While the country was feeling the threat of the fiscal cliff, the City of Lumberton was taking a nose-dive into the abyss of debt. For the last three years, we have been asking for accountability at city hall and our cries have gone unheard. Over and over, we were told that our city was doing fine. But month after month, the fiscal burden was passed onto the citizens. Is it just me or did our water bills spike every time there was a deficit in the city's budget? I apologize, but I have no other way of explaining the unexplained spikes. Per capita, I think the City of Lumberton has the most expensive water in the State of Mississippi and we don't have a top notch water system. In case you forgot about the time we failed the water test and the city failed to notify the citizens that they were drinking water that was not deemed acceptable to drink. Again, the citizens were the last to know and the board could care less if the citizens knew about the need to boil their water. It has been mistake on top of mistake when it comes to this board. I have been trying to figure out what would lead a group of individuals to think they could just disregard the general public and then for those same individuals to have the temerity to seek re-election.
At the last board meeting, a citizen was able to get the board to answer one question. Unfortunately, they did not answer the question to the satisfaction of those attending the board meeting. It was discovered that the board was aware of the fiscal irresponsibility that was taking place at city hall but month after month after month after month, they blindly voted to accept the budget reports and pay the bills without actually knowing what we had in the coiffers. To my recollection, the only alderman that did not accept the fiscal reports from the city clerk's office was Alderman Quincy Rogers. So, in essence, everything that is/has taken place at city hall was board approved. The board approved payments to individuals that were not supposed to receive payments. The board also approved payments to an individual that was cleaning city hall without a proper vote. The board approved training and travel expenses that were not necessary just to prove a point and to disregard the advice of the mayor. Side note: I find it intersting that they were more than willing to pay for unnecessary training but there's documentation in the ledger at city hall that states the board will give Sue Guidry three (3) months to complete her certification training and I think that memo was dated 7/14/2009. Now, for some reason, they never revisted the matter regarding the completion of the training for a deputy clerk, but this board bent over backwards funding non-essential training for a clerk that was already certified.
Another point of interest is the fact that Nicholson and Company told the citizens of Lumberton that the $80,000 deficit was normal. I believe their representative stood before the board less than a year ago trying to explain away the missing funds. As a matter of fact, Alderman Bobby Gibson urged the representative to tell everyone that the $80,000 + was normal for a city the size of Lumberton. So, now that we are even further in debt, I wonder what else is going to be discovered by Willie Sims and his accounting team. I don't know about you, but I'm miffed at the fact that we paid over $30,000 for an accounting firm to make sure our finances are in order and then they send in a representative that sugar-coat the findings. I knew something was awry with the report because I succinctly remember how our clerk was setting up all sorts of road blocks to keep me from getting a copy of the auditor's report. Nicholson and company concluded the meeting and the presenter left a stack of reports and told the clerk "here are some extra copies in case some citizens want a copy." Well, the next day, I went to city hall to get a copy and was told that I could not have a copy, but I could apply for one and would be charged for research and for the cost to print a copy. Now, please remember, there was a stack of extras and no one other than me and Kathleen Bogle requested a copy. When I contacted Kathleen, she said she had her copy, but I was told I needed to file a request for a copy and then wait for her to research the matter before giving me a copy. I guess it was yet another ploy for our clerk to try to find a way to replace some of the money she allegedly used for lunch and/or snacks.
There are so many discrepencies regarding the finances of our city. There are employees that had their health insurance deducted but was told by their physician they did not have coverage. There are certain employees that had a seemingly never ending amount of comp time while others were not getting any of their comp time; even after getting terminated. No one seems to be able to explain the spikes in our water bills and I think the water bills that we have not received this month are extraordinarly high; which is probably the reason we haven't received the bills yet. There's money that was allegedly used for personal iPhones and other expenses. There is money allegedly missing from the court system and the list goes on and on. I'm afraid to keep turning over stones because of what might be found. At this point, I think it's time for the citizens of Lumberton to rally together and file a class action lawsuit against the City of Lumberton. In this class action law suit, we should name our elected officials (if they voted against the reports, they should be covered), the city clerk and the city attorney. I really don't think these individuals are concerned about any actions that may or may not be taken by the ethic board, but I'm sure they will pay attention if we hit them where it hurts; their pockets. They have disregarded our pleas for far too long and I think it's time for us to get something back for all the agony we've had to endure. I'm not certain how to start the process of getting a class action lawsuit started, but I will check into it and I will pass this information on to you once I gather enough details.
While the country was feeling the threat of the fiscal cliff, the City of Lumberton was taking a nose-dive into the abyss of debt. For the last three years, we have been asking for accountability at city hall and our cries have gone unheard. Over and over, we were told that our city was doing fine. But month after month, the fiscal burden was passed onto the citizens. Is it just me or did our water bills spike every time there was a deficit in the city's budget? I apologize, but I have no other way of explaining the unexplained spikes. Per capita, I think the City of Lumberton has the most expensive water in the State of Mississippi and we don't have a top notch water system. In case you forgot about the time we failed the water test and the city failed to notify the citizens that they were drinking water that was not deemed acceptable to drink. Again, the citizens were the last to know and the board could care less if the citizens knew about the need to boil their water. It has been mistake on top of mistake when it comes to this board. I have been trying to figure out what would lead a group of individuals to think they could just disregard the general public and then for those same individuals to have the temerity to seek re-election.
At the last board meeting, a citizen was able to get the board to answer one question. Unfortunately, they did not answer the question to the satisfaction of those attending the board meeting. It was discovered that the board was aware of the fiscal irresponsibility that was taking place at city hall but month after month after month after month, they blindly voted to accept the budget reports and pay the bills without actually knowing what we had in the coiffers. To my recollection, the only alderman that did not accept the fiscal reports from the city clerk's office was Alderman Quincy Rogers. So, in essence, everything that is/has taken place at city hall was board approved. The board approved payments to individuals that were not supposed to receive payments. The board also approved payments to an individual that was cleaning city hall without a proper vote. The board approved training and travel expenses that were not necessary just to prove a point and to disregard the advice of the mayor. Side note: I find it intersting that they were more than willing to pay for unnecessary training but there's documentation in the ledger at city hall that states the board will give Sue Guidry three (3) months to complete her certification training and I think that memo was dated 7/14/2009. Now, for some reason, they never revisted the matter regarding the completion of the training for a deputy clerk, but this board bent over backwards funding non-essential training for a clerk that was already certified.
Another point of interest is the fact that Nicholson and Company told the citizens of Lumberton that the $80,000 deficit was normal. I believe their representative stood before the board less than a year ago trying to explain away the missing funds. As a matter of fact, Alderman Bobby Gibson urged the representative to tell everyone that the $80,000 + was normal for a city the size of Lumberton. So, now that we are even further in debt, I wonder what else is going to be discovered by Willie Sims and his accounting team. I don't know about you, but I'm miffed at the fact that we paid over $30,000 for an accounting firm to make sure our finances are in order and then they send in a representative that sugar-coat the findings. I knew something was awry with the report because I succinctly remember how our clerk was setting up all sorts of road blocks to keep me from getting a copy of the auditor's report. Nicholson and company concluded the meeting and the presenter left a stack of reports and told the clerk "here are some extra copies in case some citizens want a copy." Well, the next day, I went to city hall to get a copy and was told that I could not have a copy, but I could apply for one and would be charged for research and for the cost to print a copy. Now, please remember, there was a stack of extras and no one other than me and Kathleen Bogle requested a copy. When I contacted Kathleen, she said she had her copy, but I was told I needed to file a request for a copy and then wait for her to research the matter before giving me a copy. I guess it was yet another ploy for our clerk to try to find a way to replace some of the money she allegedly used for lunch and/or snacks.
There are so many discrepencies regarding the finances of our city. There are employees that had their health insurance deducted but was told by their physician they did not have coverage. There are certain employees that had a seemingly never ending amount of comp time while others were not getting any of their comp time; even after getting terminated. No one seems to be able to explain the spikes in our water bills and I think the water bills that we have not received this month are extraordinarly high; which is probably the reason we haven't received the bills yet. There's money that was allegedly used for personal iPhones and other expenses. There is money allegedly missing from the court system and the list goes on and on. I'm afraid to keep turning over stones because of what might be found. At this point, I think it's time for the citizens of Lumberton to rally together and file a class action lawsuit against the City of Lumberton. In this class action law suit, we should name our elected officials (if they voted against the reports, they should be covered), the city clerk and the city attorney. I really don't think these individuals are concerned about any actions that may or may not be taken by the ethic board, but I'm sure they will pay attention if we hit them where it hurts; their pockets. They have disregarded our pleas for far too long and I think it's time for us to get something back for all the agony we've had to endure. I'm not certain how to start the process of getting a class action lawsuit started, but I will check into it and I will pass this information on to you once I gather enough details.
I can't wait till the "Tale of our city" changes. It's well overdo.
ReplyDeleteDitto...all of this drama seems like a never ending soap opera...cues music...goes to commercial.
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