middleton, EDA Chairman Woody Allen and President of the Natchez-Adams Chamber of Commerce Board Benny Jeansonne met with representatives from the Mississippi Development Authority, of which the local EDA is an extension, to come up with ideas on how to improve the EDA.

Those meetings resulted in the hiring of Boyette Strategic Advisors, which has been studying the local EDA and pooling several community leaders to discuss improvements at the EDA.

But any changes to the structure of the EDA will need the approval of both boards and ultimately approval from the Legislature.

During Friday’s meeting it was suggested that the new structure of the EDA could possibly be changed such that the currently unfilled executive director position could be eliminated.

“We don’t know how this thing is going to look,” Watts said.

But before any legislative changes come to the EDA, an interim plan suggested by the Boyette Group will be employed.

Middleton announced an interim project management team comprised of the EDA board chairman, the president of the board of supervisors, the Natchez mayor and the chairman of the chamber will act as EDA director until official changes are made to the EDA’s structure.

“It’s the four of us doing one job,” Middleton said.

Allen said the four people will act as the primary contact point for any economic prospects coming into Natchez and Adams County.

The existing EDA board will manage day-to-day operations and offer support to the project management team.

While Friday’s meeting did not end with firm financial commitments from both boards, progress was made, Middleton said.

“I want to see both boards move forward on full funding for the EDA,” he said. “That’s the best thing for the (EDA.)”

Middleton said while the EDA temporarily will receive more funding than it requires since full funding would include salary for an executive director, that surplus money could be saved or used to develop an industrial park, which would be a draw for developers in the county.

The EDA has currently been without an executive director since January, and the group has been saving money, Allen said.

Allen said the EDA now has approximately $280,000 in savings.

The cry for change at the EDA came in January when the supervisors suddenly cut funding to the group, citing a lack of economic development in the county.

Funding was reallocated a short time later.