Time to remove the mystery surrounding the City of Natchez’s tourism efforts is long overdue.

For many years, the City’s complicated arrangement both with the Natchez Convention Promotion Commission and the contracted managers of the convention center have been sources of confusion and consternation to tourism industry personnel, as well as interested taxpayers.

Exactly how complicated the relationship is became clear last year when the Convention Promotion Commission and the Natchez Tourism director butted heads.

Who did the man report to, the NCPC or City Hall?

Turns it was both, sort of.

And that’s the challenge. The arrangement is murky at best.

With an entirely new commission and a new tourism director in place the time is perfect to streamline and simplify the complicated once and for all.

We applaud the efforts of the new commissioners who seem intent on trying to understand the city’s relationship with the company contracted to manage the Natchez Convention Center.

Questions about the transparency and benefits of that relationship rise up almost annually.

But in addition to the convention center matter, we urge commissioners to work to clarify and streamline their own operations and loosen the tentacles they share with the city.

Until all involved are crystal clear in how the arrangements are to work, the air of suspicion and doubt will continue to creep into any discussions and cloud the work of attracting more visitors to our city.