NATCHEZ — City and county residents will have a chance to have their voices heard Tuesday when U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker hosts a town meeting at the Natchez Convention Center.

“It’s a chance to open a dialogue between Mississippians and Sen. Wicker,” Wicker’s Press Secretary Jahan Wilcox said.

Wilcox said the meeting is an excellent opportunity for members of the public to voice any concerns or discuss any issues facing the state or nation.

While the meeting has no specific agenda, recent town hall meetings in Jackson and Gulfport, which Wicker hosted, did focus heavily on health care reform, Wilcox said.

But unlike town hall meetings hosted across the country in which health care discussions turned to shouting, Wicker’s meetings have been “calm and orderly,” Wilcox said.

Natchez Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis said Tuesday’s meeting is a very valuable opportunity for members of the public and those in local government to meet with their representative.

“We don’t have to travel to Washington, this is Washington coming to us,” Mathis said.

Mathis, who plans to attend Tuesday’s meeting, said she will use the opportunity to ask Wicker exactly how federal stimulus dollars will be spent on ongoing drainage projects in Natchez.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get this funding,” Mathis said. “We cannot afford to let this pass us by.”

Tuesday’s meeting will be from 3:30 until 5 p.m. at the Natchez Convention Center.

Jahan said Wicker’s trip to Natchez is part of a larger tour of the state in which Wicker will visit multiple cities to meet with Mississippians to better understand their views on local and national issues.