NATCHEZ — The Natchez Board of Aldermen will meet Wednesday to discuss updating its street-paving plan and possibly review the city’s convention center management contract.

The 4:30 p.m. Wednesday meeting has been billed as a work session, meaning the board does not intend to execute any action during the course of business.

The meeting will be in the council chambers on Pearl Street.

The bulk of the meeting will be dedicated to the city’s annual street paving program.

“We have a plan where we rate the quality of the streets for paving purposes, and we are about to begin as soon as the spring hits us,” Mayor Butch Brown said.

“The list hasn’t been purged since last year’s work, and we are going to go through and make sure we are getting the biggest bang for our bucks.”

Street paving is determined by a formula that takes into consideration things such as the condition of the road bed and how heavily trafficked an area is, Brown said.

“I would like to see us take up two (paving) packages, one in early spring and one in late fall, where we double up while we have the wherewithal, while we have the funds from the casino,” he said. “We need to take care of our infrastructure instead of these frivolous things that seem to pop up.”

The casino funds Brown referenced were the lease payments Magnolia Bluffs Casino makes to the city on an annual basis.

The second issue, the management agreement the city  has with New Orleans Hotel Consultants for several city properties including the Natchez Convention Center, was added to the agenda at the request of several aldermen.

Brown said he did not know why the board members wanted the matter added to the agenda.

Alderman Mark Fortenbery said he wanted to review the agreement to see how much the city was spending as part of the agreement.

“The mayor said he was looking for (budget) cuts, so I wanted to look at that agreement,” Fortenbery said. “I had a few questions about it, and the general public has had a few questions about it, so I just wanted to read it.

“I want to make sure we are getting the best service for when we are paying $24,000 a month for it.”