Although the details were hammered out in what we contend were unnecessary, behind-closed-door meetings, we are happy the City of Natchez finally has approved a revised contract with the Natchez Convention Promotion Commission.

That the two entities were operating for five years with an expired agreement underscores just how ill managed government can be sometimes.

Tuesday’s vote on the contract between the entities took more than a year after city aldermen threw the civic equivalent of dynamite into the city’s tourism board — fittingly in the middle of the city’s tricentennial celebration.

The mess that led up to the blowing up of the commission and the fallout after significantly hampered the city’s fully maximizing the opportunity the tricentennial offered.

From what little we know of the agreement — since details were not made public during the negotiations — are promising. In particular, the city conceding to allow the commission to hire and fire employees without having to first ask for permission from the city is a very good thing and should potentially take politics out of the city’s tourism efforts, at least in part.

We look forward to seeing the new Natchez Convention Promotion Commission thrive now that the uncertainties hanging over the entity have been removed and all involved should know their roles and limitations.