NATCHEZ — As Adams County’s government makes plans for the coming fiscal year, the watchword is “reduction.”

County department leaders have submitted their budgets for the coming year, and in advance of the board of supervisors officially voting to fund them at their requested levels, County Administrator Joe Murray and Supervisors President Mike Lazarus are meeting with department heads and asking them to reduce costs.

Murray said he does not have a specific target for how much to cut total county expenses, but he is looking to reduce spending by “as much as I can.”

“We are going to try to reduce as much as we can, which is going to be hard because we have never really had that much fat on our budget anyway,” Murray said. “But I know we are going to be short on oil and gas severance taxes, and circuit court and justice court fines are short.”

Between the general fund and the county road department, the county revenues will be at least $300,000 short on the oil and gas severance taxes, he said.

“I would like to match that, at least, if I could,” Murray said.

While the board of supervisors has not officially started meeting to plan next year’s budget — that traditionally happens the first week of August — Lazarus said he and Murray have been meeting with various department heads to talk about budget cuts.

“Everybody we have met with has cut their budget,” Lazarus said. “Every department in the county has cut their budget.”

Costs that are being reduced are for things such as travel and office furniture, Lazarus said.

“Travel is something we have cut in everybody’s budget, and in my opinion it has gotten out of hand. Even when you have to do it, I don’t know why you would have to leave the State of Mississippi.”

Things are going to be tight in the coming year, Murray said, so looking at everybody’s budget closely is needed.

“As little (money) as everybody can get away with (and keep operating), we are going to try,” he said.