NATCHEZ &8212; Incomplete reports and late notices from the city planning office are hampering approval of new projects, Natchez planning commissioners and some city department heads say.

Some commissioners say that for the last several months, they&8217;ve had trouble getting complete site plan reports in enough time to review them prior to their meetings.

They need the site plan reports to make decisions about projects such as new buildings and new businesses. &8220;I don&8217;t feel like we&8217;re getting a complete picture of the applications that come before us &8212; we&8217;re getting incomplete site plans,&8221; Planning Commission Vice Chairwoman Karen Stubbs said. &8220;And we had to table to two matters before us (on Jan. 18) because of that.&8221;

Before almost any new business can locate in Natchez, the Planning Commission must approve site plans for project.

Site plans for a new health center and a new Cellular South store were among those tabled last month because of what commissioners called incomplete reports.

City Planner Andrew Smith wouldn&8217;t comment this week, but during the Jan. 18 meeting he complained of &8220;dissension&8221; between him and the commission.

According to city department heads, the process is getting delayed even before it gets to the Planning Commission. Before commissioners see the site plans, they pass through a Site Plan Review Committee &8212; a process that gives various city department heads a chance to review plans.

The city planner is responsible for setting those meetings, giving committee members notice of the meetings and getting documents to be reviewed to the other members in advance of the committee meetings.

Building Inspector Paul Dawes said he is used to receiving notices of Site Plan Review Committee meetings a week or two before the meetings.

&8220;Now I sometimes get them after the meeting,&8221; Dawes said.

City Engineer David Gardner said the delay affects his work.

&8220;We used to get the documents four or five days ahead of time. A lot of them require going out and visiting the site, which we can&8217;t do if we don&8217;t get (the documents) on time,&8221; Gardner said.

Another department head said the documents have been incomplete in the past.

&8220;We are to correct (the documents) and say what changes need to be made. And if we don&8217;t see those site plans, we don&8217;t have any input,&8221; said Ronnie Ivey, director of operations for the Public Works Division.

Ivey said the site plan documents he received before the last committee meeting showed only property lines. &8220;I can&8217;t do anything with that, and I got those the day before the (committee) meeting,&8221; he said.

As a result, some Planning Commission members said, they don&8217;t have fully reviewed site plans and all the department head recommendations they need before their meetings.

At the commission&8217;s Jan. 18 meeting, Chairwoman Deborah Martin said she was not comfortable with approving some items because site plan review reports were incomplete or not fully reviewed by all department heads.

That&8217;s a sentiment that was seconded by Commissioner Kirk Bartley.

&8220;We don&8217;t get the site plan (reports) we need,&8221; he said.

At the Jan. 18 meeting, Smith had recommended that the Jefferson Comprehensive Health Center plans be approved, but the commission tabled it for lack of information.

The commission later approved the concept of the Worley-Brown condos &8212; saying the developers were moving in the right direction with their plans, but saving final approval until after the site plan review committee approved the plans.

Mayor Phillip West said he has had some personnel meetings to discuss the planning department, but none of the planning commissioners had spoken to him as of Wednesday.

West said he plans to discuss the issue during the board of aldermen&8217;s work session Tuesday.

&8220;I&8217;ve had a personnel meeting or two regarding miscommunication (involving the Planning Department), &8230; but I&8217;ve also had comments saying (Smith) is doing a good job.&8221;

Not all commissioners feel there are problems with incomplete or late site plan reports.

Charles Harris, a member of the Planning Commission for at least six years, said the reports seem to be at least as complete the ones done under other city planners.

&8220;We usually get those (reports) a day or two before our meetings, the same as it&8217;s always been done,&8221; Harris said.

Harris said he has not heard complaints from city department heads that they haven&8217;t been notified of site plan review meetings in a timely manner.

&8220;But that wouldn&8217;t involve us,&8221; Harris said. &8220;That would be more of an in-house matter.&8221;

And this city planner does have his positives, Martin said.

Smith &8220;is very personable and energetic,&8221; she said.

But when it comes to Smith and other city department heads, she added, &8220;there seem to be communication problems.&8221;