Municipal spending has come into question recently with one critic going so far as to circulate a petition calling for the dissolution of the city of Natchez. Nobody likes taxes, and we do pay enough in taxes already. It seems government has a never-ending need for more. Some city needs, however, are not an option, with fire and police protection chief among them.

Case in point, the City of Natchez needs a new aerial ladder truck not only so the city fire department can do its job, but also so the city can keep from having its current fire rating of 5 downgraded to a 6.

Such a downgrade would end up costing residents in higher insurance premiums, effectively amounting to a defacto tax.

Therefore, the city made the right move under the circumstances to proceed with applying for a Capital Improvements Revolving Loan Program, or CAP Loan, to purchase a new aerial ladder fire truck at a cost of approximately $800,000.

The loan will be paid back with money from the general fund and/or money received from the Mississippi Department of Insurance Fire Rebate fund, city officials said. The frustrating part for residents who know they cannot live on revolving credit is the city’s almost constant view that borrowing today is fine and we’ll figure out how to pay for it tomorrow. Had the city been carefully living within its means over the last few years, it could have already built up a rainy day fund that could have easily handled the fire truck purchase, without having to borrow money. Fire protection is important in any community and especially so in a historic city such as Natchez with so many irreplaceable historic properties. We had no choice but to borrow money for the truck.

City leaders, however, should keep unnecessary spending in check and live within their means enough to save for large expenditures such as the fire truck replacement. Every dollar spent on credit today, is a dollar we will not have tomorrow.

City officials are elected to be good stewards of taxpayers’ money and should strive to live within their budget and be prepared to make a good open case for other spending measures that are not as essential as fire and police protection.