NATCHEZ &045;&045; Momentum Mississippi &045;&045; on lawmakers’ plates again next week as they head into another special session &045;&045; would benefit Natchez greatly, local economic development officials said.

&uot;I think it’s a great program,&uot; said Woody Allen, chairman of the Natchez-Adams County Economic Development Authority, &uot;especially for this area.&uot;

Gov. Haley Barbour, whose Blueprint Mississippi group came up with the Momentum plan, has been pushing hard for its passage. The Legislature failed in both its regular session and a special session earlier this month to give him what he wants.

According to sponsors, Momentum Mississippi is an economic incentive program designed to give state and local economic developers the ability to respond quickly and effectively to job growth and business development opportunities.

Laura Godfrey, CEO of the Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber has been lobbying for Momentum Mississippi for some time.

&uot;We’ve had Momentum Mississippi at the forefront of the chamber message,&uot; she said. &uot;It’s a tool we need to get industry into the state.&uot;

Because the program is designed to help more rural areas, it would be especially helpful for Natchez, Godfrey said.

Allen agreed.

&uot;Right now, we have no incentives for new technology-type projects,&uot; Allen said. &uot;This would assist in that drastically.&uot;

The chamber has been emailing information about Momentum Mississippi to drum up support as well as lobbying local lawmakers, most of whom support the program, Godfrey said.

&uot;We’ll keep our fingers crossed,&uot; she said. &uot;We’ve got to keep working together and pushing for things.&uot;

Lawmakers open their session on Tuesday.