NATCHEZ — Residents living in Holiday Apartments petitioned the Natchez Board of Aldermen Tuesday for help in addressing problems in the complex.

But while city officials said they’re committed to seeing repairs are made at the complex, neither the manager nor the owner of the complex were at the meeting.

Aldermen James “Ricky” Gray said apartment owner Kenneth Moe was served with an affidavit requiring him to be at Tuesday’s meeting.

Additionally the board recently passed a motion requiring Moe and the apartment manager to appear before the board at Tuesday’s meeting.

Natchez Mayor Jake Middleton said Moe was called away to an emergency meeting in Atlanta and was not able to attend the meeting.

While Middleton read a letter from Moe outlining multiple changes and repairs that have recently been made at the complex, Gray and complex resident Deborah Martin said they were not satisfied.

Martin, who has lived in the complex since 1992, said she has seen almost no repairs to the buildings in that time.

“It really went down,” Martin said of the complex.

Gray said he was upset that even after the board requested Moe’s presence at the meeting, he did not show up.

“We have a serious problem when the man who owns the place doesn’t care enough to show up,” he said.

Middleton said he will contact Moe to schedule a second meeting with the board so that further improvements can be made.

In other news, Tourism Director Connie Taunton said the Tourism Advisory Committee will now focus more of its budget on Web-based advertising and focus less on print ads.

“Every dime we have is important to build and maintain (tourism,)” Taunton said.

And this year’s budget for the Tourism Advisory Committee currently shows a projected $50,000 deficit due to less tax dollars coming from the $2 hotel occupancy tax, Taunton said.

And in less than one week, the board will meet to plan the coming year’s budget.

City Clerk Donnie Holloway said the board will begin meeting Monday to plan the city’s new budget.

The budget must be adopted by Sep. 15.

And citing personnel issues, the board met prior to Tuesday meeting in executive session with Judge Jim Blough and members of the Water Works’ Board of Commissioners.

The executive session meeting lasted approximately two hours.