If Natchez and Adams County were husband and wife, we’d need to call marriage counselor.

The disrespect, shown in small acts to one another, compounds over time. Eventually those little things become mountainous walls.

Experts say divorce often can be tied to differences over money and lack of communication.

That would sound familiar to anyone following our city and county leaders.

Last month, Supervisor Mike Lazarus and Alderman Bob Pollard made a bit of a public spectacle by jumping up at a Natchez Home Builders Association meeting and talking about how well the city and county works together.

They pointed to the use of county road crews and equipment to help clean up storm damage. It was, they said, a huge example of city and county cooperation.

What was touted as a great new thing needs to happen daily.

The county has a responsibility to work within the city limits on projects — not just when disaster strikes.

Somehow county leaders seem to forget that the entire city of Natchez rests inside the Adams County boundaries.

City problems are county problems, too. The issue comes down to money. Despite receiving a substantial tax base from city property the county is reluctant to invest that money back in the city on things like recreation.

Later the county proved it’s a horrible communicator, deciding to cut funding to the community’s economic development authority without talking to any affected parties first.

After the decision was made, Supervisor S.E. “Spanky” Felter said, “We got their attention now.”

Then the county decided to ignore city law and planned to put up a mobile home-like building inside city limits without permission.

Perhaps the county leaders hope to explore the nullification notions of the South before the Civil War.

If it’s been too long since ninth-grade American history, that’s when Southern states — South Carolina in particular — decided that it was perfectly OK for states to nullify or void federal laws with which they disagreed.

As one local businessman said to me on Friday, “The trailer is kind of a minor issue, but you can’t just ignore the law. What if I just decide not to follow county laws?”

Imagine it.

“This is a county road. I live in the city. I’ll drive as fast as I want.”

It’s a ridiculous notion.

The city, however, isn’t much better in fostering a good marriage. While, perhaps, a bit more civil in dealing with the supervisors, city leaders show something much more ugly — a disrespect for themselves.

Antics and childishness at their public meetings must stop. The mayor is the only one who can restore order and respect in board meetings and in their interactions with department heads.

City and county leaders stand at a crossroads. It’s a pivotal point. What happens next can change the future of this community.

Are we going to hold hands and look both ways before stepping into traffic or continue to function independently?

City and county government can be 100 times more effective by working together rather than working apart. But one person cannot make them change. They must hear from the taxpayers and voters.

So the question is: What do you want from your government? Cooperation or divorce court?

Kevin Cooper is publisher of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3539 or kevin.cooper@natchezdemocrat.com.