Facing the potential of making a highly controversial decision, the Natchez Board of Aldermen looked straight in the face of the problem and did what they thought was best for the city.

We applaud them for the decision to sign an agreement with the Lane Company, a group planning to develop the Roth Hill property, first with a casino.

As we&8217;ve said in the past, we believe the best location for another casino would be closer to the Mississippi River Bridge and the highway access it provides.

That said, however, the city has the potential to gain much in the way of increased revenue from the Roth Hill property and that lure of &8220;easy money&8221; was too much to let it pass by.

Conservative estimates put the added dollars in the city coffers well above $1 million annually.

The only unknown part of those estimates are whether or not those revenues will be at the cost of the revenues generated by the existing casino in the market.

Will Natchez suddenly become a multi-casino market capable of sustaining more growth than many locals ever thought possible?

Only time will tell. In the meantime, let&8217;s applaud the aldermen for making what appears to be a good decision at this point.

We trust that aldermen will step back and let the planning and preservation processes move along unfettered.