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NATCHEZ — The City of Natchez found itself in a quandary as to whether to strictly follow state law as to advertising its budget hearing or complete the budget and turn in to the state by the state’s Sept. 15 deadline.

City Attorney Jack Lazarus said Thursday  because of a delay in getting corrected ad valorem tax information from Adams County, as well as a delay in getting other necessary budget information, the city did not meet the requirement for getting the notice of public hearing published once a week during the two week period prior to the scheduled budget hearing.

The city’s public hearing is set for Thursday, Sept. 5, at 6 p.m. at the Council Chambers building, 115 S. Pearl St., across from City Hall.

Rather, city officials published the notice on Sunday, Sept. 1, and again on Wednesday, Sept. 4, announcing the public hearing set for Sept. 5 and providing general budget information.

“We sought guidance from the state auditor’s office, who advised us it was most important to go forward with the public hearing and get the city’s budget completed and turned in by Sept. 15,” Lazarus said. “They agreed we had done our best under the circumstances and we had gotten the notice published twice before the hearing.”

According to state law, “The advertisement for the proposed budget and tax levies must be published once a week for the two (2) week period preceding the public hearing; and the hearing must be no less than seven days after the day of the first advertisement. The specific wording for the advertisement and the publishing requirements are found is MCA § 27-39-203.”

For fiscal year 2024-2025, which begins Oct. 1, the city is proposing a budget with projected revenues of $37,499,451. Of that amount, $6,253,136, or 16.68 percent, will come from ad valorem taxes. The city’s board of aldermen is not increasing the ad valorem tax millage rate for the 2024-2025 budget.