VIDALIA, La. — The Vidalia Board of Aldermen voted 5-0 Tuesday to grant a 99-year, $80,000 lease to a group of doctors planning to open a surgical complex on the riverfront.

Proponents of the project, which will cost $4 million to $5 million, said it will create 60 to 90 jobs for highly skilled people and bring $100,000 to $125,000 of revenue into the town yearly. They also said the development will bring bring needed medical services to an area with many retirees and help anchor a riverfront development that should eventually include a visitor’s center, hotels, restaurants and retail shops.

&uot;And if we don’t approve this, they might decide to relocate outside the city,&uot; said Alderman Bill Murray.

But opponents said the town could get more money for the land and should not allow a medical complex in the middle of a tourist attraction. &uot;We should use this property for its intended use,&uot; resident John Dayton said.

And Walter Brown, attorney for the board of Natchez Regional Medical Center, said opening a surgical center would take needed business away from Natchez’s two hospitals.

In NRMC’s case, Brown said, the hospital could be forced to raise rates or cut staff to make up for lost revenue, which could impact the cost and quality of medical services for the whole area. Or the Adams County Board of Supervisors could opt to raise taxes to keep NRMC afloat financially, he added.