The City of Natchez is taking a wise approach to finding a developer to revitalize the city-owned railroad depot on the Natchez bluff.

City leaders toured interested developers — and perhaps a handful of just nosey citizens too — through the building Thursday ahead of accepting requests for proposals from developers.

Working methodically and publicly should help the city locate the best developer to take this most prominent and public of buildings to a new level.

For far too long the city allowed the depot building to fall into disrepair. Unfortunately, what happened to the depot is not unlike the fate of a number of the city’s public properties.

Maintaining public property, particularly historic properties such as the Depot or the former Margaret Martin School, is an expensive endeavor.

To help allay such costs we urge the city to consider two actions.

First, work hard to get rid of properties that are either not of strategic, historical prominence or ones that are simply too far gone for the city to maintain.

Selling such properties outright would generate some much-needed cash. Obviously, the depot needs to remain in the city’s hands, as does the other property on the bluff.

Second, city leaders need to commit to saving the funds derived from the lease of the depot and other public properties and put that money into a public properties fund. Over time that could build up to a nice resource for emergency needs for city properties.

The city is taking the right steps with the depot and, with some diligence, those steps can turn into a good gallop toward making the city’s public properties improved for all.