NATCHEZ — Natchez and Adams County elected officials met Thursday night to discuss what they can do to work together for the good of the community as a whole.

Mayor Jake Middleton said the purpose of the meeting was for the city and county boards to discuss common issues and for the new members to better get to know each other.

While Middleton said the purpose of the meeting wasn’t to address city-county consolidation, the topic did arise.

Natchez Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis and Alderman Ricky Gray both expressed concerns about the idea.

Gray said that consolidation could possibly violate the city charter.

“When you say ‘consolidation,’ you need to take care of your own house before you consolidate someone else’s house,” Gray said.

If consolidation was to work, it would have to be on a model similar to the consolidated fire district, Supervisor Mike Lazarus said.

“We would just have to give you the money and get out of the way,” he said.

When Middleton floated the idea of having a single public works and road manager for both the city and the county, Supervisor Angela Hutchins had doubts about the idea.

“I feel like this county is too big for one man,” Hutchins said.

One way the two bodies can work together is through unified lobbying efforts at the state and national level, Mathis said.

“In terms of lobbying, we can come up with one or two things we desperately need and one or two things you desperately need, and we can go and present a unified front,” she said.

Supervisor Calvin Butler said he felt that was a good idea.

“We have one common cause for the county,” he said.

The group agreed they should meet as a whole with the area’s state legislators in November of every year so that whatever bills they might need to introduce would be ready by the time the Legislature convened in January.

Mathis also suggested that the two boards have public forums a few times a year.

Supervisor David Carter said that one way the county and city could work together would be to beautify main entrances in and out of the city.

Beautifying green space around the area sends a positive message about the community, Carter said.

“That’s a low-cost, immediate impact and everybody benefits,” he said.