NATCHEZ &8212; Annexation.

It was

the one word that struck the Natchez Board of Aldermen speechless for a split second Tuesday afternoon during its regular finance committee meeting.

Mayor Phillip West unveiled a draft copy of annexation plans that he said he would like aldermen to consider.

West passed out

copies of a proposed annexation map for alderman to review to begin discussions about whether the city needs to annex county property.

The map, which identifies areas in the county that

could be annexed by the city, was developed in February 2001 during former mayor F.L. &8220;Hank&8221; Smith&8217;s administration.

&8220;This is just a place to start,&8221; West told the board. &8220;I am recommending that we start with this one.&8221;

West emphasized that presenting the preliminary plan does not mean the city is going to pursue annexation.

&8220;It is only the beginning of a discussion,&8221; West said. &8220;The board may decide to reject (annexation) altogether.&8221;

The 2001 plan, proposes annexing 13.75 square miles. The proposal effectively doubles the size of the city, by taking in four distinct areas that border the existing city limits.

Despite, the large increase, the proposal only affects about 900 people, former city attorney Walter Brown said Tuesday.

&8220;It proposes a very modest increase in population, yet a very significant increase in land, all of it contiguous with the Natchez city limits,&8221; Brown said.

The four proposed areas include:

4 A 5.77 square-mile area southwest of the existing city limits. The proposed area includes all of the Adams County port and surrounding properties including the property currently being considered for the Rentech coals-to-liquid plant. Other areas include the former International Paper Company site now being considered for an industrial park.

4 A 4.09 square-mile area to the south and east of the Natchez city limits bordering St.Catherine Creek. The property includes the former Johns Manville plant site and property on both sides of U.S.

61S stretching from Trinity Episcopal Day School to Firetower Road.

4 A 2.14 square-mile area to the east of the Natchez City limits bordering St. Catherine Creek. This proposed area takes in the commercial development along U.S. 61 N from the city

limits to the U.S. 84/U.S. 61 interchange.

In 2000, it was estimated that this area produced close to $300,000 in sales taxes that goes to the state, Brown said.

4 A 1.74 square mile area north of the existing city limits that includes Country Club Road.

The proposal does not include Broadmoor, Beau Pr/, or Elgin subdivisions.

Alderman Jake Middleton summed up the response from most of the board Tuesday.

&8220;There are a lot of questions that have to be answered,&8221; Middleton said.

Middleton warned that the costs of annexation may outweigh the tax benefits generated by the proposal.

&8220;If it is a losing proposition we shouldn&8217;t pursue it.&8221; He said.

West said that he thinks the city needs to consider annexation seriously.

&8220;The fact is the city is limited in its growth,&8221; West.

Alderman David Massey said that if the city pursues annexation, property owners need to realize &8220;the benefits of water, sewer and police protection that they would get.&8221;

Land being annexed would also have to adhere the city&8217;s code, signage and zoning ordinances, Massey said.

The city last annexed property the 1980s. Those areas included Dunkerron, Oakland and Mount Carmel.

The mayor and board of alderman will now review

the premilinary proposal and determine if annexation is a option the city wants to take, and if so what areas the city would pursue annexing.

West hopes that the board will take the issue up quickly in its upcoming work sessions.

&8220;If it is going to happen we need to do it in an expeditious way,&8221; West said.