Lumberton Informer

I received an e-mail about pending cuts to the library system. The e-mail reads as follows: Please dear friends.....read the attached document and give me your feedback. We can't handle many more cuts to our state aid grants....We have been Blessed to not endure some of the horrible stories that we have been hearing around the state about what is happening to many library systems due to cuts. The County of Lamar has been extremely kind to the library system but there is also a limit to what they can do as state losses in revenue also affect the County. If the cuts do happen as we have been told to prepare for, then Lumberton along with the other three libraries will suffer greatly. I am asking you to pass this information on to your family and friends. Please help me get the word out that we don't need any more state-level cuts. I know that some will say the library is no better than anyone else to suffer during these hard times but, as you can see by the statics provided, the ...

To pay or not to pay! Apparently, that is the question. I thought the drama for the day was finished, but then things got worse, if you could believe that. For some reason, the city clerk did not want the city workers to get their paychecks before the Thanksgiving Holiday. Why is there such a power struggle at city hall? Employees have always gotten paid before the holiday, so what has changed? Is the budget not balanced? Or is there something else going on? I just wonder why is it that every time Mayor Holder instructs our city clerk to do something, it is a battle? When Bobby Gibson signed the checks, he told the clerk that he was not going to sign any checks that included overtime pay for the police officers, and Stephanie complied with what he said, and did not include the police officer's overtime pay (despite the fact that the officer's actually worked those hours). But when Mayor Holder told her to have payroll prepared so she can sign the checks today, you would think t...

South Mississippians still struggling to recover from Hurricane Katrina are already lining up to apply for new federal housing assistance. The $132 million in grant money was announced November 16, 2010 by Housing and Urban Development officials and Governor Haley Barbour. According to state officials, as many as 5,000 Mississippians may qualify for some financial assistance, but you must meet certain guidelines. You must have owned and occupied your home at the time of Katrina. You must currently own your home. You must have unrepaired Katrina related damage to a single family home. No new construction. Home must be in an eligible county: Harrison, Hancock, Jackson, Pearl River, Lamar, George, Stone, Forrest, Jones. Applications are due by January 31, 2011 and must be filed at one of the Neighborhood Home Program Outreach Centers: Two centers are located in Hattiesburg, MS. Forrest County Multipurpose Center,962 Sullivan Rd.,Hattiesburg, MS 39401-2714 601- 544-5115 and the other cente...

The Lumberton Board of Aldermen just voted to give Susan Guidry a raise of $1.25 which will give her bring her hourly earnings up from $7.25 to $8.50. Susan's pay was cut along with the other city employees due to budget constraints, but there has been a change in the thinking of our board members and they decided that Susan Guidry deserved an increase in pay, despite the fact that the financial situation of the City of Lumbeton remains the same. Now keep in mind that none of the other city employees have been restored to their regular rate of pay, but they found it necessary to give Susan Guidry a raise because "she is struggling financially." Who isn't? Just last week, we lost our deputy court clerk because the Board of Aldermen refused to keep her at her regular rate of pay and even with the cut in pay, Melissa asked to given a 40 hour work week and they refused that request as well. We have police officers risking their lives and the Board of Aldermen have not met...

I try to use correct grammar when posting on this blog, but when I found out how much revenue the City of Lumberton is receiving from the Lumberton Airport, I had a Tasha Mack moment. I was looking for a positive story to close out the week, and I thought about my last visit to the Lumberton airport. I noticed all the cars (most of the cars were from out of state: Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky, etc.) the amount of people there, the different concessions stands/eateries, and just an overall festive atmosphere. I never realized that sky-diving was such a lucrative business. There were people everywhere, there were several trailers ( I don't know if the trailers are for staffers or customers), gear sales, the canopy cafe, some jewelry was being sold, another food station, and much much more. Yesterday, I called city hall to ask our city clerk about the amount of rent the city of Lumberton is receiving from Gold Coast Skydivers, and she told me that they pay $100 a year for a lease on t...

Now would someone please explain this to me because I am confused. Yesterday, we lost a highly qualified court clerk because Gibson, Johnson, Crider and Hale voted to cut her pay and keep her as a part-time employee. Well, the officials in Forrest County realized that she would be an asset to their court system and hired her immediately. Now, our city clerk, Stephanie Mullings, will have to cover the duties of the court clerk because Susan Guidry is not qualified to cover that position. But what has me confused is this. Gibson, Johnson, Crider and Hale voted to terminate Betty Speights (because she discovered too much in her position as deputy clerk) and Harry Wilkes (because he was making too much money); they cut the mayor and the alderman's salaries to $1, but opted to keep their insurance (which is costing the City of Lumberton somewhere between $300-700/per month per alderman); they cut the salaries of the police officers and city worker, they cut the pay for two of the three ...