NATCHEZ — An official with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office said Monday the Natchez-Adams County Metro Narcotics Task Force will continue to exist even if “Natchez” is removed from the equation.

Natchez Mayor Butch Brown recently said the city may consider pulling out of the 30-year taskforce agreement meant to fight illegal drugs in the area. Instead of partnering with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, the city would partner with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics.

Brown listed concerns about communication, evidence handling and the allocation of funds as reasons for the consideration.

When Supervisor David Carter asked ACSO Col. Debbie Gee at the board of supervisor’s meeting Monday how the city’s potential pulling out of the agreement would affect Metro’s operations, Gee responded, “Not at all.”

Gee also said the number of officers the county contributes to the task force is sufficient for it to continue.

“The sheriff was in there on the ground floor when Metro started,” Gee said. “It works better when everybody is working together rather than separately, but it will continue.”

Per the interlocal agreement, the independent task force is to be staffed by agents from the ACSO and Natchez Police Department. Seized drug money funds the organization.

In recent years, the sheriff’s office has contributed more officers than required to the task force, while the city is currently providing only one of the two officers for which the agreement calls. Brown said last week that vacancy was “temporary.”

Carter said after the meeting the task force still has his support no matter what the city decides to do.

“The county provides the facilities, the vehicles, all the training and we put four officers into it,” he said. “I think (Metro) made more than 200 stops in the city limits last year. Natchez is still a part of Adams County, and it doesn’t make sense to have two drug agencies in one county.”