NATCHEZ — Local legislators reiterated Monday the 2010 legislative session will primarily focus on balancing the budget.

After 16 consecutive months of declining sales tax and income tax revenues, legislators said Mississippi was among the last states to feel weight of the recession, and will be among the last states to recover.

“The state’s in a tough position and we’re not unlike most of the businesses,” Sen. Bob Dearing (D-Natchez) said during a Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce-sponsored legislative breakfast at the Natchez Eola Hotel. “The Legislature has been down this valley before. We will come out of this and things will get better.”

Rep. Robert L. Johnson III (D-Natchez) said tax revenues are expected to be off by $182 million, making budget cuts inevitable. Rep. Sam Mims (R-McComb) said the state might have to dip into its $260 million savings account to make ends meet.

“We have to look at each agency, at each service on a case by case basis,” Johnson said. “We just can’t make cuts across the board.”

Johnson said consolidating school districts can reduce spending. Pike County has a population of less than 50,000, but has three school districts, he said.

“I don’t think (having three districts) helps the kids, and it’s not efficient in terms of running the district itself,” Johnson said. “Counties with populations less than 40,000 should have one school district.”

Sen. Kelvin Butler (D-Magnolia) said he is certain school consolidation would ruffle some feathers because, “Everyone has their turf and things get sticky.”

“But when you got no money, things do get sticky,” Butler said. “It may seem like it hurts, but in the long run I think it helps us all.”

The legislators were asked whether they would support raising homestead exemption from $75,000 to $100,000 to provide property tax relief. Both Butler and Mims said they are in support of drafting a bill, but Johnson had an opposing view.

“The reality is we can’t afford it right now. We’re not in a position right now to give a tax break,” Johnson said. “The county can’t afford it, the city can’t afford it and the state can’t afford.

Legislators also spoke on legislation that would dissolve the Natchez-Adams County Economic Development Authority in favor of a $380,000 marketing enterprise funded by the county, the city and private investors.

Dearing and Mims said the Natchez Board of Aldermen and the Adams County Board of Supervisors must first submit resolutions outlining restructure plans to both the House and Senate.

“The process shouldn’t be hard,” Dearing said.

Butler said economic development begins with adopting a regional mindset, explaining local elected officials should not only think about what’s best for Adams County, but also what’s best for all of southwest Mississippi.

“We all need to be on the same page when it comes to southwest Mississippi,” Butler said. “We’ve got to work together.”

Dearing said local elected officials are often criticized for traveling to Washington, D.C., to petition on the area’s behalf. Dearing said meeting with federal lawmakers should be encouraged.

“Our local elected officials from Tupelo, Tunica and the Gulf Coast get praised about (traveling to Washington),” Dearing said. “But if you don’t keeping knocking on doors in Washington, you don’t get an answer and you can forget about economic development.

“We need to get behind our local elected officials and encourage them to keep knocking on doors.”

Approximately 50 people attended the legislative breakfast.