As both the City of Natchez and Adams County brace for lean times expected ahead, the two groups would be wise to put their heads together before disaster strikes.

While the past year has seen improvements in the city and county’s ability and willingness to work together on public projects, the two groups can get even more done with more communication.

If, as some of our leaders have said, job cuts are likely, we need to be careful not to diminish public safety efforts. For example, the absolute last things we need to consider cutting is front-line law enforcement officers and fire personnel.

But any and all administrative functions — including the duplication of services in emergency dispatching — should be considered for consolidation.

Any such area that can be trimmed without harming public safety should be considered.

The same goes for use of public vehicles and cell phones.

City and county leaders have touted the use of county crews to help clean up after the December tornado ripped through portions of the city. While that’s a good start, we need to be doing more such sharing of resources daily, not just when disaster strikes.

While small in the grand scheme of things, perhaps city aldermen and county supervisors could consider reducing their own pay before implementing budget cuts to other, more life-saving areas?

Imagine the powerful message leaders could provide by temporarily reducing their own salaries to save taxpayers’ money and to bolster public safety.