NATCHEZ &045; Aldermen polled Monday said they favor releasing to the Economic Development Authority the other half of its funding for fiscal 2005, provided improved communication between the agency and the city continues.

Some also said they want to see more proactive marketing of the city’s riverfront property by the EDA, including the recruiting of a convention center hotel to that area.

The Board of Aldermen, in passing its budget for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1, voted to pay $50,000 to the EDA &045; half of its yearly allocation to the agency &045; and half in six months. In doing so, most aldermen said they wanted to see more jobs created as a result of EDA efforts.

EDA Chairman Woody Allen and city officials said Monday the problem boiled down to a lack of communication regarding the agency’s economic development efforts.

But in an executive session meeting held before the Jan. 10 aldermen meeting, Allen pledged the EDA would update aldermen regularly on agency projects. Under Mississippi law, economic development can be discussed in such closed-door sessions.

&uot;Most of our projects involve the county, so that’s who we update,&uot; Allen said. &uot;Probably in the process, we didn’t do a good job of (updating aldermen), giving them the impression work wasn’t being done, which isn’t the case.&uot;

Allen said aldermen let him know that in taking the Oct. 1 vote, &uot;it was not their intent to cut anybody out&uot; of funding. In addition to city funds, the EDA receives $175,000 a year from Adams County.

Mayor Phillip West pointed out that aldermen included the full $100,000 in EDA funds in the budget for the fiscal year that started Oct. 1.

During the Jan. 10 session, West said it was his understanding &uot;the majority of the board felt that, with the information the EDA provided us with in terms of their direction, that we would continue to fund the EDA.&uot;

&uot;I said, ‘You all are going to get your money,’ and no one spoke up saying anything different,&uot; West said.

Aldermen Jake Middleton and Bob Pollard said the board agreed to release the second half of this year’s funding.

&uot;We were concerned the EDA was not properly communicating with us, but that issue has been resolved,&uot; Middleton said. &uot;We’re all on the same page now.&uot;

&uot;Everyone’s in agreement that we need to fund this thing,&uot; Pollard said.

Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux said EDA officials pledged in the Jan. 10 session to assign a staffer to market the city as the site of a convention center hotel, among other developments in and around the Roth Hill riverfront area.

&uot;They gave us the assurance they would put somebody in charge of following up those leads,&uot; Arceneaux said. &uot;If they do that, I have no problems with voting to allow them the other 50 percent.&uot;

Alderman and Mayor Pro Tem David Massey said the funding issue will be looked at further when aldermen revise the city’s budget in May.

&uot;And we’ll continue to reevaluate the EDA every six months,&uot; Massey said. &uot;We’re wanting to see results.&uot;

However, Massey said aldermen aren’t insisting that all jobs created by the EDA be located inside the city limits.

Aldermen Rickey Gray and Theodore &uot;Bubber&uot; West could not be reached for comment Monday.