Natchez aldermen on Thursday adopted a $37.3 million budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

Municipal taxpayers will not see a tax increase to fund the budget that is balanced by a projected $37,375,210 in revenue on a projected $36,653,709 of expenditures.

The budget includes step-pay raises for police and fire personnel, which is important in retaining good law enforcement and first-responder personnel, particularly in helping keep the peace in the city.

Also included in the budget is funding to continue work on upgrading the Natchez Railway, a 65-mile stretch of track that connects Natchez to Brookhaven.

Most of the railway project will be paid by federal grant money and Natchez will provide $3.9 million to meet a 25% match requirement.

Also, some city roads will be widened as part of the North Natchez Drainage Project, which is an approximately $3 million project that is partly funded through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Environmental Infrastructure and Resource Protection and Development Program. The city also will provide a 25% match for that project.

Good work, Natchez officials in passing a balanced budget that will bring improvements to the city without a tax increase.

As Alderman Dan Dillard said after the board adopted the budget Thursday, “This is the third year that we have finished without the need to borrow additional money. … I believe that is worth noting. I have confidence in this budget as we have proposed it.”

We hope Dillard is right and that the city can stay within budget through the next fiscal year.