NATCHEZ — A recommendation for how to handle ethics complaints made against the City of Natchez could come as early as next month.

The ethics complaints stem from closed-door discussions as the city mulled over which of five waste companies to award its next waste contracts.

A hearing officer with the Mississippi Ethics Commission should have a recommendation drafted by the commission’s next meeting on July 6 or at the latest for the next meeting in August, MEC Executive Assistant Lindsay Kellum said. At that point, the officer can either make a finding of a violation or non-violation — the latter would warrant a dismissal.

The commission, however, could adopt the recommendation, amend it or table it for later discussion, Kellum said.

Over the course of multiple meetings throughout April and May, the mayor and board of aldermen examined the companies’ proposals, which included pricing, services offered and other pertinent information. Complainants including The Natchez Democrat and local attorney Paul Sullivan filed separate complaints saying the City of Natchez violated both public records laws and the Mississippi Open Meetings Act, while city officials claimed state law required them to keep the competitive proposals sealed prior to selecting a company.

Responding via email to a request by the MEC, city attorney Bob Latham said Wednesday he would send drafts of the minutes for the meetings in question, which include specially called meetings on April 23 and May 1 when the aldermen discussed the waste proposals in a closed executive session. Latham said he expected to have those draft minutes to the commission by today.

Last month, the city formally responded to complaints made by The Democrat, and the ethics commission received those responses on May 21. Those responses, authored by Latham, claimed that the city abided by both the Public Records Act of 1993 and the Open Meetings Act and requested that the commission dismiss both complaints.

In the event the commission ruled against the city, the fine for violating public records law is up to $100 per violation, while an Open Meetings Act violation warrants a $500 fine for first-time offenders and $1,000 fine for subsequent offenses. Individuals are required to pay the fine rather than the public body.