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NATCHEZ — The Natchez Mayor and Board of Aldermen adopted an ad valorem tax levy, which carries no increase or decrease, for the 2020-2021 fiscal year during a special-called meeting Tuesday.

The total adopted millage for the City of Natchez is 46.732 where one mil is equal to $1 per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value.

Last month, the Adams County Board of Supervisors adopted a millage of 53.21 — which is up by 2.03 mils from last fiscal year to fund the Natchez Adams School District’s $14,237,156 budget and includes funds to build a new high school and work on the hold facility for middle school students.

Also during Tuesday’s special-called meeting of the Natchez Mayor and Board of Aldermen, the board discussed their proposed 2020-2021 fiscal year budget beginning Oct. 1 and ending Sept. 30, 2021.

Despite shortfalls in the city’s sales tax and gaming revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said they were able to propose a balanced budget without cutting any salaried positions or increasing taxes.

“The Board of Aldermen before Alderwoman Valencia Hall and I came into office are to be commended for leaving the city in good shape during COVID-19,” said Dan Gibson, Natchez mayor. “Other municipalities have had to furlough but we have not.”

However, officials said they could take out a tax anticipation loan to be paid off within the year as tax revenues are received which would make up for roughly $200,000 worth of shortfalls in the city’s revenue.

The budget also includes $55,000 set aside for hiring a lobbying firm to help procure state and federal funds for economic development projects, officials said.

Below is a copy of a resolution of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the City of Natchez fixing the municipal ad valorem tax levy for the year beginning Oct. 1, 2020 and ending Sept. 30, 2021:

Be it resolved by the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the City of Natchez, Adams County, Mississippi, the following tax rate or levy for said municipality for ad valorem taxes to be collected upon each dollar of valuation upon the assessment rolls of said municipality is as follows, to wit:

General fund, 33.560 mills

Bond and interest retirement funds, 0.900 mills

Parks and recreation, 2.000 mills

Fireman and policemen’s relief and disability, 3.900 mills

Armstrong Library, 2.575 mills

Natchez-Adams Economic Development Authority, 0.813 mills

Capital improvement, 1.250 mills

Public properties, 1.734 mills

Total, 46.732 mills