Clichés become clichés because truth tends to be at their core. The cliché “You get what you pay for” is one that tends to be accurate, with only an occasional exception.

So it should come as no surprise, we suppose, that the Natchez Police Chief is among the lowest paid around, when compared to similar-sized cities.

While money isn’t everything, it can certainly affect the quality of personnel we have available.

In addition to the chief’s lower-than-average pay, rank and file officers are also paid far less than sheriff’s deputies, which has never made any sense to us.

For years now the city’s administration — when prodded or cornered about the issue — has lamented, “Our police and fire departments aren’t paid enough.”

Yet our leaders have done little to alleviate the problem.

Our city once had state-of-the-art police and fire departments. While there are still good officers and good firefighters on the force, in some ways, they probably have inferiority complexes by knowing they’re not paid on par with nearby agencies.

If aldermen were truly interested in making a statement, why not take a personal pay cut and apply the funds to increasing police and fire pay?

That will likely never happen since another old phrase is true: A leopard can’t change its spots.

City leaders are quick to lament, but slow to action, particularly if the action isn’t favorable to them.