The City of Natchez is stuck in fiscal mud. But the half a dozen or so people elected to drive the city appear more worried about keeping their hands clean than getting the wheels spinning again.

In May the city borrowed half a million dollars to help pay its bills. The money to repay that loan would come from taxes that were yet to be collected.

That huge roadside warning indicated deep mud was ahead. Something needed to happen and the wheels started spinning a bit.

The loan money added a little gravel under the tires and they caught hold and the city inched forward. With the immediate problems allayed, the city continued in the same direction, down the same road.

Now, two months later, the city says it’s going to have to borrow some more money to meet its payroll obligations.

City aldermen have been “talking” about the budget for months, but with little action to follow.

Rather than standing around, pointing at the tires that are buried in mud and complaining, quick action — not more talk — is needed.

During a city work session last week, some sense of ownership of the problem began to appear.

Mayor Jake Middleton attempted to spin the problem a bit.

“I applaud everyone for what they’ve done,” he said.

But what they’ve done appears mostly to simply begin to understand the problems — the city is stuck in the mud. It’s stuck because the “car” is too heavy for the amount of rainy days we’ve seen.

Acknowledgement of the existence of an addiction is said to be the first step in the healing process.

If that’s the case, the city appears may soon be ready for step No. 2.

Middleton seems to have acknowledged the problem.

“We all sat back and we didn’t question it. And I was one of them,” he said at Thursday’s work session.

He’s correct. Middleton and other aldermen — present and past — have been the problem. Natchez has developed a habit of spending more than it has, ignoring the basic premise of running a city, a business or even a household — don’t spend money you don’t have.

Forgetting that common sense notion creates a mud hole ripe for swallowing tires. And that’s where we are now.

After borrowing $500,000 in May, City Clerk Donnie Holloway now warns that more borrowed money soon will be needed. To his credit, Holloway warned as much back in May asking for more than what aldermen ultimately approved.

First-term aldermen Ernest “Tony” Fields wisely pointed out Thursday that little progress has been made.

“With all the steps we took in the budgeting process, we’re still going to be back in the same place,” he said.

He’s dead right.

Aldermen must turn talk into action. Prioritizing the absolute needs of the city and its citizens versus things that can be trimmed and modified is necessary now, this week.

The city must not only make a plan, but also turn it into action.

Unfortunately, the best way to make quick changes in expenses likely will be to reduce staffing. As politically unpopular as that may be, if the city is in need of $1 million more cash than it has coming in, that’s the best, and perhaps only, option.

Starting with cutting their own salaries would be a great first step to show that aldermen are serious about getting clear of the mud. Obviously any cuts to police and fire should be last on the list.

Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.