The agenda for the board meeting was not long, but the board meeting was quite lengthy. The department heads gave their reports. One report of interest was the one presented by Public Works Director, Ryan Easley. During the report, he stated that there was a problem with the lift station at Frank Lee Homes. There was something said about a contact needing to be changed. I wonder if the board gave any consideration that the problem with the lift station could be what's attributing to the sporadic spikes in certain water bills. Also, it was noted that the City of Lumberton is behind in their water bill payments. The federally mandated payments for the water tower is over $14,000 in arrears. Now ain't that a kick in the head. The city is having all this trouble with water bills and water bill payments and it has been discovered that the water tower payments haven't been paid since December of 2012. Interesting. In addition to the water bill issues, it was also discovered that several individuals that made payment arrangements with the previous clerk were not making payments. Well, they were making payments of $20/month with no set time frame of getting the accounts cleared. It was also discovered that there is over $150,000 in unpaid water bills. Thankfully, the current city clerk, Merelene Wall is trying to salvage the sinking ship of city hall one bucket of water at a time. With every board meeting, I'm liking her more and more. She's very professional and she's doing a great service to the City of Lumberton. Kudos to Merlene Wall.
In other water news, a public works employee submitted a proposal to be the person responsible for reading the water meters. The proposal was similar to a proposal I suggest two years ago, but I guess the board was more receptive to the proposal coming from another person. The board will allow him to implement the program on a trial basis for the next 90 days and if it proves to be a success, they will create a new position for this employee. The proposal asked for a .50/hour raise. I think he should have asked for a $1.00/hour raise and the person he cross-trains should get a .50/hour raise. Just a suggestion. Also, it seemed that Alderman Jay McGrew seemed to be having a bad day. He seemed very irritated and I don't know why. For instance, when there was a question about oil change prices. Cheif Cowart was explaining that it was more cost effective to take the cars to Poplarville to get an oil change because the cost is $37.00 whereas, getting an oil change in the City of Lumberton is $67.00. She has been finding ways to stay within her budget and this wasn't a time to rant about charges on a report. Cheif Cowart was also explaining how she would use her personal time to look for cheaper tires for the city vehicles but it seems that certain members of the board don't care if the prices for certain services in Lumberton are over-inflated. It doesn't make sense to pay double for the same service you can receive elsewhere. I would like to suggest that Pine Belt Ford in Purvis charges $39.99 for "The Works" oil change/tire rotation. In regards to the temperamental tirade that was on display last night, aldermen should listen for a response when they ask a question. #IJS
It was reported that the audit is still not complete. It seems that this matter is going to drag until we get a new administration. As the meeting progressed, the board kept repeating the need for accountability. Seriously, after being in office four years, now as the new election approaches, you're concerned about accountability. There was an order requiring Jerry Walter, Fire Chief, to submit reports with matching receipts for all monthly expenditures for monies donated by the City of Lumberton. It seems that recently, the City of Lumberton issued a $2,000 check to the Lumberton Volunteer Fire Department and right after receiving the check, there was a request for a purchase order for a $39.00 battery. Apparently, this was the straw that broke the camel's back. There were those that were miffed that the LVFD could not purchase a battery after receiving a $2,000 check. Aldermen Kent Crider suggested that no additional funds be distributed to the LVFD until all paperwork and receipts are submitted to the board. The motion passed. First of all, I thought this was a process that was already implemented and it seems rather suspect that this would be brought up again this close to an election. I agree that accountability is required in all departments, but didn't Kent Crider work with the LFD as a consultant, providing them with details on how to get additional funding from the City of Lumberton? What caused this change in the tides?
There were also several proposals about noise ordinances. Bobby Gibson is looking to implement an "Sagging Pants" fine system for those wearing their pants too low. First of all, this is a parental issues not a governmental issue. The Lumberton Police Department has failed to fully enforce the curfew ordinance, but the board is getting ready to throw more penalties on citizens of Lumberton because they now have a fine happy judge. Once again, this board is looking to build revenue based either on water bills and/or fines. If only they spent that much time and energy looking for industry. There will be a public hearing on the matter and Kent Crider was actually the voice of reason in the discussion when he said "if the citizens are against it then we don't need to implement it". It seems that this board is grasping for straws and any kind of attention they can get. The last four months of your term cannot erase the last four years of non-accountability. Don't wait til the midnight hour to try and start serving the people and stop trying to implement new ordinances with a new election approaching.
Finally, after going into executive session, the board voted to terminate Deputy Clerk, Susan Guidry. I guess Bobby Gibson could not bring himself to participate in the vote so he left the board meeting without taking part of the process. Sue has shown that she was not willing to get trained and after working in the office for 8 years, she was not able to take over any of the duties after the termination of Stephanie C. Mullings, City Clerk. It seems that we're finally going to get a clean slate and start the process of re-building trust in those working at city hall. Please note: In order to make deposits of the monies collected at city hall, water bill payment will not be accepted after 3:00 p.m. Customers may still pay by check using the drop box. Merlene Wall, city clerk, has requested this proposal to ensure customer's checks are deposited on the same day they are paid. This is a relief. Gone are the days of paying your water bill and the check getting deposited 3 weeks later.
The agenda for the board meeting was not long, but the board meeting was quite lengthy. The department heads gave their reports. One report of interest was the one presented by Public Works Director, Ryan Easley. During the report, he stated that there was a problem with the lift station at Frank Lee Homes. There was something said about a contact needing to be changed. I wonder if the board gave any consideration that the problem with the lift station could be what's attributing to the sporadic spikes in certain water bills. Also, it was noted that the City of Lumberton is behind in their water bill payments. The federally mandated payments for the water tower is over $14,000 in arrears. Now ain't that a kick in the head. The city is having all this trouble with water bills and water bill payments and it has been discovered that the water tower payments haven't been paid since December of 2012. Interesting. In addition to the water bill issues, it was also discovered that several individuals that made payment arrangements with the previous clerk were not making payments. Well, they were making payments of $20/month with no set time frame of getting the accounts cleared. It was also discovered that there is over $150,000 in unpaid water bills. Thankfully, the current city clerk, Merelene Wall is trying to salvage the sinking ship of city hall one bucket of water at a time. With every board meeting, I'm liking her more and more. She's very professional and she's doing a great service to the City of Lumberton. Kudos to Merlene Wall.
In other water news, a public works employee submitted a proposal to be the person responsible for reading the water meters. The proposal was similar to a proposal I suggest two years ago, but I guess the board was more receptive to the proposal coming from another person. The board will allow him to implement the program on a trial basis for the next 90 days and if it proves to be a success, they will create a new position for this employee. The proposal asked for a .50/hour raise. I think he should have asked for a $1.00/hour raise and the person he cross-trains should get a .50/hour raise. Just a suggestion. Also, it seemed that Alderman Jay McGrew seemed to be having a bad day. He seemed very irritated and I don't know why. For instance, when there was a question about oil change prices. Cheif Cowart was explaining that it was more cost effective to take the cars to Poplarville to get an oil change because the cost is $37.00 whereas, getting an oil change in the City of Lumberton is $67.00. She has been finding ways to stay within her budget and this wasn't a time to rant about charges on a report. Cheif Cowart was also explaining how she would use her personal time to look for cheaper tires for the city vehicles but it seems that certain members of the board don't care if the prices for certain services in Lumberton are over-inflated. It doesn't make sense to pay double for the same service you can receive elsewhere. I would like to suggest that Pine Belt Ford in Purvis charges $39.99 for "The Works" oil change/tire rotation. In regards to the temperamental tirade that was on display last night, aldermen should listen for a response when they ask a question. #IJS
It was reported that the audit is still not complete. It seems that this matter is going to drag until we get a new administration. As the meeting progressed, the board kept repeating the need for accountability. Seriously, after being in office four years, now as the new election approaches, you're concerned about accountability. There was an order requiring Jerry Walter, Fire Chief, to submit reports with matching receipts for all monthly expenditures for monies donated by the City of Lumberton. It seems that recently, the City of Lumberton issued a $2,000 check to the Lumberton Volunteer Fire Department and right after receiving the check, there was a request for a purchase order for a $39.00 battery. Apparently, this was the straw that broke the camel's back. There were those that were miffed that the LVFD could not purchase a battery after receiving a $2,000 check. Aldermen Kent Crider suggested that no additional funds be distributed to the LVFD until all paperwork and receipts are submitted to the board. The motion passed. First of all, I thought this was a process that was already implemented and it seems rather suspect that this would be brought up again this close to an election. I agree that accountability is required in all departments, but didn't Kent Crider work with the LFD as a consultant, providing them with details on how to get additional funding from the City of Lumberton? What caused this change in the tides?
There were also several proposals about noise ordinances. Bobby Gibson is looking to implement an "Sagging Pants" fine system for those wearing their pants too low. First of all, this is a parental issues not a governmental issue. The Lumberton Police Department has failed to fully enforce the curfew ordinance, but the board is getting ready to throw more penalties on citizens of Lumberton because they now have a fine happy judge. Once again, this board is looking to build revenue based either on water bills and/or fines. If only they spent that much time and energy looking for industry. There will be a public hearing on the matter and Kent Crider was actually the voice of reason in the discussion when he said "if the citizens are against it then we don't need to implement it". It seems that this board is grasping for straws and any kind of attention they can get. The last four months of your term cannot erase the last four years of non-accountability. Don't wait til the midnight hour to try and start serving the people and stop trying to implement new ordinances with a new election approaching.
Finally, after going into executive session, the board voted to terminate Deputy Clerk, Susan Guidry. I guess Bobby Gibson could not bring himself to participate in the vote so he left the board meeting without taking part of the process. Sue has shown that she was not willing to get trained and after working in the office for 8 years, she was not able to take over any of the duties after the termination of Stephanie C. Mullings, City Clerk. It seems that we're finally going to get a clean slate and start the process of re-building trust in those working at city hall. Please note: In order to make deposits of the monies collected at city hall, water bill payment will not be accepted after 3:00 p.m. Customers may still pay by check using the drop box. Merlene Wall, city clerk, has requested this proposal to ensure customer's checks are deposited on the same day they are paid. This is a relief. Gone are the days of paying your water bill and the check getting deposited 3 weeks later.
Mr. Informer,
ReplyDeleteI also find it odd that the boardhas waited til election time to tighten down on accountability. Kudos to Chief Cowart for trying to find a cheaper place to get the police cars services. I do, however, take issue with a cuple of things said about the Fire Department. There is no money donated to the fire department. The $1000 a month is a Professional Services Fee the city pays once a month. The reason the city paid $2000 this month is because they didn't pay $1000 last month. The $1000 per month that is paid to the Lumberton Fire Department Support Group, is so that they can purchase supplies and products needed to maintain service. That money no longer belongs to the city because they made a payment. Now, we can start producing receipts and so on to show you where the money went, but isn't that the same as the city paying the Police Chief then demanding her to show receipts of everything she spent her check on? They paid her and it is none of their buisness what she spent her money on. Therein lies the statement about a $39 battery. There was no request for a $39 battery. It was a request for $324 for 3 batteries to put in the fire truck because the other batteries were no good. The city has money set aside in the fire department budget to pay for fuel, purchase parts and tires, etc. It was not our job to take the $324 out of our payment to purchase parts for equipment that belongs to the city. Aldermen Kent Crider suggested that no additional funds be distributed to the LVFD until all paperwork and receipts are submitted to the board. The motion passed. Why doesn't it surprise me that this board of aldermen agreed to breach this contract. The fire department purchased the truck and bought the pump so that we would have a tanker truck. It is the fire department that just purchased a new water tank for the brush truck because the old one busted, not the city. If it's not broke, don't try to fix it. I know this is an election year. I've always respected Kent Crider and still consider him a friend no matter what he says or does. I don't believe in dirty politics and i won't partake in it, so say what you will.
Bobby Gibson needs to mind his own children. The way his daughter talks to him that means he needs parent lessons. If my child want to were saggy pants than that the parents job to talk to their children and to say yes or no not the public. He is only the father of his two not all of Lumberton children. Bye the way what he needs to do stop beating the SSI Social Security working under cover fixed aircondition and getting paid cash money. I guess he forgot about that. How stupid can you be. Lumberton has more issue to take care of than saggy pant. Were the check you sign for when the mayor was out take care of that. That why our city is in the shape its in. because alderman like you take care your childrens and stop trying to take care of everybody elses. You don't get respect from your own children so why worry about somebody else's if you gonna start with the saggy start in your family cause you have childrens and nephews that saggy too. Man get a life
ReplyDeleteI have a question.there a huge tank down by the city that is full of water .nothing is being done about it i know they have to know about it .how would i go about getting something done about it? Its nothing but a huhe mositque bed !!
ReplyDelete