A planned city tax increase is not the result of overspending by the former administration, several past and present city officials said.

&uot;To say that this tax increase was caused by a past administration is untrue in my opinion,&uot; Ward 3 Alderwoman Sue Stedman said.

&uot;There are other issues facing us that have nothing to do with the past administration,&uot; Stedman said.

One example of a project for which there has been a long-time need is the rebuilding of Government Fleet Road, Stedman said.

&uot;I don’t know how you hang that on a past administration,&uot; she said.

Other capital projects, such as the convention center, community center and renovation of the city auditorium should be viewed as investments, rather than expenditures, Stedman said.

&uot;If there’s not a return on it, why would we want to do it?&uot; Stedman said.

Ward 5 Alderman David Massey said the passing of time necessitates a tax increase. The city has not raised taxes in 15 years, while the cost of living and wages have steadily increased, he said.

&uot;No doubt we got a lot done in the last four years,&uot; Massey said. But those changes were and are necessary for Natchez to grow, he said.

While a good portion of the increased tax revenue will go toward paying off the city’s debt, the money will also spark economic development and contribute to other needed areas, Massey said.

The city has promised to contribute $115,000 annually to the Natchez-Adams Economic Development Authority and $50,000 to the new juvenile detention center. Both are joint projects with the county.

&uot;City government is just costing more now than it ever has before,&uot; Massey said.

Former Mayor Larry L. &uot;Butch&uot; Brown also said his eight-year term in office is not to blame for the tax increase.

&uot;It is terribly unfair to blame, quote unquote, the previous administration for an inevitable tax increase that must come,&uot; Brown said.

The city could continue without a tax increase, Brown said, but it would be &uot;stagnant.&uot;

A tax increase is one of the limited options the city has to raise revenue, Brown said.

Acquiring outside money from grants was one of characteristics of Brown’s administration. Annexation of county land is another option, Brown said.

Compared to the increase in cost of living, a 20 percent tax increase in 15 years is not unreasonable, Brown said.

Ward 1 Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux began serving the city halfway through the Brown administration.

Unlike other aldermen, Arceneaux said she is not in favor of the planned tax increase.

In Tuesday’s vote, she was the only alderman to vote against adopting the preliminary budget which included the planned tax increase.

Arceneaux said one of the selling points of the convention center, community center and city auditorium projects was they could be done without raising taxes. &uot;Had this been explained to me, I probably would have done the same thing (voting for the projects), but I would have been more vocal about it,&uot; Arceneaux said.

Had she known a tax increase was inevitable, Arceneaux said she would told voters about it during the campaign. &uot;I resent that I didn’t have that information,&uot; she said.

Between now and the Sept. 5 public hearing, Arceneaux said she plans to collect information and make an informed decision on the tax increase.