Adams County supervisors need to be a little nosier over the next two weeks and ask more questions of the Natchez-Adams County Port Commission.

The port operates somewhat independently of county government, but its budget must be approved by the county and becomes affiliated with the county’s own budget.

Supervisors on Monday questioned the port’s budget, which included several puzzling things including:

• A projected decrease of more than $270,000 in revenue.
• Less than $8,000 in budgeted expense reductions.
• A 3.5-percent cost-of-living raise for port workers.

All of the above rightly puzzled supervisors.

If revenue is coming down by so much, logically expense should be reduced more significantly than $8,000.

Should workers be receiving additional raises — in the last two years, they’ve received 10- and 5-percent raises already — while revenue is dropping so much?

Supervisors were scratching their heads with the illogic in the above, as do citizens for whom the port represents.

The port is a public entity, just like county government and thus needs to be transparent in what it does and make sound financial decisions for its “owners,” the people of Adams County.

Fortunately, their representative supervisors seem to be right on track questioning things that simply don’t seem smart.