NATCHEZ &045;&045; Civil service commissioners voted Thursday to pursue their legal options with regards to the Oct. 12 rehiring of a Natchez police officer by the Board of Aldermen.

Aldermen voted 4-3, with Mayor Phillip West breaking the tie, to rehire former officer Willie B. Jones at his former rank of patrolman.

Before the vote was taken, City Attorney Walter Brown told the board that under state law, the authority to rehire a police officer or firefighter rests with the Civil Service Commission, not aldermen.

On Wednesday, the commission &uot;voted to pursue all legal options up to and including the filing of a lawsuit&uot; to overturn the Board of Aldermen’s decision, according to commission Chairman George Robinson.

The commission’s options include the filing of a lawsuit in Adams County Circuit Court to seek an injunction, but Robinson would not say what other legal options the board can or will pursue prior to such a filing.

At this point, he said, &uot;we’re attempting to clarify if the Board (of Aldermen) has the authority as far as rehiring&uot; a police officer, Robinson said.

Robinson said last week that Jones must apply to the Police Department again and go through the whole civil service process, including oral interviews, to be considered for the position.

In its Sept. 30 meeting, the board voted to change the city’s personnel policy to state that an employee who is fired or resigns pending disciplinary action will not be eligible for employment by the city for five years. Previously, it was the city’s policy not to rehire such people under any circumstances.

Under the policy change, those returning to the fire or police departments after five years are required to successfully meet all testing requirements and examinations for any new employee.

That testing would be required &uot;unless it is considered a lateral re-employment,&uot; according to the motion &045;&045; for example, a firefighter from a neighboring town being hired at the same rank in Natchez.

Before being rehired at the Police Department, Jones worked as a police officer at Alcorn State University’s Lorman campus.