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NATCHEZ, Miss. – The mayor Tuesday, had to again break Natchez aldermen’s tie vote as they disagree on the qualifications a new police chief should have.

Aldermen deadlocked 3-3 in moving forward with the search for someone to replace Cal Green, who’s retiring. Mayor Dan Gibson broke the tie to officially start seeking applicants suited for the job requirements, which include having at least 15 years of experience in law enforcement.

The dispute between the aldermen and the mayor is a continuation of what they began in January, when Gibson also had to break a tie just for taking the preliminary step in the search process. Green announced last month that she plans to retire after three years as police chief.

Gibson joined Aldermen Valencia Hall, Sarah Carter Smith, and Curtis Moroney in voting to formally seek applicants. Aldermen Billie Joe Frazier and Ben Davis – former Natchez police officers – were joined by Alderman Felicia Bridgewater Irving, voting against the credentials set for someone to be qualified to oversee the Natchez Police Department.

Applicants to consider must have at least 15 years of experience as a professional police officer with at least three years in a high-ranking commanding post. Aldermen said they prefer to have someone with a bachelor’s degree, but that’s not required. Gibson noted many accomplished political and business leaders don’t have college degrees.

In speaking out against the job prerequisites being approved, Davis said a chief should have worked at least five years as a high-ranking police officer.

Gibson said last month he wanted preference given to someone already working in the NPD, but aldermen said the process shouldn’t be tilted for promoting someone from within.

Frazier – who voted against appointing Green in 2023 – alleged the NPD in recent years has diminished into “shambles” where “morale is low – very low.”

Hall called Frazier’s criticism a “travesty” as Green was subjected to having her “name dragged through the mud in an open meeting.”    

The Board of Aldermen “was contentious and we were out of order,” Smith said of its Jan. 27 meeting, when they discussed the process for seeking applicants to replace Natchez Police Chief Cal Green, who’s retiring.

Smith directed her colleagues Tuesday to abide by Robert’s Rules of Order by speaking only when recognized, not to interrupt others and otherwise “maintain decorum” – or they’ll be booted out of the meeting if too unruly.

“I just want to see us follow our Robert’s rules and be respectful of one another and the person that’s speaking,” she said.

Alderman Billie Joe Frazier said he respects his colleagues and understands the need for order, but “on this board, everyone has a voice. You just can’t ram something down people’s throat and we just sit here and take it.”

NATCHEZ, Miss. – The City of Natchez will apply for a state grant to help fund structural repairs at the Natchez Senior Citizens Center on Washington Street.

The center operates out of the former Carpenter School, a historic building constructed in 1913. While the full cost of needed repairs has not yet been determined, the city would be responsible for a 50 percent funding match if the grant is awarded.

The proposed grant application does not include repairs to the facility’s indoor pool, which was closed last year due to defects.

NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Natchez Board of Aldermen has begun seeking applicants to fill a vacancy on the city’s Planning Commission following the resignation of longtime member Butch Johnson.

Johnson had served on the commission since 2010. The Planning Commission oversees private land use and determines appropriate locations for businesses and residences to ensure proper development within the city.

City officials will now begin the process of reviewing applicants interested in serving on the commission.

NATCHEZ, Miss. – City officials are planning events and outreach efforts to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Natchez’s historic preservation ordinance.

The ordinance, implemented in 1951, positioned Natchez as a leader in historic preservation both statewide and nationally, according to Planning & Zoning Director Mingo Tingle.

The measure regulates design, restoration, and construction within the city’s historic district to ensure architectural appropriateness.

As part of the anniversary year, city leaders plan to host educational sessions highlighting the ordinance’s significance. Aldermen also agreed to pursue a state grant to fund mailouts and publications informing property owners in the historic district about their responsibilities for maintaining their structures.

NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Natchez Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday to donate $25,000 to the Boys & Girls Club, directing the funding toward its program at Morgantown Elementary School.

The decision followed extended discussion and assurances from advocates that the organization provides meaningful support and opportunities for local youth.

The measure passed with one dissenting vote. Alderman Valencia Hall opposed the allocation, stating she wanted further evaluation of the club’s operations before committing city funds.

The donation is intended to support programming designed to benefit young people in the community.

The Adams County Board of Supervisors on Monday reappointed West to another term in a 4-1 vote. Supervisor Kevin Wilson was the lone dissenter.

He sits on the school board with Amos James, LLJuna Grennell Weir, Brenda Robinson and Dianne Bunch.

NATCHEZ, Miss. – Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten is asking the state to help fund a regional jail here to serve southwest Mississippi. This proposition, he said, would ease the financial burden on Adams County for building a new detention facility to replace the obsolete, dysfunctional jail that county officials have been struggling with for several years.

Patten said the construction and operation costs could be shared by the state and surrounding southwest Mississippi counties and towns also in need of new space to house inmates. Meeting Monday with Adams County supervisors, the sheriff presented them with details of the proposal. He asked them for their support in getting this done. Supervisors made no formal commitment to this.

Estimated costs vary for building a new Adams County jail. A recent projection had one costing about $40 million. Adams County supervisors have said a tax increase would likely be needed to pay for a new jail.

A state-backed regional jail in Adams County would generate funds to finance its construction with money southwest Mississippi counties and towns would pay for housing their detainees there, Patten said.

“With MDOC partnership, the state can help Adams County avoid overbuilding, contain operating costs, design a facility appropriate to regional demand and ensure a safe, efficient and legally defensible facility that meets current standards and future needs,” he said.

Patten’s request for a state-supported regional jail comes as the Mississippi Legislature is in the second month of its annual session that’s scheduled to continue until April.

NATCHEZ, Miss. – The city has been awarded $1.1 million in federal funds to rebuild what buttresses an imperiled section of State Street between Martin Luther King and Arlington streets.

The money is contained in a congressional appropriation President Trump signed into law last month, Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson said Friday. The $1.1 million will be spent to correct failing drainage infrastructure that traverses underneath State Street near Fine Avenue.

“Thousands of people travel across this area each day, unaware that below them is critical infrastructure both holding up State Street and allowing water to flow underneath in Hardings Bayou,” Gibson said in announcing the allocation. 

“While the large brick culvert is currently not a hazard, it is certainly showing its age — and an emergency closure and replacement would be detrimental to all who exit downtown Natchez by way of State Street.” 

The mayor noted the drainage tunnel appears to date back to the late 1800s or early 1900s.

State Street is heavily traveled and a major corridor from downtown Natchez to U.S. 61 and Liberty Road. The stormwater drainage structure’s collapse would force a road closure with traffic being detoured by about one mile, according to the mayor.

City officials began in 2024 seeking federal funds for replacing the aged structure after a comprehensive study identified throughout the city $57 million worth of needed stormwater infrastructure improvements. The city has been using state and federal funds for those fixes that the mayor and Board of Aldermen have directed be done on a prioritized basis, Gibson said.

He expressed special appreciation for Mississippi’s U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who worked to ensure the $1.1 million got tucked into the appropriation that Trump signed into law Jan. 23 for funding various federal agencies and programs.

“From the moment we met with her in early 2025, she has not wavered in helping us get this funding for Natchez. Thanks also goes to former U.S. congressman Gregg Harper and Brett Bailey of Harper & Bailey Governmental Solutions. They carried the water on this effort as our lobbyists, and without them I don’t think we would have been successful,” Gibson said.