Mississippi House passes bill for Natchez Inc.

The Mississippi House passed a bill Thursday to let Natchez-Adams County’s two governing boards continue funding the community’s business-recruitment agency. The previous law for this expired in September.

For what House Speaker Philip Gunn said is a “time-sensitive” matter, the House of Representatives quickly voted 109-6 for the measure. House Bill 1440 now goes to the Senate for it to approve and send to Gov. Tate Reeves for him to sign into law.

The bill would authorize the Natchez Board of Aldermento give Natchez Inc. the $100,000 it’s been annually budgeting the past five years for the public-private agency. The Adams County Board of Supervisors could allocate $165,000 a year. Natchez Inc. also receives private funds.

Local governments need the state’s permission to donate funds to a nonprofit organization such as Natchez Inc. The 2016 law for this specified it was to expire in September, but it’s uncertain why no action was taken last year before the authorization died. Such state laws are enacted at the request of city and county government leaders.

Natchez Inc. was established in 2010 as the economic-development arm for Natchez and Adams County. Vidalia, La., next door and the private group Natchez Now are also partners. The agency headed by Chandler Russ with a Board of Directors works to recruit, retain and expand businesses in the Miss-Lou area for more jobs.

In its efforts to lure new businesses, it provides them economic and demographic information, helps them find sites and buildings to occupy and directs them to state and local financial incentives. The agency also focuses on workforce training.

Developments that Natchez Inc. has announced in the past year or so involve new occupants for dormant Natchez buildings: the planned restoration of the Eola hotel in downtown Natchez, the move of Ferriday-based Delta Fuel’s corporate headquarters to the old Callon Petroleum building, the expansion of Vidalia-based Southern Designs to the old Kmart building and the takeover of the old Regions bank building by Loss Prevention Services. The announced total number of new Natchez jobs from these growing businesses: 280.

Natchez Inc. has also been working to ensure Velosys follows through to build its biomass-fuel refinery at Adams County’s Belwood industrial park. Plans are for a 2023 groundbreaking. The billion-dollar plant is projected to employ about 120 workers to process wood debris from area timberlands to convert into jet fuel.