An amendment to the city of Vicksburg’s zoning regulations may open the way for construction of a shooting range in the city.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen Thursday approved the amendment to allow indoor shooting ranges by special exception in C-4 commercial zones, which allows businesses such as automobile sales and mechanic shops.

City zoning administrator Dalton McCarty said the change was in response to a call by a local business about building an indoor shooting range. McCarty said the city has regulations in place for outdoor shooting ranges, but nothing for indoor ranges.

In order to allow construction of an indoor range, he said, the board needed to amend the zoning ordinance passed in 1971 to include indoor ranges “and have some definition and clarification.”

In other action, the board authorized city clerk Walter Osborne to set a public hearing on the proposed 2020 budget for Sept. 5 at 5:30 p.m.

The board is considering a $29 million budget containing a raise for city employees.

By state law, the budget must be in place by Sept. 15. It goes into effect Oct. 1, which is the start of the new fiscal year.