Mayor proposes consolidation
Published 12:00 am Saturday, August 19, 2006
NATCHEZ &8212; Mayor Phillip West would like the city and the county to become one entity, he said Wednesday.
Consolidating the city and the county would be much more effective than annexing a bit of land at a time, West said at Wednesday&8217;s Rotary Club meeting.
The city is running out of space, he said.
&8220;Annexation and/or consolidation needs to take place as soon as possible,&8221; West said. &8220;I prefer consolidation.&8221;
The process would take time, he said, and it would probably be expensive.
&8220;But the investment would be worth it in the long run,&8221; West said.
In order to consolidate, though, there must be legislative and community support, he said. People in the county may not want to start paying city taxes, West said, but it would be a much better situation in the long run.
Even with community support, it would take at least three to five years to complete the process, he said. West said he and the aldermen will look at the city budget in July and decide if there is money to support the project.
&8220;I&8217;m hoping there will be some funds set aside for something of this nature,&8221; West said.
Consolidating the county and city would mean there would be one entity and would make things simpler, City Attorney Walter Brown in a telephone interview Wednesday.
Consolidation of the city and county has been discussed for decades, Brown said.
One of the challenges of consolidation is that the Mississippi constitution does not provide for this type of government, Brown said. If the city and county are to consolidate, it will require a constitutional amendment.
People in other Mississippi counties may not like the amendment, Brown said, because it might open the door to consolidation in their counties.
Because Natchez is the only municipality in Adams County, there will be no question as to which city gets to participate. Other counties, though, might face complications.
To pass such an amendment, or to find another way to make consolidation possible, a highly focused group must work closely with the Mississippi legislature, Brown said.
He said he thought, in general, Adams County and Natchez residents would support
consolidation.
&8220;We need to have one form of government that&8217;s easily accountable to the people,&8221; Brown said. &8220;It would be easier for them (if consolidated) to understand the needs of the people.&8221;