This year’s Mississippi Legislature was forgettable, at least for our corner of Southwest Mississippi.

Most of the goals local lawmakers had hoped to surpass this year through passage of laws did not materialize.

Once again the Natchez Visitor Reception Center’s state funds are in limbo, as lawmakers did not take up how to consistently fund the building, which is owed by the City of Natchez but also houses the state’s official Welcome Center.

Clearly the state needs to help with the building’s maintenance as it would if the state welcome center were wholly owned by the state.

Likewise efforts to increase the hotel occupancy tax and increase incentives for crews producing feature films here also did not achieve any traction this year.

But more disappointing than those legislative losses was the apparent torpedoing of a measure to change the selection process for Natchez-Adams School Board members.

Currently the board members are appointed, but both city and county boards publicly threw their support behind a measure to change selection to be made through an election.

Apparently, one or more members of the current school board got the ears of a few key lawmakers and the matter was dead upon arrival in the House.

That quiet and selfish lobbying move marks another disservice to the taxpayers at the hands of the school board.

At this point the work is done and barring the governor calling a special session any new runs at these laws must wait until 2019’s session.

Until then local leaders need to work to consolidate their efforts in lobbying passage of these key laws in order to accomplish meaningful change in our community.