In municipal government, having your bond rating lowered is like a private citizen getting a poor credit score.

It doesn’t mean you’re a bad person or even that you’re broke, but it does mean that you either have a sketchy credit history or have been sloppy in your financial management.

Last month, Moody’s Investors Service downgraded Adams County’s general obligation bond rating citing a general fund deficit at the end of the 2008 fiscal year of more than $2.2 million.

That’s not a good thing for Adams County in that it indicates to the outside investor world that our county has been poorly managing its finances.

In simplistic terms, the county showed on paper it was in the hole by $2.2 million in the general fund.

But if you look at all of the county’s funds, the total wasn’t a deficit, but rather, showed a balance of nearly $8 million at the 2008 audit time.

Obviously some of those funds are earmarked for certain projects and couldn’t be used to pay debt, as would general fund balances.

But some of these issues could have, and should have, been handled in the last couple of years.

As Supervisor Thomas “Boo” Campbell said, collectively, the supervisors ignored warnings — both by their financial advisor and the county administrator.

Some of the issues are expected to correct themselves over time as folks like Corrections Corporation of America begin paying taxes on their new prison.

But we’re almost certain that critics will start using the downgrade to try and nix projects such as the recreation complex or as fuel to have a fire sale on Natchez Regional Medical Center.

Both would be as unwise as ignoring advice of your financial planner and your county administrator.