NATCHEZ — Members of the Natchez-Adams County Port Commission agreed to take the county government’s offer of help to save money on mechanic work.

The issue, which has been discussed at several recent port commission meetings, came up again after commission President Wilbur Johnson asked the members of the board of supervisors present if they had ever directed Road Manager Robbie Dollar to meet with Port Director Anthony Hauer about using county mechanics for routine work, as they had previously suggested.

The port currently contracts out its mechanic work to Natchez-based Automotive Machinery.

“We should be looking for them to come, because we had instructed the port director to be looking for them,” Johnson said. “We need to know if we are moving forward with this, or with hiring somebody, or what we need to do.”

Supervisor David Carter said a miscommunication may have occurred, and he’d though the port would contact the county mechanics as they were needed. Hauer said the items the port would have needed assistance on had not fallen under the maintenance schedule yet.

Carter said his concern and support for lending mechanics when the county can comes from a desire to save money.

“(The port) spent $21,000 this month (on maintenance), and the entire budget is $150,000 for maintenance,” he said. “Either the budget needs to be greatly amended or we need to make some changes. (The port) spent $380,000 last year (on maintenance).”

After determining that the commission had been waiting to act for Dollar to discuss what the county crew can offer the port, the supervisors contacted him and had him come to the meeting.

Dollar said the county mechanics would assist in any way they could as far as working on hydraulics or other basic mechanical maintenance was concerned.

“Any time you need us, give us a call and if we can help we will, and if we can’t, you can go with your outside guy,” he said.

Dollar said the county would supply mechanics at $25 an hour and parts at cost, the same rate offered to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.

“We only charge working hours,” he said. “We don’t go by a book (for rates) — it’s just the time we are working.”

Port Commissioner Lee Jones said the port would need a quick response when maintenance was required.

“Most of the time, when we have a problem, we are like most people and we want it fixed right away,” he said.

The supervisors present — Carter and Board President Mike Lazarus — said the port may be better off in the long run hiring someone rather than using the county’s labor or contracting it out at a higher rate.

“If this (expense docket) is a reflection of the amount of work done here, and I am sure it is, you need a full-time guy,” Carter said.

Lazarus said the county wasn’t opposed to hiring a mechanic and designating him or her to the port.

When Commissioner Michael Winn said the mechanic might have days when he or she has nothing to do, Lazarus said, “We’d find him something to do.”

Hauer said now that he’s had a chance to hear what Dollar had to say, he knows what to do moving forward.

While the port is considered a component of the Adams County government and supervisors appoint the commissioners, the port operates independently and has separate books.

In recent years, the supervisors have taken the unorthodox approach of amending the port’s charter to keep the five appointed members but to also make themselves voting members of the board.

In other news, Hauer reported to the commission that last month the port worked 14 barges, five handling dry cargo and nine at the liquid loading dock, resulting in the movement of 41,493 tons of product.

The port generated a total of $208,412.10 in revenue.

In January, the port moved 19,750 tons and generated $170,843 in revenue.