NATCHEZ — After realizing that splitting up $50,000 among various city wards would not put many miles on needed street repair, a couple of Natchez aldermen volunteered their shares of the money to get more bang for the taxpayers’ buck.

The aldermen voted at their May 8 meeting to divide $50,000 of Magnolia Bluffs Casino rent money among streets in five wards after Ward 3 Alderman Bob Pollard’s call to upgrade Woodville Drive in his ward caused a cascade of similar requests from other aldermen.

Natchez City Engineer David Gardner told the aldermen at their last meeting that moving equipment around the city would be most expensive, and he said he believed the city would get more for its money if two aldermen got $25,000 for street work now and then the aldermen started a rotation for street work.

Ward 4 Alderman Ernest “Tony” Fields originally requested his approximately $7,600 share for work on Orange Avenue, but Fields said at last week’s aldermen meeting that he would give his share to another alderman. Fields said Friday that after talking with engineering department and Natchez Public Works staff and other aldermen, he decided it was best to hold off on paving Orange Avenue.

“With that little money, it would just be like putting a Band-Aid on a much bigger problem,” he said. “I’m just looking at the bigger picture and not being selfish.”

Ward 5 Alderman Mark Fortenbery said he decided to forego requesting money for street repair work in his ward because he recently received $25,000 to overlay Forest Lawn in conjunction with the county. Fortenbery said $7,600 would not do very much for any street in Ward.

“If everyone takes turns, you get more work for your money,” he said. “The more money you can get for one spot, the more work you can get done, instead of just doing a bunch of little patch jobs around the city.”

Ward 1 Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux Mathis and Ward 2 Alderman James “Rickey” Gray requested money for work on Vine Street and West Stiers Lane, respectively, at the May 8 meeting. Ward 6 Alderman Dan Dillard requested work for Roselawn Avenue because the street constantly floods in heavy rains.

Mathis said at last week’s meeting she was told that repairing Vine Street with just $7,600 would not be a problem. She said a resident on Vine Street is ill, and she said she wanted to ensure emergency vehicles could get to the resident’s house.

Gardner said Friday that work on Vine Street is complete, as well as drainage work on Roselawn Avenue. Crews will start with $12,000 worth of work on Woodville Drive Monday. Next, Gardner said, work will start on West Stiers Lane for $22,800.

Gardner also showed the aldermen at their last meeting a street inventory tool the engineering department has been working on to prioritize maintenance for city streets. Gardner said the rank of the streets on the spreadsheet can be adjusted based on formulas for different variables, including road condition, traffic, cost and others.

Gardner said the program will rank the streets according to the importance of each variable input into the formulas.

Gardner said the streets need to be inventoried again, because the data in the spreadsheet is outdated.

The aldermen have agreed several times that a long-term road maintenance plan needs to be in place, and it is also one of the most popular issues that has been talked about during the election.

Fields and Fortenbery said they hope a long-term plan is one of the first orders of business once a new mayor and board take office in July.

Fields said it will take time to put a plan together and implement it, but he said in the meantime he believed rotating street work between the wards is a good way to ensure streets in the city get attention.

“I don’t want anything in my ward half-done, and I know no one wants anything in the city to be half-done,” Fields said. “I think this is the best way to start this process and work together.”

Fields said he hopes Orange Avenue is a high priority on a road maintenance plan.

“People want to be able to actually see their tax dollars at work,” he said.

“I think once we put a plan in place, I am confident that Orange Avenue will get what it needs. I am making a sacrifice for the greater good, and I want to see (Orange Avenue) repaired like it needs to be and other streets, too.”