NATCHEZ — Natchez aldermen voted Tuesday to ask the state auditor’s office to investigate the finances of the Natchez Convention Promotion Commission.

After an hour-long executive session in which the board continued its discussion of the job performance of Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Kevin Kirby, City Attorney Hyde Carby asked the board to authorize him to seek the help of the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor to “separate opinion from fact.”

The CVB’s finances and Kirby’s performance have come into question in recent months with the Natchez Convention Promotion Commission recently revoking Kirby’s financial authority after some commission members questioned some spending Kirby approved.

“Moving forward to bring this situation to a resolution, (the board may allow me to) contact the state auditor’s office to come and assess the situation and determine all the facts we can and from their findings, make a decision,” Carby said. “The sooner we call them, the sooner they can get down here.”

The state may charge the city approximately $7,500 for this service, Carby said. He was not sure at the meeting how long it would take for the state auditor to be able to begin work at the CVB.

Ward 4 Alderman Tony Fields made the motion and was seconded by Ward 6 Alderman Dan Dillard.

Ward 3 Alderwoman Sarah Carter Smith, who has attended several recent meetings of the commission, said she supported the measure because the state auditors would conduct a thorough, non-biased audit.

“They will provide a transparent way to find out what has happened at the CVB,” Smith said.

Ward 1 Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis acted Tuesday as mayor pro-tem in the absence of Natchez Mayor Butch Brown, who returned to the hospital Tuesday.

Arceneaux-Mathis said Brown had been admitted for an evaluation of minor symptoms.

Brown returned to work in February after suffering two light strokes in December 2015. Earlier this month the mayor said he would not seek re-election in the upcoming city elections in part because of his rehabilitation work after the strokes.

The board also conducted a public hearing regarding the building permit application by developers of the former Eola Hotel.

The developers, including the property’s owner Robert Lubin, hope to turn the historic building into upscale senior living apartments.

Interim City Planner Riccardo Giani told the board the original plans for the former hotel’s first floor, which he and the planning commission denied, had been altered. He asked the aldermen send the application back to the planning commission for a ruling.

The board moved to send the application back. The developers’ attorney, Tony Heidelberg, made no objection.

“We think it’s right to go back to the planning commission, in essence to continue the hearing we were engaged in before,” Heidelberg said. “We redrew the plans to show 100 percent (public access to the first floor) per their request.”

The next meeting of the planning commission is set for late April.

Heidelberg said the structural integrity of the building, which sustained exterior damage in recent severe weather, is a concern as the permit application process delays the renovations.

“There is always a risk that the weather exposure will cause more deterioration of the building,” Heidelberg said after the meeting. “We’ve had crews out assessing the exterior part of the building, and hopefully the construction is sound enough at least for another 30 days. This should be the be-all, end-all of the process.”