Despite the string of bad news that seems to be coming from her mouth of late, we encourage the City of Natchez to officially make interim city clerk Melissa Hawk permanently the keeper of city finances.

Hawk, who was thrown a haystack of financial records, appears to be making fast work in finding the fiscal needles and giving them to city leaders.

While depressing on one hand to realize just how buried in budget deficits the city actually is — approximately $750,000 — at least Hawk seems to be getting to the true state of the city’s lingering financial mysteries.

Hawk appears to be more than capable of helping the city clean up its act and get a grasp on a city budget that in the past appears to have been built on hopes and dreams rather than facts and figures.

The bad news the city is currently receiving on just how poor the city’s financial situation is, is ultimately a blessing in disguise.

Now that we know the real problem, city leaders can focus on solving.

With the real numbers aldermen will soon have no excuse but to confront the reality they face.

The city must shrink the services offered, make the city government far more efficient or find a way to partner with the county to merge resources and find savings for taxpayers.

Until the city has diligently worked all of the above options, no tax increase should be considered.