Here we go again. Last night, I attended the Special Called Meeting of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen. The first agenda item was to have Mr. David Cooper of Red River Waste Solutions, LP to address the board on garbage collection. Well, Mr. David Cooper did not show up for the meeting. Apparently, the account with the City of Lumberton was not substantial enough for the head of the department to attend, so he sent Mr. Alvin Cooper (no relation) to make the presentation to the board. One thing Mr. Alvin Cooper stated was they were there to "take care of the customers) but he's not over the department, so everything he said could be thrown out when it arrives for approval by the actual decision makers (the ones that did not show up for the meeting.) He said the general cost would be around $7.50/household for roughly 740 customers. That equals $5,550/per month and that does not include the landfill fees or the fee they will charge for "extra" garbage. Again, we are have nothing to compare these figures with. How much does it cost to pick up trash and pay the fee at this moment? The cost has not been revealed, so how are we to know if we are actually saving money. But according to Ben Winston, excuse me, Mayor Ben Winston, "It ain't their business out there [voters]. Again, I am not surprised that the praying mantis, I mean praying mayor does not want to hear from the voters but he want to vote for the city to come together but please remain quiet in the process. From the presentation given, there were a lot of questions left unanswered. He said they will need employees, but said most cannot be hired because they are not "qualified" for the position. He also said they like to "initially" hire locally because the local workers are familiar with the community. However, the fact that he said "initially" gave me cause for concern. He said they start out with a pay of $10/hour but the inclusion of the word "initially" led me to believe that once the new crew become familiar with the area, the new hires will become disposable. Hopefully, someone on the board will take the initiative to give a true comparison of the cost effectiveness of outsourcing these services. Otherwise, we are eliminating jobs without actually saving the city any money.
The board voted to discuss and vote to insure the limb truck that was donated to the City of Lumberton by the Lamar County Board of Supervisors. Mayor Winston went on ad nauseam about the need for the aldermen to thank District 2 Supervisor, Warren Byrd for the donation. Well, here's a tip, instead of going on and on during a board meeting about the need to thank someone for the donation, why not draft a letter of thanks and send it to the person you are thanking. Thanks.
The board approved to allow Mr. Greg Nightingale to sand, paint and re-stencil the drop box located at City Hall free of charge to the City of Lumberton.
Now here's where the meeting got interesting. When I arrived at city hall, I noticed Danny Davis sitting in the corner. I have yet to get a copy of the agenda but after glancing through the pages, I noticed an agenda item to discuss and vote to hire a Public Works Director. It was at that moment, I knew the reason Danny why Davis was at the board meeting. I guess since Little Black Creek is now being leased by a family, his position has been eliminated and the Public Works position is not that stressful as he claimed when he quit for the third or fourth time without giving any prior notice. So, yes, Danny Davis was re-hired to serve as Public Works Director at the pay rate of $31,000/year. Well, since we're rehiring old workers, why not bring back the old clerks, and the former chief. OAN: I was given a tip the other day and found out that
Dennis Hobson is still working in law enforcement. He's working in Elberta, AL as a patrol man. I called the other day and left him the following message: "I would like you to give this message to Dennis Hobson. This is Jonathan of the Lumberton Informer and I wanted to do a follow up story on him since we have not heard from his since leaving the City of Lumberton. Please tell him to give me a call; I know he would love to hear from me." I left my number but he has not returned my call. But you can give him a call at the department (251-972-6813).
Back to the subject at hand, the water department. Just last month, the board was scrambling to get someone to mentor Keenon Johnson and test the water. So, they brought in Mr. Robert Lassister for the water testing and for mentorship. Well, last month, they asked him to return with a fee for his services and they would go from there. Keep in mind, Mr. Lassister does not live in the area. He returned to present his proposal and the board then rejected the proposal. Why? Well, I'm glad you asked that question. Like on many other occasions, those with voting power, they don't operate as business minded individuals, they are more of the knee jerk persuasion (minus the knee.) They needed someone to test the water and since Crider was trying to push his boy Michael "Butch" Brumfield as the person to supervise the Public Works Department, I'm guessing someone contacted Davis and told him to reapply, since he is certified. Now, keep in mind, Keenon Johnson will be taking her test on February 14, 2014 to obtain her certification. The board voted to pay her registration, hotel, per diem and mileage in the amount of $1,086.10. Well, everyone on the board except Tommy Dukes. He was told that Johnson was studying for the exam and certification process, he wanted Johnson there to personally say "she is ready" for the exam. I don't know what that would have done, saying she is ready is not a guarantee that she will pass the test, but I guess that was something he needed. Also, there were some in the audience that was upset that the City of Lumberton is covering the cost of the certification process. But that's the way this city operates. They are actively working/footing the bill for someone to get certified while re-hiring another person that's already certified and casting aside the person that was willing to assist in the interim with the water testing process since we were attempting to get someone certified to take over the department. Confused? Well, so were we but when Alderwoman Cora Rogers, was trying to get clarity and asked it those in the audience understood, Winston again said "It ain't their [voters] bidness out there."
Another issue of contention was the setting of the water deposit rate for Azalea Gardens. Alderman Tommy Dukes proposed that the city charge them $275/meter and there are 48 units. So that would be $13,200 that would be kept on the books for infinimum or until the facility closed. For the record, the fee is not payed by the tenants; it will be paid by the development company. The water charge is included in their monthly rent, so this charge will not be passed on the elderly residents. However, the water deposits for renters are $150. For some reason, Dukes want to price gouge this organization because he said what if they leave and owe a big water bill. I can just see them packing up/closing down an $8.1 million dollar facility to avoid paying a delinquent water bill. (I was being sarcastic in case you didn't know.) Winston was not fond of this inflated fee, but I think he was looking out for his friend, J.P. Lawrence (a business partner in Azalea Gardens) than he was anything else. The fee is over inflated and it's shameful that Dukes is, like others before him, is trying to use the water department to cover deficits in the budget. The motion was voted down, but I am sure it will be on another agenda. Since the City of Lumberton is playing dirty, I think it's time for MRHA 8 to demand full payment of the monies their owed by the City of Lumberton that was caused by some clerical error during the last administration. Like NeNe said, "you can't win playing dirty." I guessing she wasn't referring to politics.
There was a big debate about the MML Summer Conference and the inability to pay for the trip. Winston said he was going to travel there every day and did not need the hotel. But aside from Cora Rogers, it does not seem that any of the other elected officials are interested in learning about their duties and responsibilities as elected officials. Please be clear, ignorance of the law is not a defense. They can sit on that board and continue to defy the laws, and refuse training, but that's not going to help if and when they are brought to task for the laws they continue to violate. Speaking of violating laws, Crider wanted to amend the agenda of a special called meeting to pay for testing of some volunteer firefighters. He argued that this was not a special called meeting and wanted the check cut for the test. They said they would discuss it during executive session. Winston inferred that he would pay for the test fees since they could not amend the agenda. We still do not know what happened because it was not discussed again after they returned from their lengthy executive session.
Here we go again. Last night, I attended the Special Called Meeting of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen. The first agenda item was to have Mr. David Cooper of Red River Waste Solutions, LP to address the board on garbage collection. Well, Mr. David Cooper did not show up for the meeting. Apparently, the account with the City of Lumberton was not substantial enough for the head of the department to attend, so he sent Mr. Alvin Cooper (no relation) to make the presentation to the board. One thing Mr. Alvin Cooper stated was they were there to "take care of the customers) but he's not over the department, so everything he said could be thrown out when it arrives for approval by the actual decision makers (the ones that did not show up for the meeting.) He said the general cost would be around $7.50/household for roughly 740 customers. That equals $5,550/per month and that does not include the landfill fees or the fee they will charge for "extra" garbage. Again, we are have nothing to compare these figures with. How much does it cost to pick up trash and pay the fee at this moment? The cost has not been revealed, so how are we to know if we are actually saving money. But according to Ben Winston, excuse me, Mayor Ben Winston, "It ain't their business out there [voters]. Again, I am not surprised that the praying mantis, I mean praying mayor does not want to hear from the voters but he want to vote for the city to come together but please remain quiet in the process. From the presentation given, there were a lot of questions left unanswered. He said they will need employees, but said most cannot be hired because they are not "qualified" for the position. He also said they like to "initially" hire locally because the local workers are familiar with the community. However, the fact that he said "initially" gave me cause for concern. He said they start out with a pay of $10/hour but the inclusion of the word "initially" led me to believe that once the new crew become familiar with the area, the new hires will become disposable. Hopefully, someone on the board will take the initiative to give a true comparison of the cost effectiveness of outsourcing these services. Otherwise, we are eliminating jobs without actually saving the city any money.
The board voted to discuss and vote to insure the limb truck that was donated to the City of Lumberton by the Lamar County Board of Supervisors. Mayor Winston went on ad nauseam about the need for the aldermen to thank District 2 Supervisor, Warren Byrd for the donation. Well, here's a tip, instead of going on and on during a board meeting about the need to thank someone for the donation, why not draft a letter of thanks and send it to the person you are thanking. Thanks.
The board approved to allow Mr. Greg Nightingale to sand, paint and re-stencil the drop box located at City Hall free of charge to the City of Lumberton.
Now here's where the meeting got interesting. When I arrived at city hall, I noticed Danny Davis sitting in the corner. I have yet to get a copy of the agenda but after glancing through the pages, I noticed an agenda item to discuss and vote to hire a Public Works Director. It was at that moment, I knew the reason Danny why Davis was at the board meeting. I guess since Little Black Creek is now being leased by a family, his position has been eliminated and the Public Works position is not that stressful as he claimed when he quit for the third or fourth time without giving any prior notice. So, yes, Danny Davis was re-hired to serve as Public Works Director at the pay rate of $31,000/year. Well, since we're rehiring old workers, why not bring back the old clerks, and the former chief. OAN: I was given a tip the other day and found out that Dennis Hobson is still working in law enforcement. He's working in Elberta, AL as a patrol man. I called the other day and left him the following message: "I would like you to give this message to Dennis Hobson. This is Jonathan of the Lumberton Informer and I wanted to do a follow up story on him since we have not heard from his since leaving the City of Lumberton. Please tell him to give me a call; I know he would love to hear from me." I left my number but he has not returned my call. But you can give him a call at the department (251-972-6813).
Back to the subject at hand, the water department. Just last month, the board was scrambling to get someone to mentor Keenon Johnson and test the water. So, they brought in Mr. Robert Lassister for the water testing and for mentorship. Well, last month, they asked him to return with a fee for his services and they would go from there. Keep in mind, Mr. Lassister does not live in the area. He returned to present his proposal and the board then rejected the proposal. Why? Well, I'm glad you asked that question. Like on many other occasions, those with voting power, they don't operate as business minded individuals, they are more of the knee jerk persuasion (minus the knee.) They needed someone to test the water and since Crider was trying to push his boy Michael "Butch" Brumfield as the person to supervise the Public Works Department, I'm guessing someone contacted Davis and told him to reapply, since he is certified. Now, keep in mind, Keenon Johnson will be taking her test on February 14, 2014 to obtain her certification. The board voted to pay her registration, hotel, per diem and mileage in the amount of $1,086.10. Well, everyone on the board except Tommy Dukes. He was told that Johnson was studying for the exam and certification process, he wanted Johnson there to personally say "she is ready" for the exam. I don't know what that would have done, saying she is ready is not a guarantee that she will pass the test, but I guess that was something he needed. Also, there were some in the audience that was upset that the City of Lumberton is covering the cost of the certification process. But that's the way this city operates. They are actively working/footing the bill for someone to get certified while re-hiring another person that's already certified and casting aside the person that was willing to assist in the interim with the water testing process since we were attempting to get someone certified to take over the department. Confused? Well, so were we but when Alderwoman Cora Rogers, was trying to get clarity and asked it those in the audience understood, Winston again said "It ain't their [voters] bidness out there."
Another issue of contention was the setting of the water deposit rate for Azalea Gardens. Alderman Tommy Dukes proposed that the city charge them $275/meter and there are 48 units. So that would be $13,200 that would be kept on the books for infinimum or until the facility closed. For the record, the fee is not payed by the tenants; it will be paid by the development company. The water charge is included in their monthly rent, so this charge will not be passed on the elderly residents. However, the water deposits for renters are $150. For some reason, Dukes want to price gouge this organization because he said what if they leave and owe a big water bill. I can just see them packing up/closing down an $8.1 million dollar facility to avoid paying a delinquent water bill. (I was being sarcastic in case you didn't know.) Winston was not fond of this inflated fee, but I think he was looking out for his friend, J.P. Lawrence (a business partner in Azalea Gardens) than he was anything else. The fee is over inflated and it's shameful that Dukes is, like others before him, is trying to use the water department to cover deficits in the budget. The motion was voted down, but I am sure it will be on another agenda. Since the City of Lumberton is playing dirty, I think it's time for MRHA 8 to demand full payment of the monies their owed by the City of Lumberton that was caused by some clerical error during the last administration. Like NeNe said, "you can't win playing dirty." I guessing she wasn't referring to politics.
There was a big debate about the MML Summer Conference and the inability to pay for the trip. Winston said he was going to travel there every day and did not need the hotel. But aside from Cora Rogers, it does not seem that any of the other elected officials are interested in learning about their duties and responsibilities as elected officials. Please be clear, ignorance of the law is not a defense. They can sit on that board and continue to defy the laws, and refuse training, but that's not going to help if and when they are brought to task for the laws they continue to violate. Speaking of violating laws, Crider wanted to amend the agenda of a special called meeting to pay for testing of some volunteer firefighters. He argued that this was not a special called meeting and wanted the check cut for the test. They said they would discuss it during executive session. Winston inferred that he would pay for the test fees since they could not amend the agenda. We still do not know what happened because it was not discussed again after they returned from their lengthy executive session.
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