It was said of abstract artist Jackson Pollock that he would throw paint on a wall and call it art. In those circles, it might be true. But in Vicksburg city government, not so much. Mayor Paul Winfield seems to be throwing paint against a wall and hoping to see in it a sports complex.

The wishy-washy, tax this today, tax that tomorrow, build here, build there mentality that the mayor is pushing on the residents of this community can do little to alleviate the fears that this will be the latest grand plan of “what ifs” in designing and building a modern-day sports complex.

We never once have questioned the mayor’s drive to get Vicksburg a sports complex. Cities larger and smaller than ours are building modern complexes that attract a multitude of sports tournaments. The economic impact of such a facility would be music to the ears of residents and business owners.

The people are well aware that more than 3 million taxpayer dollars apparently have been squandered on two plans for recreation. The city dumped $3 million into a proposed project on Fisher Ferry Road before scrapping the plans over flooding concerns. A second plan to redesign and redevelop Halls Ferry Park — the current rec location — was deemed inadequate because the park was built on a landfill. The city is still trying to claim a refund of $250,000 for a feasibility study by USA Partners Sports Alliance of Jacksonville, Fla.

In January, the mayor pitched a plan to add a 1½ percent sales tax on food and beverages and a 2 percent tax on hotel rooms to fund up to a $20 million sports complex at one of two proposed sites. The sites — one near River Region Medical Center on U.S. 61 North and the other behind Warren Central High School on Mississippi 27 — lie in Warren County, out of the city limits of Vicksburg.

The mayor’s initial plan received pushback from the hospitality industry and Winfield eventually scrapped it.

His next was to add a countywide 1 percent or ½ percent sales tax to fund the project. Supervisors would not commit to it, citing a need to see more information before talking tax increases. The mayor, perceiving the board’s anticipated response as a negative, scrapped that plan only days after pushing it.

His latest iteration of a tax plan is for a 1/2 percent sales tax increase within the city, but no increase in the county.

What if city residents balk at this plan? Will the mayor find another funding mechanism? Or will he just continue to throw paint all over City Hall, hoping, magically, a baseball diamond will appear.