NATCHEZ — The last meeting of the year of the Natchez Board of Aldermen brought a discussion of several plans for the new year.

Recently, the U.S. Conference of Mayor’s released a comprehensive list of needs submitted by cities around the nation.

The list will now be used by the conference to lobby for a national stimulus package.

The approximately $26 million list of needs by Natchez was based upon input given by the city’s department heads on what projects need to be done.

The needs included $9.5 million for a recreation complex, $7 million for the North Natchez drainage project and $5 million to renovate the Margaret Martin Center for the Arts.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Alderman James “Ricky” Gray said he was upset his input was not requested.

He said West Stiers Lane and Marblestone Road desperately need work but were not included in the list of projects that need to be done.

“I know I wasn’t part of it and I’m disappointed in that,” he said.

Mayor Jake Middleton said the city was informed that it needed to produce this list and had roughly one day to complete it.

He said he quickly sent out an e-mail to the department heads for their requests and that’s how the list of needs was created and in short order.

“I don’t think this, by any means, is final,” Middleton said.

Besides, nothing can be accomplished without the vote of the alderman, Middleton said.

Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis said it should not be the decision of the department head’s to make when it comes to what needs to be done in the city.

“I thought it was a job of the board to set a vision for the city,” she said.

Mathis made a motion that the board meeting prior to the next board meeting in January to come up with a plan constructed by the board on what needs to be done in the city if an economic stimulus is created by President-elect Barack Obama.

The motion passed unanimously.