City to decide about economic development funding

Natchez Staff

Published Tuesday, July 26, 2005

NATCHEZ - City officials said Wednesday they will tell county supervisors in one to two weeks

how the city will fund economic and community development in the future.

In a joint retreat of city and county officials, Mayor Phillip West said the city wants to devote to community development the $100,000 it pays the Economic Development Authority each year. That could include "developing infrastructure, housing and (revitalizing) downtown," West said.

Options include the city's hiring its own economic and community development director or asking that the funds it gives the EDA be used for community development, West said.

But county Supervisor Henry Watts said he believes organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Development Association should perform such community development functions.

Supervisors also said devoting $100,000 to community development instead of industrial recruitment would cripple the EDA at a time when the agency's board is searching for a new executive director.

It also comes at a time when, West admitted, the city is too strapped for funds to do all it needs to do - including, he said, overlaying downtown streets and main arteries, improving recreation and more.

Some city officials said Wednesday the EDA has not done much of anything in recent years to recruit industry.

Mayor Pro Tem David Massey said in the 17 years he's been an alderman, "I can't name one job just the EDA, by themselves, brought in."

"We're saying, let's reprioritize the money, because what we have done hasn't worked," Mayor West said.

Supervisor Sammy Cauthen then asked how community development helps create jobs, with West responding that "if you become a more attractive community, you'll attract more businesses."

Keeping the money it now gives the EDA would also give city officials more money with which to take trips to recruit businesses themselves, Mayor West said.

On the city side, Alderman Jake Middleton was the lone official to speak out against devoting EDA funds to community development. "I think that money should be in industrial development," Middleton said.

But first, he added, members of all groups participating in economic development - executive directors, board members and board attorneys - should meet to decide the direction in which they want their efforts to go.

"That's 70 people involved in economic development, but nobody communicates or works together," said EDA Chairman Woody Allen, who attended the first half of the retreat with Vice Chairman James West.

James West said he believes local officials who speak of the EDA's ineffectiveness may be working on outdated information.

Allen pointed out the landing of digital imaging firm Image Z and the Michael Baker engineering firm as two of the agency's recent successes and said talks to acquire the former International Paper mill site are still progressing.

"Although the city's not putting up any money (to buy it), and by the time it's through with, the county probably won't either," Allen said.

As it now stands, the city spends less than 1 percent of its budget to fund the EDA, and the total amount of city-county funds the agency gets isn't enough, Allen said.

"It's like you're asking us to build a house and we've got no tools," he said.

Allen said the EDA was told in recent years that it was not to be involved in city economic development, "and that's the way it's been done. There's been no communication from the city, Š and now we're down here deciding the life of the EDA."

"Nobody's saying to disband the EDA. I'm saying, either the next director should do a lot more or be paid a lot less" than the $80,000 to $100,000 paid in recent years, Mayor West said. "Let's get somebody in who can sell Natchez."

Meanwhile, he and the majority of aldermen want to focus their funds on community development.

Next, Mayor West said, he and aldermen will discuss what option they wish to take - funding the EDA to tackle such tasks or hiring a director of the city's own.

The Board of Aldermen's next meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the council chambers across Pearl Street from City Hall.