Lumberton Informer

The other day, I made a statement asking were there at least three righteous serving on the Lumberton Board of Alderpersons. After that comment was made, I received a high number of private messages. I don't know why people choose to address me via inbox because I still have a record of your information. Anyway, those of you that are familiar with the bible know that was a play on the process when Abraham was pleading with God; asking him not to destroy the city. I would give a complete overview of the matter but it's found in Genesis 18. Abraham declares "if I find fifty righteous souls" will you spare the city. Well, as you know, the number continued to decrease and Abraham lowered the number to "ten righteous souls". Ultimately, Abraham wins the argument but loses the case. God sends two angels to go see if Abraham’s 10 righteous can be found in Sodom. Generally, I don't respond to inbox questions or comments but since most seemed to accuse me of j...

from the look of the agenda it seems that it was going to be a very short and brief meeting. But after the meeting began, it was clear that the meeting would be very interesting. There was only one agenda item but several matters that were to be discussed. First, the board decided to look into the need to make some budget amendments. The board, along with the clerks, will review these matters. The board decided to allow BBI to help with this process. The board also discussed the health violations issued against the City of Lumberton because of the improper septic system that was set up at the Canopy Cafe. Mayor Winston wants to give LeeAnn I go, the lease holder, the opportunity to correct the matter but it's the City of Lumberton that's being fined. Winston suggested the use of port-a-potties to abate the sewage issue. Winston also suggested this did not violate the lease agreement and he also said it would be foolish to end the contract now; despite the accumulation of fine...

I am certain that many of you noticed the new ice dispensary located in front to Ramey's (well Family Dollar). These ice dispensaries are located everywhere and Twice the Ice has finally made its way to the City of Lumberton. The other week at the special called board meeting, the board of alder-persons discussed the assessments for water, garbage and sewer cost. The board eventually decided that Twice the Ice would pay water and garbage fees. They will not pay sewer fees since they are not using the service but if they business need the service in the future, the board will revisit the matter. If you recall, I mentioned this in a previous blog post. I stated how the City of Lumberton continues to allow things to take place and then back pedal to try to make it fit. I suppose our elected officials believe it is better to beg forgiveness than to ask for permission or is that just the mindset of our building inspector/code enforcer, Johnny Buckley. After the board gave the green l...

Last night, there was another board meeting of the Mayor and Alderpersons. Later in the post, you will understand the title chosen for this post. Before getting into today's blog I would like to take the opportunity to say that Merlene Wall and Melissa Nightengale are doing an excellent job despite the insurmountable obstacles they face day to day. I don't ever recall a deputy clerk attending the board meetings but Melissa is present at every meeting and the citizens of Lumberton should appreciate the additional set of eyes and ears. I must admit, I was feeling some type of way because neither of the new clerks was originally from Lumberton, but after watching the appointment of key department heads in Hattiesburg and 90% of those appointed were not from Hattiesburg, I see that cities are looking outside the scope of their city limits for employees. Also, with the great mess left from the last clerk, I can understand why the board would not want to hire another clerk from Lum...

I arrived at the Lumberton Public Library today and I was greeted by a group of women that were smiling and working hard at cleaning the library from top to bottom. I know people assume I just have negative things to say about Lumberton, but that's not true. I report on things of Lumberton that may seem negative but when I stumble across some good news, I share it. The library was very fresh as the scent of lemons permeated the air. The constant movement and gentle roar of the vacuum cleaner did not disturb the tranquil atmosphere. As I navigated my way around the library, I noticed signs stating the library will close at 4:00 p.m. on March 14, 2014. As I was checking out some books, I was getting ready to ask why the library was closing early. After looking up, I noticed a poster in the corner and there was a picture of American Idol contestant, Michael Simeon. It seems that the Friends of the Library will be hosting a reception for the local native that ventured off to Hollywo...

There was all this talk that Stephanie Mullings was the reason the water department was in such disarray but since we're continuing to have problems, it seems that she was not the problem. Apparently, the problem is much deeper and it's long overdue for those elected to serve to find out what's the problem and get it corrected. Time and time again, we've been told its system errors and glitches in BBI. It seems like the City of Lumberton cannot get it right when it comes to the water department. There's a need for some serious changes. Every month, we hear about the rude customers but what about the rude treatment from the other side of the counter. I was with a customer once when one of the clerks snapped and the customer snapped back. Now, I'm sure when it was reported to the board, it was all the customer's fault, but as a person that works in the resolution department, I deal with angry individuals everyday and the first rule is to try to get to the s...

There was a scant amount of attendees at the board meeting. I noticed since the library was sold to Lamar County for $1, there’s no longer any representative from the Lumberton Library giving the board a report on the activities of the library. But since the board sold one of Lumberton's greatest assets for four quarters, I guess it's mission accomplished and there's no need to inform the city of any activities of a building it no longer controls. Mission accomplished. The first agenda item was to discuss and approve a water rate review. I don't think any of the board members have attended the water board (apologies, I don't remember the official name at this moment) meetings regarding the guidelines the city must adhere to in order to protect the life of the city; the water department. However, there was a brief discussion that there is going to be a need to raise the water rates in order to cover the $36,847 needed to repair water well #2. Later in the meeting,...