Natchez &8212; City officials and department heads will meet Thursday afternoon to form their vision of what Natchez could be &8212; and brainstorm ways to get there.

They&8217;ll meet at the antebellum house Monmouth for a retreat, Mayor Phillip West said Tuesday.

&8220;It&8217;s to get a sense of our vision for Natchez,&8221; West said, as well as to foster communication among department heads and elected officials to make that vision happen.

However, West said he did not know offhand what specific topics would be discussed at the retreat.

City Planner Andrew Smith, which the mayor&8217;s office said is organizing the retreat, couldn&8217;t be reached for comment Tuesday.

The mayor, aldermen and department hold regular meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. In addition, they hold work sessions at least once a month to discuss other issues as needed.

Mississippi law allows public bodies to go into an executive, or closed-door, session to discuss a number of issues &8212; real estate, personnel, industrial prospects and litigation among them. State law requires that all meetings with a quorum of board members present &8212; in this case, four or more &8212; must be open to the public unless the board votes to enter executive session for a purpose allowed under law.