Who wants to dance with a toe-stomper? Certainly not Adams County supervisors.

Just a day after members of the Adams County Board of Supervisors officially said “no thanks” to a City of Natchez funding request for a yet-to-be-detailed recreation plan, the city apparently tried to sling a little mud and stomp its foot a bit.

The Natchez Board of Aldermen, led by Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis, voted to hire an auditor to look at the county books to see if the city was getting its fair share of road and bridge tax.

Further, the city did some saber rattling by announcing it would file a lawsuit if discrepancies were found.

The city’s boot planted down firmly on the county’s shoe there.

Mathis said the issue was one that had been discussed for several years.

But the timing certainly seems suspect. It came up right after the latest debate over recreation funding and on the same night the city approved its 2008-2009 budget, a budget with no major recreation portion.

Regardless of whether or not the intent was out of frustration or retribution, the war of words quickly began.

Board of Supervisors President Henry Watts said he believed the city was just frustrated over the recreation issue. Watts further took a jab at the city by inferring the city mismanaged taxpayers’ money.

The county’s boot stomps back onto the city’s.

If the city hopes to convince Adams County to dance with it on the recreation-funding waltz, then toe stomping and mud slinging better end soon.

One mashed toe doesn’t help another. Unfortunately, no one is working together on the common goal of improving recreation.