We applaud Natchez Mayor Phillip West for continuing to push the envelope and bringing up issues that need to be addressed.

In his latest surprise moment, West threw out the only 10-letter word that is sometimes considered a four-letter word: annexation.

On Tuesday, the first-term mayor revived an annexation plan created in 2001 under the administration of his predecessor.

In pure scope, the plan seems ambitious. Opponents will likely stand up and make comparisons to a &8220;land grab&8221; since the plan would nearly double the total area of the city.

But considering the number of years since the city last annexed new areas, the scope isn&8217;t all that ambitious after all. The area takes in a good deal of business properties, but less than 1,000 county residents.

The fact is the areas under consideration for annexation are, for all practical purposes, part of Natchez already. The residents and customers of the businesses that would be affected almost certainly drive on city roads, utilizing the city&8217;s police force and other such services.

Although the Natchez Board of Aldermen still need to carefully consider the plan and weigh the positives and negatives, at first blush, we&8217;d say an annexation plan is long overdue.

The city needs to grow and that growth has been stagnant for far too long.