For at least a couple of years, attempting to sort through the various interfund loans and fund transfers in the City of Natchez’s spending has been a study in futility.

No one, apparently not even some of the department heads or the leaders charged with watching the books really understands what all was happening — with your tax dollars. Money was disbursed to various departments with little or no regard to how the extra funds would ever be repaid.

A few weeks ago, City Clerk Donnie Holloway came forth asking Natchez aldermen to approve the equivalent of a more than $1 million “payday loan” — essentially borrowing against anticipated future tax receipts.

While the cornered city aldermen had little choice but to borrow some of the requested funds to get the bills paid, they stopped short of the full request, instead opting to borrow $500,000.

Mayor Jake Middleton has said the cash crisis has served as a wake-up call. Middleton called for the fund transfers to stop.

We applaud him on that mandate.

However, the mayor said his plan includes looking at every department’s budget mid-year to see where spending is.

Given the uncertain economic times, we believe merely taking the city’s financial pulse twice a year isn’t enough.

Monthly reviews should be the minimum standard.

Only when finances are reviewed carefully — and often — will our city’s leadership team truly begin to understand how tax money can best be spent.

A better understanding by all of those tasked with watching the public purse strings would give taxpayers more confidence that no one is asleep at the wheel.

Natchez’s leaders can, and should, manage our money better.