I’ll give you some of my tamale. You’ll take some more. And in the end, we’ll both be headed back to Fat Mama’s because there simply won’t be any tamale left.

But when it comes to city planning codes and ordinances, we can’t buy new ones. If we constantly “give and take” on the rules and regulations set in place to govern, our fine city will simply be gone.

Surely Mayor Jake Middleton’s statement at his first regularly scheduled board of aldermen meeting won’t be indicative of how he’ll handle disputes in the next four years.

“Everybody’s got to give and take a little to get this project going,” Middleton said.

The compromise the new mayor was seeking involves the new Fat Mama’s Tamales on Canal Street.

The restaurant’s construction and city code have butted heads a few times in recent months.

While we’re glad Middleton sought a solution, what he should have done is directed the issue back to the Planning Commission where it belongs.

And though the planning commission clearly laid out three “to dos” required before opening, owners came to the board of aldermen Tuesday with a pile of “didn’ts.”

The board of aldermen shouldn’t yet be involved in the process. The Fat Mama’s property needs the planning commission’s stamp of approval before it goes before the aldermen.

We support the Fat Mama’s site and we’re glad they’ve found a new home and stayed in downtown Natchez, but the rules and systems are there for a reason.

Though the Fat Mama’s problems may have began with poor communication from the planning department, sometime soon it is time to stop giving and taking and start following proper policy and procedure.

Then, we can compromise on who gets the last tamale.