NATCHEZ, Miss. — The city recently received about $73,000 from the state as the first of eight payments to improve streets, bridges and other public structures in coming years.
The money is from a program enacted by the state Legislature in 2018 to share internet sales tax revenues with Mississippi cities and counties. The new tax is imposed on online shopping.
Natchez received its first check last month from the Mississippi Infrastructure Modernization Act. The city will get another payment in July – bringing a total this year of about $146,000, said city Community Development Director James Johnston.
Six more payments of increasing amounts are forthcoming through 2023, he said.
Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell noted Tuesday that the Board of Aldermen can use the money for improving city streets. Aldermen have a preliminary list of needy streets to review and finalize for funding later this year. In recent years, the board has resurfaced Natchez streets using money it gets from leasing city-owned land to Magnolia Bluffs Casino on the Mississippi River.
The state Infrastructure Modernization Act money can be spent to repair or maintain existing roads, streets, bridges and water-sewage structures, according to a report presented to the aldermen Tuesday. The money can’t be used for building new structures.
The state revenues are from the new sales tax the Legislature in 2018 imposed on internet-based businesses such as Amazon and their customers. The Infrastructure Modernization Act also allocates money from Mississippi’s new state lottery that began in 2019.