NATCHEZ — City officials are pressing forward to find $3.5 million to complete the North Natchez Drainage Project, and they’re exploring all options.

The city currently has $2.5 million for the project, but the total amount needed is $6 million to repair and rework drainage issues on Buckner’s Alley and surrounding neighborhood streets.

Repairs have already been made to low-lying Canal Street, to which all the water flows.

But work on the north end of town has not begun.

Although the attempt to find funds has not waned, a war of words between Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis and City Engineer David Gardner — which nearly resulted in Gardner’s resignation — renewed efforts with vigor.

On Tuesday, the board of aldermen will meet with Gardner during a work session to discuss how to proceed with the project.

“We’re at a point where we have to make some decisions,” Gardner said.

No matter the end result, it’s going to be piecemeal, he said.

Mathis, whose ward houses the project, and Gardner have both said one option would be to forge on with the $2.5 million the city has.

“That’s a pretty good project right there,” Gardner said. “That’ll get us a ways up there, not all the way to the end, but way back up there.”

Mathis said if the board decided to start the project with the funds already in place, it would not mean efforts to find remaining funds would dissipate.

“The main thing is we want to go forward with what funds we do have in place,” Mathis said.

Another option would be to wait until all the funds are amassed.

Mathis said she is pursuing several avenues for funding.

“I want to hit on all sources,” she said.

Congressional and state delegation are her points of contact for government funding, she said.

Packets informing both delegations of the North Natchez Drainage plight have already been circulated, and Mathis said she is working on follow-ups.

The Southwest Planning and Development District, the Mississippi Department of Transportation and the Mississippi Development Authority may all have stimulus funds that could be tapped into, Mathis said.

Emergency Community Development Block Grants could be available too, she said.

Finally, the board could decide to issue a bond for the remaining funds, a suggestion Mathis and Gardner have both previously made.

Gardner made the suggestion in the fall, and Mathis made a motion during a May aldermen meeting to issue a bond if funding isn’t found within a year.

She said the intent of the motion was not to rush into a bond, but rather exhaust all options first and let that be the last resort.

“This particular area is in need of some help,” she said.

Either way, both city officials are looking to push forward with the project no matter what.

“I understand people are getting impatient,” Gardner said. “They’re on their very last legs on this.”