Archive for August, 2009
Council hears sales tax rebate monies have dipped
Posted by admin in Local Politics & Issues on August 13th, 2009
PICAYUNE, Miss., Thursday, Aug. 13 — City Clerk Priscilla C. Daniel told the city council today that the latest monthly sales tax settlement with the state was $341,000, down from what city officials had hoped for. She said the city needed $399,000 monthly for the last two months of the current fiscal year, August and September, to maintain its current budget and not drop behind on expected revenues.
Mayor Ed Pinero goes over budget figures with council.
The development marks the first time this new council has heard that the expected sales tax revenues budgeted for the current fiscal year, 2008-09, will probably fall below what was forecasted.
The latest state sales tax rebate check, which is lower than expected, shows that retail sales here in Picayune have dipped, something city officials were hoping would not occur since half the city’s budget comes from retail sales taxes collected here by the state, a portion of which is rebated to the city. Half the city’s budget is supported by the sales tax rebate monies from the state.
Daniel made the statement in the last of six budget workshops being held by the council to hammer out the 2009-10 fiscal year budget, one that will be tight because city officials are not sure how revenues will hold up in a severe economic downturn that has hit the U.S. and local governmental budgets.
Daniel has told the council in previous meetings that the sales tax rebate needed to average $377,000 monthly for the entire year in order for the city to not fall behind on revenues.
From left is public works director Chad Frierson and Councilman Larry Watkins. Frierson went over grounds and utility dept. budgets with the council.
City sales taxes here hit a high of just over a half-million dollars monthly shortly after Katrina, but after the flush of hurricane cleanup funds and the huge influx of refugees from the storm passed, sales tax collections began to gradually decline.
However, the latest monthly rebate of $341,000 for June, just received, is one of the lowest since the storm. You have to go back to March 2008, over a year ago, to find one lower, $326,146.44. Sales tax collections have stubbornly maintained what the city needed for most of this year, despite the recession, but are slipping in the last few months of this current fiscal year, according to information supplied by Daniel. Sales taxes collected in June are paid in August. There is a one month delay.
The council budgeted for the 2009-10 fiscal year budget an expected sales tax rebate of $345,000 monthly, expecting that sales taxes would dip here because of the recession and after talking to business leaders. In conjunction with that expectation, they told dept. heads they wanted to cut the overall budget by 10 percent.
“We needed $399,000 this month and next month to make budget,” said Daniel. “Up until this latest settlement we were right on budget, but it dropped. I had budgeted $798,000 for August and September, which would be $399,000 monthly, but this month it was $341,000.”
From left Lane, Larry Ladonis Seal, Miller and Brooks Wallace. Seal for decades was the county engineer. He is now retired. Both Seal and Wallace attended the workshop as private citizens.
Said Councilman Jason Todd Lane, “People are spending less, there is no question.”
The council in the last six workshops heard from dept. heads concerning their budgets. The council and finance officials will now try and put the figures together to come up with a 2009-10 budget. After the budget is finalized a notice for a public hearing will be placed in the local newspaper. The hearing will be held on Sept. 8 and local residents will be allowed to present input and suggestions to the council. A copy of the budget will be available at the Sept. 8 public hearing.
After the hearing the council might tweak the budget a little, based on what input they get from residents, and will then adopt it in the Sept. 15 regular council meeting. The budget must be adopted and in place by the beginning of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1.
At today’s workshop the council went over the utility dept. budget and the public works budget with public works director Chad Frierson.
Two private citizens attended the workshop, which has been sparesly attended by citizens, althought the workshops are open to the public.
Daniel said this year’s utility fund budget is in the black. She said this year’s budget is approximately $7.4 million and that next year’s budget will approximate that. She said that the utility dept. budget is called an enterprise fund and is kept separately from the main general fund budget. There is not supposed to be any intermingling of funds between the utility fund and the general fund.
However, in past years there has been transfers from the general fund to the utility fund, which over a number of years ran a huge million-dollar deficit under the previous administration.
The utility dept. covers several operations: sewerage services, gas, water and garbage collection. The sewerage and barbage collection services are operated by other entities, sewerage by the Pearl River Co. Utility Authority and the garbage by an independent waste disposal company. However, the city collects all the revenues associated with the services and dispenses out the collection for sewerage and garbage to the utility authority and independent contractor.
The city reads gas meters but is currently not reading water meters. The city has charged a flat fee for water since October. Frierson today told the council that at some point they will have to decide whether the city will read its own water meters are contract it out to some meter reading service.
The previous council had worked out a contract with Siemens Corp. for a high-tech meter reading service that would have computerized meter reading operations, but that $3.2 million contract, although signed by former Mayor Greg Mitchell, was rejected by the Mississippi Development Authority because, MDA said, the contract would not pay for itself.
Frierson said the city does not know the condition of the water meters. City Manager Harvey Miller said a decision on how the water meters will be read had to be made. Frierson said there are some residents who are hooked into the city’s system and “have never been billed.”
Also with Frierson, the council discussed possible approval of placing in the new budget the lease of two new lawnmowers, how to set up a systematic attack on maintaining the city’s ditch cleaning and drainage improvement operations and future street paving operations. The city annually gets about $250,000 in tax rebate monies from the county for paving city streets. However, officials said that does not go very far, only allowing paving about two miles of streets and roads. The city has approximately 90 miles of roads and streets.
Council releases agenda for Tuesday, Aug. 18, meeting
Posted by admin in Local Politics & Issues on August 13th, 2009
PICAYUNE, Miss., Thursday, Aug. 13 — The City Council has released its agenda for the Tuesday, Aug. 18, recessed meeting at 5 p.m. at council chambers at city hall at 815 North Beech Street. The agenda follows:
CITY COUNCIL – RECESS MEETING
TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2009 5:00 P.M.
FORMER ARIZONA CHEMICAL BUILDING, 815 NORTH BEECH STREET
1. WELCOME AND CALL TO ORDER -Mayor Ed Pinero
2. INVOCATION
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
4. PRESENTATION
STEVE LAWLER TO PRESENT ANNUAL OF PEARL RIVER UTILITY AUTHORITY
5. CONSENT AGENDA
1. Consider request to approve the Minutes for the City of Picayune dated August 4, 2009.
Action Requested: Approve request as submitted.
2. Consider request to acknowledge receipt of monthly Privilege License Report for the month of July 2009.
Action Requested: Acknowledge receipt of monthly Privilege License Report for the month of July 2009.
3. Consider request to acknowledge receipt of monthly Public Records Report for the month of July 2009.
Action Requested: Acknowledge receipt of monthly Public Records Request Report for the month of July 2009.
4. Consider Planning Commission Minutes dated July 14, 2009.
Action Requested: Approve Planning Commission Minutes as presented.
5. Consider Planning Commission Minutes dated August 11, 2009.
Action Requested: Acknowledge Planning Commission Minutes as presented.
6. APPROVAL OF DOCKET
7. PETITION AND COMMUNICATIONS
1. Consider request for Civic Woman’s Club to hold Annual Christmas Parade on Monday, December 7, 2009.
Action Requested: Approve request as presented.
8. OLD BUSINESS
9. NEW BUSINESS
A. CITY MANAGER
1. Consider request to approve Correction Quitclaim Deed from City of Picayune unto Phillip J Kahn due to incorrect legal description (copy of old deed attached).
Action Requested: Approve Correction Deed and authorize Mayor to sign same.
2. Consider Moratorium on large billboard signs.
Action Requested: Approve request as submitted.
3. Consider implementing tax on apartment complexes with 20 units or greater.
Action Requested: Approve request as submitted.
4. Consider approval for Carol Fitzwilliam to travel to Las Vegas NV from October 21st through October 25th in order to work and assist the HMR State Director at the AARP Convention’s trade show.
Action Requested: Approve request as presented.
B. FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
1. Consider request to acknowledge receipt of the monthly budget report for the month of July 2009.
Action Requested: Approve request as submitted.
2. Consider amendment to ordinance # 854 to provide for individual notice of service cut-off and related matters.
Action Requested: Approve as presented.
C. GRANT ADMINISTRATION
1. Consider revising the FY2010 154 Alcohol Countermeasures Program Application to delete office supplies and equipment as requested by Mississippi Department of Public Safety. Budget to be reduced from $120,225.45 to $115,528.45.
Action Requested: Approve the revision and authorize Mayor to sign the revised application and relative application documents.
2. Consider advertising for bids for South Beech Lift Station Improvements project funded by EPA.
Action Requested: Authorize Community Development to advertise for said bids.
3. Consider request for payment # 6 to MDOT for construction of Phase II of Memorial Blvd.
Action Requested: Authorize the said request for payment in the amount of $178,790.00 and payment of subsequent invoice.
4. Consider Change Order No. 1 – final to the contract by and between Industrial Environment Management, LLC and the City of Picayune to construct a Helicopter Pad and Drainage Improvements at Picayune Airport.
Action Requested: Approve the Change Order to decrease the contract price by $15,996.00, decrease the contract time by 31 calendar days and authorize Mayor to sign the same.
D. PLANNING AND ZONING
1. Consider request from Bill Edwards to subdivide property located at 335 West Canal Street from three lots into two lots.
Action Requested: Accept Planning Commission recommendation to approve the request.
2. Consider request from Larry & Thelma Cox for a 20% lot reduction variance, a 20ft width and a 500ft lot area for property located at 315 Fannie Avenue.
Action Requested: Accept Planning Commission recommendation to deny the request.
3. Consider request from Dennis Collier, Mark Gibson, Marcus Shoemake and William A McQueen to change the zoning on property located on South Haugh Avenue from C3 to R4.
Action Requested: Accept Planning Commission recommendation to approve the request.
E. CODE ENFORCEMENT
1. Consider request to set a date for a Public Hearing for property cleanup at 519 East 4th St.
Action Requested: Approve request as submitted.
2. Consider request to hold a Public Hearing for Property Cleanup on following properties:
- Corner of South Side St. & Jarrell St. Parcel # 617-515-004-09-013
- Jarrell St. Parcel # 617-515-004-09-01301
- 312 Jackson landing Road
- 628 Charlotte Drive Parcel # 617-521-002-02-047
- 1101 South Beech Street
- Corner of Mitchell St. & Hwy 11 North Parcel #’s 617-614-003-04-005, 617-614-003-04-00501
- 829 Beech Street
- 600 Davis Street
- 715 Cayten Street
- 719 Cayten Street
- South Main Street Parcel # 617-522-001-01-001
Action Requested: Approve request as submitted
F. PUBLIC WORKS
G. POLICE DEPARTMENT
1. Consider request for Chief Luke to attend ROCIC 18th Annual Homicide Conference in Charleston, WV October 18th-21st 2009.
Action Requested: Authorize attendance of Chief Luke to the ROCIC 18th Annual Homicide Conference in Charleston, WV October 18th-21st 2009.
H. FIRE DEPARTMENT
1. Consider request to accept check from the MS Department of Health in the amount of $700.00 for reimbursement of Fire Academy for Kids summer camp program.
Action Requested: Accept check as requested.
I. AIRPORT
10. MISCELLANEOUS COUNCILMEMBERS’ BUSINESS
11. MAYOR UPDATE
12. CITIZEN CONCERNS
13. EXECUTIVE SESSION
1. Contractual Matter-CRI
2. Personnel Matter
14. ADJOURN
_______________________________ _____________________________
Harvey Miller, Interim City Manager Date
*Consent Agenda – All matters listed under Item 4, Consent Agenda, are considered to be routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion. There will not be separate discussion of these items. If discussion is desired, that item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and will be considered separately.
Note Regarding Citizen Comments – All citizens are encouraged to attend and participate in meetings of the City Council. If you wish to address the Council, please provide your name and address for the record and limit your comments to three (3) minutes. Thank you for your cooperation.
Americans with Disabilities Act – In compliance with the American’s with Disabilities Act, the city of Picayune will provide special assistance to disabled citizens upon request. All meeting rooms are accessible to the disabled. Please notify the City Manager’s Office (798-9770) at least 24 hours prior to the meeting of any other special assistance that may be needed. This advance notice will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting.
In first round, Picayune and county won’t get any stimulus money, at least for now for law enforcement personnel
Posted by admin in Local News and Features on August 12th, 2009
PICAYUNE, Miss., Wednesday, Aug. 12 — While other muncipalities and counties throughout the nation might be awash in Obama’s stimulus money, it seems that Picayune and Pearl River Co. won’t be getting any of the billions of dollars approved by Congress to stimulate the U.S. economy, at least in the first round, or the first try.
However, the first rejection was concerning requests to hire additional law enforcement personnel at the county and city level, and there might be a later chance that the county and city will get funds for infra-structure projects, although no one was sure of that.
McGrew told the council that in the "first round" the city won't get any stimulus monies.
The subject came up for discussion at the city council’s budget workshop on Tuesday.
“Now we discuss stimulus money, potentially, maybe, maybe not,” said Mayor Ed Pinero in kicking off a short discussion on the matter.
Pinero said officials told him that Pearl River Co. will not get any stimulus funds this go-around. “If you get personnel with the money, you buy on for three years and then you pay for the fourth, and I believe that’s what they had reference to, personnel,” said Pinero, indicating the funds are not a free grant.
Pinero said requests for the funds by governments ran 100 percent over the available funds. “Everybody threw in a big request,” he added.
Picayune has requested overall $40 million in stimulus funding, discussion brought out. That would cover personnel and infra-structure projects.
Barbara McGrew, head of the grant administration dept., said that it was her understanding that the request from the police dept. for a stimulus grant to hire six additional police officers was denied. “We did get a letter stating that in the first round, we did not get it,” she said. However, she said the letter left open the possibility that Picayune might be able to get some funding in the second round. She said that she has not seen any communications regarding stimulus money for infra-structure projects.
Contacted after the meeting, Deputy Police Chief David R. Ervin told At-Large that the dept. had applied for a grant through the federal Bureau of Justice COPS agency, which coordinates grants for police depts. throughout the U.S. The request, if it had been approved, would have funded six additional police officers for 3 years.
Ervin said the agency told the dept. here that the Picayune application would remain active, and that if any additional funding became available, there might be a chance of getting funding then.
Gouguet, Daniel converse while Watkins chats on phone shortly before the fifth of six budget workshops last Tuesday.
“We hated to not get it; we sure needed it,” said Ervin. But he added that requests for the funds amounted to over 8 times what was available. One billion dollars was set aside for the program.
He said Gulfport won one of the grants, but he added that those depts. that did receive money in the program did not receive nearly what they originally requested. About 20 police depts. throughout Mississippi will get the stimulus funds.
Councilman Larry Breland wanted to know when the “second round” will begin. McGrew said she did not know. “They have not told us,” she said.
Pinero said it was his understanding that the second round would come from monies that were not used by those participating in the programing, and he saw little chance of anything being left over. “Who would not accept it and use it,” said Councilman Wayne Gouguet.
The council was careful to draw a distinction between funding for personnel and funding for infra-structure.
The council has been scouring every area, looking for funding to help support a tight 2009-10 budget they are now putting together. The discussion indicated that while they might get some stimulus funding next year, there’s little chance they can count on it for the new budget.
The council has the last of six workshops scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 13, at 2 p.m. at the council chambers at 815 North Beech Street. The meeting is open to the public but residents cannot participate in the discussion. The council’s next regularly scheduled business meeting is next Tuesday, Aug. 18, at 5 p.m. in the council chambers.
The council by law must have the budget completed by Sept. 15 and adopted by Oct. 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year.
COMMENTARY: What happened to the nightly TV body count?
Posted by admin in Commentary on August 12th, 2009
Have you noticed something: the absence of the nightly TV body count on the mainstream media (MSM) news outlets. Last month 40 American soldiers died in combat in Afghanistan, the highest in any one month since 9/11, but you would never know it by watching the MSM’s nightly news. It’s Obama’s war now, and things have strangely changed, especially in MSM news rooms.
If we had a conservative Republican president the nightly procession of pictures and names of dead American soldiers would inhabit your flickering TV screens. Pictures of the flag-drapped coffins returning to Dover Air Force Base would blanket our TV screens nightly, along with interviews of the greiving families.
By watching the nightly MSM’s presentation of the news you would hardly know that there is a war going on in Afghanistan and that the fighting has escalated dramatically. Commanders in Afghanistan are preparing to request more troops. But to find out what is going on you have to go to the internet and dig.
It happened this way under Bush: The Democrats put out the “talking points” daily and the MSM ran with it. The talking points have now changed, since Obama’s election, and the MSN are lightly reporting the war news and developments.
You can hand it to the Democrats. Under the Bush administration, they kept the anti-war sentiment boiling on the nightly news. Senate Democratic leader Sen. Harry Reid proclaimed the “war is lost,” and Congressman Murtha charged our boys had murdered “in cold blood” innocent Iraqi civilians. The soldiers he lambasted were later exonerated. While jihadists whacked off the heads of our citizens, the MSM highlighted the few misdeeds of our soldiers as if the whole damn bunch were war criminals. And compared to the decapitations and burnings, our transgressions were mild.
One wonders, how can this be? How can the media be so biased, either for the left or the right. We were raised on a diet of Walter Cronkite, and got our news each night for 30 minutes from a man whom we trusted, in a calm and reasonable way, who presented the facts and very seldom, if ever, interjected his opinions into the news. It seems now that facts are twisted to suit the biases.
We believe that for a society so submerged in information, we might be the most misinformed society on the planet, and in history. There is so much misinformation floating around in the media, that one cannot even understand what is in the health care legislation, a proposal, if passed, that will change the complexion of our society forever. One feels that the powers that be want the waters muddied.
With all these great engines of information technology at hand, we use them only to swap lies, half-truths and outright hearsay. One would think that cavemen were probably better informed, using word-of-mouth and smoke signals. Honesty and truthfulness is what counts, anyway, no matter what the means of communication.
Welcome to the 21st Century!
Council still looking for revenue; wants 2009-10 budget to come in at least 10% less than this year’s
Posted by admin in Local Politics & Issues on August 11th, 2009
PICAYUNE, Miss., Tuesday, Aug. 11 — The City Council said it will compare the costs of cemetery lots in Picayune’s three cemeteries with the prices charged by cities Picayune’s size to see if the prices are comparable. They said there are no plans to raise cemetery plot costs, but they did want to find out if cemetery plot prices here are too low. A plot sells for $200 for a resident and around $420 for residents living outside the city limits.
Mayor Pinero and Councilman Breland go over figures at the fifth of six budget workshops. . .The next and last one is Thursday at 2 p.m.
Also, Barbara McGrew, head of grant administration and code enforcement depts., who was before the council discussing her budget, said that a letter had been received saying Picayune and Pearl River Co. are not in line to receive any federal stimulus money in the first round, mostly for police depts., but might be able to get some in the second round. “The letter states we are still in the running if they get some additional money,” she said.
The discussions came in the fifth of six workshops held at the council chamber today at 4 p.m., as the council moved to hammer out a 2009-10 budget that must be finalized by Sept. 15 and adopted by Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year.
The council has one more budget workshop left, on Thursday at 2 p.m. in council chambers. At that time they will discuss the utility dept. and public works budgets with director Chad Frierson.
One citizen attended today’s workshop, Kent Whitfield. That brings to three so far, residents who have attended the workshops, which are, like a council meeting, open to the public. However, citizens cannot comment during the workshops. They will have a chance to let their views be known during a public hearing later after the finalized 2009-10 budget is published in the Picayune Item for citizen perusal.
The price of cemetery lots came up during discussion of the cemetery budget. City Clerk Priscilla C. Daniel said the general fund was having to subsidize the cemetery budget by about $63,000 annually. The city is charged by statute to maintain the city’s three cemeteries. Two are located on 8th Street, including the historic Antioch Cemetery, and the main cemetery being New Palestine.
The council also went over budgets covering the city manager’s office and Barbara McGrew’s budget for grant administration and code enforcement.
The council at the end of today’s session said that they were trying to trim all city budgets by at least 10 percent, but all along they have said that nothing is sacrosanct, and they won’t know till the end of the budget process how they actually stand.
Said Daniel, “It may be necessary. We are trying to get dept. heads to see if they can cut their budgets without hurting services.” However, officials have cautioned that all figures are preliminary and not set in stone.
Daniel also said there had been no decision made on promotional advertising, which came up for discussion at the Aug. 4 council meeting. Some councilmen called for a tough review of the promotional advertising budget, saying they felt it was not proper, although legal, to use taxpayer money to fund promotional advertising, mainly for civic, social and sports promotions. Councilman Jason Todd Lane called for a cap on promotional advertising.
The council also said it will change the procedures for accepting bids. Previously, the bids have appeared on the council’s agenda with a recommendation as to which bid to receive. Now the council will personally open the bids in open meeting, and review the amounts, and then present them to city officials for tabulation and preparation for presentation at the next council meeting, at which time the council will okay the lowest and best bid.
Mayor Ed Pinero said that is the way most government bodies handle the bidding process, and doing it that way helps familiarize the council on who submitted bids and how much.
Councilman Larry Watkins said he thought it best to receive and review all bids in open meeting, “unless we get bogged down in it.”
School board ups season tickets, will look at upgrading concession stands; Shaw says enrollment hits 3,462
Posted by admin in Local Politics & Issues on August 11th, 2009
PICAYUNE, Miss., Tuesday, Aug. 11 — The school board raised football season ticket prices today, saying that increased travel costs was a factor.
The vote was unanimous.
Said Wheat: We spend if we got it; we don't spend if we don't have it. . .
Said Smith: All I am saying is to be careful and not just continue to spend. That's all I am saying. . .
Maroon Tide season football tickets will rise from $16 to $24 and reserved seating season tickets will increase from $25 to $30. The increase will be effective for this upcoming season.
“It’s hard to charge people more for these tickets, but what do you do when expenses increase?” board member Harvey Miller, who motioned for the increase, said.
Miller said that the expansion of districts by the high school athletic association has increased distances traveled and travel expenses for the Maroon Tide, thus prompting the increase.
In another matter relating to the Maroon Tide, the board said it would request Arnold Smith, head of the school maintenance dept., to make a survey of the concession stands underneath the stadium after Billy Wally, representing the Band Boosters, and Sarena Gray, representing the Touchdown Club, appeared before the board requesting the concession stand areas be upgraded.
Stubbs: We are all right right now; we will see what it's like next year. . .
Gray and Wally told the board that the concession stands are open and that there is no way to secure their equipment and supplies for home games, thus necessitating they move all the equipment and supplies in and out of the concession areas each game.
They said addition of a security fence, or some sort of enclosure, would allow them to acquire coolers, thus saving money and time caused by having to cart a large number of bags of ice in for each game. They also said they needed a hot water line run to the concession area.
Wally said that the drink companies will supply the coolers. “It will eliminate a lot of lost time, save money and be much more efficient,” he said. For instance, he added that the concession employees have to start cooling down drinks four or five hours before the game begins.
Right now money earned from the concessions goes to support the band, the football team and the ROTC program at the school.
Shaw told the board enrollment hit 3,462, slightly up over last year. . .
In other matters, the board:
– Raised the monthly base pay for board attorney Gerald Patch from $600 to $800. The board said that Patch had not had a raise in 7 years.
– Heard a report from Lisa Penton, finance director, saying the school has cash reserves of $6.4 million and is expecting an additional $1.1 million in federal stablization funds. However, she said that the $6.4 million figure includes $4.4 million in one-time Katrina funding, leaving about a $3 million cash reserve, or what the school calls fund reserves. Board member Wayne Wheat said that the fund balance will be about $3 million, and added, ‘Lisa, you all have done a great job with the budget, and people appreciate it.” That brought a response from board member Tony Smith: “I do want to be on record that I did vote against the raises. And the reason I did that has not changed.” Smith said the current budget was $2 million over expected revenues. “Sure we got $6.4 million, but if we continue to spend $2 million over budget, that means that fund balance is gone in 3 years. All I am saying is we have to be careful and not just continue to spend. That’s my argument.” Replied Wheat, “We spend if we got it; if we don’t have it we don’t spend. That’s simple to me. We set a certain amount asisde.” Interjected board chairman Edward Stubbs, “We are going to be all right; we are all right; as we have said we will have to see what it’s like next year.” The board then moved on to other matters. The board manages a $32 million budget, three times that of the city and the largest in the county.
Baker now boast not only a band but a 24-voice choir. He got the use of the auditorium for his Sept. 13 production.
– Approved a request from Johnny Baker to use the high school auditorium for a program presented by the Community Band, which Baker recently formed. The program will be held at the auditorium on Sunday, Sept. 13, at 2:30 p.m. Baker said that he had also added a 24-voice choir to his production. Baker was high school band director here from 1971 to 1978. He is now retired. He said nine band directors also perform in his band, and now choir, productions.
– Heard Supt. Dean Shaw say that registration went smoothly and bus schedules are being met. Shaw said the number of students enrolled this year hit 3,462 overall, a slight increase over last year’s enrollment because kindergarten enrollment surged a little. Here are the enrollment figures Shaw presented the board: Nicholson 465; Roseland Park 531; South Side Lower 196; South Side 257; West Side 444; for a total elementary enrollment of 1,893. The junior high enrollment by grades was: 7th 277; 8th 245; SPED 5; for a total of 527. High school: 9th 283, 10th 265; 11th 231; 12th 247; SPED 15; GED 1; for a total 1,042. The grand total is 3,462.
Picayune school board from left Wayne Wheat, Harvey Miller, Edward Stubbs, Tony Smith, Patti Stewart, Supt. Dean Shaw. Board attorney Gerald Patch is out of picture to left. The board manages a $32 million annual budget, three times the city's and the largest in the county. Wheat, Smith represent residents in the school district but living outside the city limits and are elected. The rest are appointed by the city council.
(developing; more to come)
COMMENTARY: Bias in the media is obvious and open to see
Posted by admin in Commentary on August 7th, 2009
We don’t want to be drawn into the health care debate, although we don’t mind giving our opinion on it, but what we want to point out here is the double-standard of the mainstream media (MSM) as it reports the protests going on now at the open forums now being held by members of Congress home on leave for the August recess.
Remember the civil rights movement, remember the protests against the Vietnam War, remember the Minutemen being pushed off the stage by left-wingers at Columbia, remember Ann Coulter being attacked by a left-winger as she prepared to give a speech at a university campus, remember the invasions of congressional offices by Code Pink — yes, remember it all.
When it’s left-wingers, it is just shown and no extra comment added.
When it’s those from the conservative right, this is what we have heard: “thugs,” Pelosi compared them to Nazis, “a mob,” “right-wing nutcases,” “birthers”; one commentator said they were wild-eyed, right-wing supporters of Sarah Palin; Boxer said they were right-wing operatives of the Republican Party, like they were hired to show up.
They look to us like average Americans, who are fed up with the attitude eminating out of Washington, D.C., that ignores what a large part of the American public wants.
What amazes me is the open bias in the MSM, which as the fourth estate, is supposed to be informing us about what is in the health care legislation, and who these people are. We are sure it wouldn’t be too difficult to interview some of them. Most of the coverage is on YouTube.
The American people elected Obama and this Congress and as far as we are concerned, we are getting what we paid for. If the American voter, as fickle as he is, decides he’s had enough of this experiment, it is his right to ”throw the bums out” next election.
COMMENTARY: Council will resume budget workshops on Tuesday, Aug. 11, at city council chambers; success of new council will hinge on management of city finances
Posted by admin in Commentary on August 7th, 2009
PICAYUNE, Miss., Friday, Aug. 7 — The City Council will resume budget workshops on Tuesday, Aug. 11, at city council chambers at 815 N. Beech St. and will conclude its workshops on Thursday, Aug. 13, at 2 p.m. Then the city will begin matching revenues and expenses, and they will know then what they face for the 2009-10 fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1. The council has said that all figures right now are preliminary. Nothing is written in stone.
If revenues don’t match expenses, they will have two alternatives: cut spending or raise taxes, or seek additional revenues somewhere.
After a week’s layoff from the two-a-week workshops, the council will wrap up its workshops with the final two on Tuesday, Aug. 11, at 4 p.m. and Thursday, Aug. 13, at 2 p.m., making a total of six workshops overall. The process started with the first workshop on July 21.
After finalizing the budget, which they have to do by law by Sept. 15, they will have to publish it in the local newspaper and set a public hearing to receive input from private citizens. That will open up the budget for discussion by citizens who agree or disagree with some of the items, which they will have a chance to peruse in the newspaper. Citizens are not allowed to participate in the workshops, but are allowed to attend and listen. The budget workshops are an open meeting, just like a council meeting.
After receiving citizen input the council will, if they want to, change a few items or leave it the same, and then adopt it. The new budget must be in place by the start of the new 2009-10 fiscal year on Oct. 1. The city’s fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 each year.
Granted the workshops are tedious, a lot of discussion about numbers, which can be boring, but it is this boring process that will determine a lot of peoples’ future and whether or not you will face rising fees and taxes. But citizen and media attendance at the workshops has been dismal. Only two citizens have appeared to set through the budget discussions so far through four workshops, which on average last about an hour and a half.
The only media covering the workshops is At-Large.
The unconcern of citizens here is systemic, going back years. And the recent change in the city council was precipitated not by a large, well-informed public, but by a few brave souls who began writing letters to the local newspaper and questioning the old council in its meetings and privately.
At-Large has covered the workshops because we believe that on this budget, the first for the new council, hinges the fate of whether our city will continue to run large budget deficits, or whether this new council, elected by a small number of voters, but voters who said they wanted change, has the courage and expertise, along with the city manager, to rein in what has been in the past uncontrolled and unmanaged expenditures that have seen deficits run into the millions, causing a huge tax increase recently by the old council.
The latest state audit of city finances showed that in the 2006-07 fiscal year, the city ran a deficit of from $500,000 to $850,000 in the general fund, although the utility dept., where the losses had run into the millions of dollars over a number of years, was in the black for the first time in years. However, one has to wonder if the reason for the deficit in the general fund was because of transfers to balance the utility dept. financial statements.
At-Large talked to a source close to the audit process and was told that the red ink in the general fund amounted to around $500,000. However, the Picayune Item did an independent analysis of the budget and put the red ink at about $850,000. We believe that to be accurate. We talked to a private accountant, familiar with state audits, who told At-Large that he felt the overrun in 2006-07 was around $850,000 in the general fund, as the Item reported.
Budget audits are notoriously esoteric and few laymen can decipher them alone. It takes professional help in some areas, although some of the recommendations are obvious to anyone who can read. For instance, in the latest audit, ‘06-’07, the auditor said he had to reconstruct some essential reports in order to complete the auditing process. Interpretation: there weren’t any reports. Whoever was supposed to prepare them didn’t. In short, under the old council for a long time there was no budgetary and financial discipline. So it was inevitable that they got in trouble. It’s just like your family budget; you don’t count pennies, and soon espenditures will overrun revenues.
Why we rehash this is because we believe the new council knows what they are up against and what they have to do. They have to get control of the budget and the spending process to rein in expenditures. When the money is flowing everyone is happy; but let the money get tight and paranoia can set in.
And we feel, too, that Katrina had a large impact on the city, pushing up expenditures and prompting huge grants to the city and pumping up sales tax collections, that placed the city in a position of being flushed with cash. But when the revenues went down, evidently spending did not. Also, financial mismanagement in the utility fund prompted huge losses there.
From sitting in on the workshops and talking off-the-record and on-the-record to city officials and councilmen, here are some points At-Large has picked up on:
– The police and fire depts. make up 57 percent of the city’s approximately $9.5 million current budget. There are problems with overtime in the police dept. and delinquent fines in the city’s court system have run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, some say even over a million dollars. However, implementation of a vigorous collection effort of delinquent fines is showing success because of the hard work of Lisa Albritton, city court clerk. Also, the court is upgrading its data collection system and computers that will help the court keep better track of fines. The police dept. budget ran about $3 million this year and the fire dept. budget about $2.2 million. The problem the council and city manager face is if you cut too much in those depts. you face some consequences. The fire dept. budget has a direct impact on fire insurance ratings, and the police dept. rating, one of the best in the state and country for a city the size of Picayune, is directly impacted by its budget. Quite frankly, we would not want to be having to make these decisions (it’s above our pay rank), but that is what the council faces: tough, hard financial decisions.
– Just how close things are was illustrated by a budget crisis that hit in December of last year. The city then actually did not have enough money to make payroll. Thanks to Tax Assessor Gary Beech, a portion of the city’s ad valorem tax settlements was settled with the city early, or advanced, and the city made payroll. Officials we have talked to said there was nothing illegal about it, but it did illustrate and put into stark relief on what a thin edge the city has been operating on. The fall and winter are the crunch time.
– There is a bright spot in all of this. Last October City Manager Harvey Miller hired City Clerk Priscilla C. Daniel. She came out of retirement to take the job. She was happily retired, having retired from the City of Petal in 2001 as city clerk, leaving a set of impeccable books. Since October she has kept meticulous records on city expenditures, and as far as At-Large can find out the city is keeping tabs on outflow and income. For the first time in years, the city knows where it stands, although it might not have much money. That doesn’t mean that the city still doesn’t face problems when revenues dip. One-half the budget is funded through a state sales tax rebate, and that figure ebbs and surges with the volume of retail purchases here. We know for a fact that Daniel has already saved the city hundreds of thousands of dollars by the management of accounts. She pointed out just recently in a city council meeting, the last one for the old council on July 30, an overrun in the cost of the citywide paving project, saving taxpayers $126,000. She recently instituted a “lock box” system with Hancock Bank for collection and recording utility bills that will save the city thousands of dollars. If the paving contract had been approved as presented, the new council would right now be struggling with where to get the money to pay for it. She gives the council a monthly report at the council meeting on just where the city stands financially. All city financial data flow through her; she is not only the city clerk but the city auditor. At-Large has talked to high-placed state officials in the state auditor’s office, and they consider her one of the best in the state at what she does. To realize the significance of this you have to realize that over the past eight years, Picayune went through 7 or 8 city clerks, one remaining on the job only 4 hours.
– Collection of delinquent debts and sales taxes might be the key to making it without any cirisis hitting. If the city can pull in delinquent fines, which they are successfully doing right now, and collect some of the $80,000 delinquent on property cleanup charges, that will go a long way into providing a cushion, albeit, a small one for the budget. In addition, if the economy picks up and sales tax collections tick upward a little, that will help, too.
– The city recreational and parks dept. is in dire straights. There is barely enough money to maintain the huge Friendship Park, much less the six satellite parks in city communities. In addition, the city needs to construct restroom and concession stands for the new $3.5 million addition to the park, making it one of the largest ball field parks in the state. Additional restrooms and concession stands were not included in the recent new construction. That will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to remedy.
These are just a few of the impressions At-Large has picked up. We are sure there are more that we know nothing about.
We have written this extended commentary on what we have been covering at the council, so you, the citizen, will have a place to become better informed. We want to point out, too, that we have labelled it commentary, which means in journalism, that this is our impressions about what is going on, not the clear, hard facts, although we do believe it to be accurate. For instance a news story is supposed to be as factual as you can make it, with no added biases or opinions added. However, we could be wrong in some impressions. For instance, if you took the time to go the council meetings and workshops, you might come out with different, or slightly different, impressions.
The pressure on the council is to spend, spend, spend, just like in the federal arena right now. But a responsible government, especially on the local level, faces hard decisions, because they can’t run a deficit like the federal government does, and survive. We also believe that at some point, the federal government will hit the wall, too.
If you support the council, or even if you disagree with them, there are several ways you, as a private citizen, can help in the process. The council has a portion of its meetings set aside for citizens’ comments. You can speak there. You can comment here at the end of this story, or you can write a letter to the editor of the Picayune Item and voice your opinion.
Don’t be afraid to speak out as a private citizen; your voice is just as important as any other voice. But be polite and factual, and remember if you make any charges against anyone, you have to have the facts to back it up, because there will be a rebuttal. That’s the way our system works. It’s chaotic and boisterous sometimes, and a little rough, but it was meant to be that way to get at the truth. We are amazed at the tangent that some will get off on, personalities, that has nothing to do with the issue at hand.
Look at us, for example. We are just a lowly citizen, just like you, who wanted to know what was going on in city government, and we started asking questions and attending the session, and then all of a sudden, since we have a background in journalism, we thought about a small blog to write to give our impressions and help our fellow citizens know more about what is going on, and now thousands have come to this spot to read our impressions and stories. That is what is so great about America. The stage is open to every one if you have something to say and can back it up with common sense reason and facts.
We at At-Large stand solidly behind the council and recognize what a tough, hard job they will have ahead. But they must get the budget under control, and we will support them in that. We might not always agree with everything they do, but as regards to the city finances there can be only one response: our city must live within the revenues it receives just like all of the families that live in Picayune do. We believe this council understands that.
“We Called It Boley”; former resident recalls happy days on Boley Creek
Posted by admin in Local News and Features on August 5th, 2009
(Editor’s Note: Doug McQueen graduated from Picayune High School in 1963 and later from USM with a masters. After graduating from college, he worked as an administrator in the Texas school system. He later worked in Ohio for American Electric Power Co., one of the largest utility companies in the world, as head of leadership development. He is widely known as an educational consultant and innovator in the educational field and has been a consultant for a number of major corporations and government entities. He is also a published author. He is currently a consultant for leadership development at Ole Miss. He and his wife, the former Sandy Shaw, also of Picayune, reside in Oxford, Miss. Sandy’s mom and dad were T.J. and Virginia Shaw. Sandy was reared on Sixth Avenue. Doug’s sister is Jackanell Smith, who was the wife of the late Judge H.K. Smith. Jackanell still resides in Picayune in the Richardson Community. Doug sent us this reminiscence of happy days on Boley Creek. It will bring back memories for many. Doug is the son of the late Jack and Harvis McQueen. Doug was reared in Roseland Park Community on Sycamore Road.)
By DOUG McQUEEN
Once it was clear, clean, happy. It had sandy bottoms, with clean white sandbars sprinkled here and there. Trees occasionally leaned over the water and created shade, where bass and bream could be seen chasing minnows or slapping at an unfortunate grasshopper that had fallen into the creek. If you were a kid in Picayune in the 1950’s, it was probably where you learned to swim, and maybe to fish. For those of us who grew up in Roseland Park, it was the unofficial line of demarcation between “Town” and us. Officially it was known as the Hobolochitto Creek. But that was too many syllables for our casual Southern tongues; to us it was “Boley.”
As kids nothing brought us greater pleasure during our summers than a trip to the creek. On most of those typical hot, sultry South Mississippi afternoons we kids would wind down our play near the end of the day in hopes of a trip to the Creek. Children seem to have this mystical sense of time that adults cannot understand. For example, though we had no watches, we always knew when it was near 5:00. We would gather at my home, sitting seemingly aimlessly on the front porch, but really watching for my Dad’s old truck to come down Sycamore Road. If we were lucky he would declare it a “swimmin’ day,” and we’d all jump in the back of that old truck, grabbing inner tubes and towels on the way. We didn’t need swim suits; we were wearing them: old cutoff slacks we called “shorts” that needed a good washing anyway. And those old tire tubes made great floats.
I can recall at least three “swimholes” on Boley in the Picayune area. One was over behind an old sawmill in eastern Picayune. Another was near the Bogalusa Highway Bridge. But for a long time the swimhole of choice was beneath the “new” Highway 11 Bridge (it was still considered a new bridge in the 1950’s). It was a wonderful place to swim or just hang out. On the east side of the bridge the water was just right, shallow on the north bank for those who could not swim well, and deep enough to dive into from the south bank. A rope hung from a tree on that south side, and it was a rite of passage to become old enough and brave enough to swing from the rope and drop into the creek. As you grew older you were further challenged not to just drop from the rope but to dive, and then to do a jackknife, and then a flip. Many’s the youngster who went home with a red tummy after doing a “belly-buster” from that rope!
I remember the clarity of the water. We would submerge ourselves and then open our eyes. You could see the sandy bottom, with minnows darting all around. Sometimes, if you were lucky, you would spot a bass or a bluegill, maybe even a catfish. Or you would spot the feet and legs of some unsuspecting friend who would soon receive a pinch or a thump. Only a summer thunderstorm could “muddy up” the water, but it would be clear again in a day or two.
Where the creek ran under the bridge was the perfect spot for the little kids. It was very shallow, at spots no more than ankle deep. The water made a gentle ripple as it coursed its way through these shallows. Overhead the “thump-kerthump-kerthump” of cars and trucks passing by provided a steady background. The water was always cool here, under the shadow of the bridge. It was a great place to put a watermelon to chill while you enjoyed a good swim. Once it cooled you could eat, not worrying about getting the juices all over you because you could soon wash them off with one last dip in the creek.
As the shadows lengthened, soon it would come time to leave. No matter how long we got to stay, it always seemed we had to leave too soon. Usually the sun would have set, with just the gray twilight left. We would pile back into that old truck and begin the trek back home. Tired, sometimes exhausted, we held on as the truck bounced over the rough dirt road that ran from the creek back up to Carroll Street. If the swimhole had a flaw, then this road was it. It always had huge mudholes after rains, and just plain big holes and ruts when dry. But it was never so bad that we would turn back if on our way to the creek. So after we banged and bounced our way back to Highway 11, we’d kick back and enjoy the cool evening breeze across our wet skins as we made our way home. Life could get no better.
When the new outdoor pool was opened at the YMCA, fewer and fewer kids came to the swimhole at Boley. Now they were learning to swim at the “Y.” Those of us who had learned at the creek always thought those kids had missed something. As we became adolescents, for some reason it was no longer “cool” to swim at the bridge. We created a new swimming hole behind the abandoned sawmill in Roseland Park. We hung a cable from a tree and even constructed a diving board. It was not known to many, and we considered it ours. We no longer needed our parents along, and we spent many summer afternoons in our own little world back there behind that sawmill. Time passed, we graduated from high school and went our separate paths, leaving both Boley and our youth behind. In a way so, too, did Boley leave its youth behind. It grew old, its waters becoming murky and its sandbars disappearing. Years of pollution took its toll. Now it seems to barely move along its course, the water still and stagnant. It has become an ugly scar across the face of Picayune.
I don’t get home to Picayune much any more. But when I do I must cross the Boley Bridge, as all travelers in the town eventually do. I never fail to look out at the creek and reflect on what was. The creek and the swamp that surround it are now ugly. The town has grown up on either side and seems to have forgotten this once happy stream. But in my mind’s eye I see a sleek white sandbar bordering a coffee-colored creek, with kids running across the sand or dropping from a rope and splashing in the water. And I always wonder if the creek could be brought back, if some of its birthright could be restored.
I know it will never be a “swimmin’ hole” again. But maybe some civic clubs could adopt different sections of the swamp and clean them up. Maybe dirt could be brought in to build jogging or bike trails through the swamp, with a pedestrian bridge or two crossing over the creek. Perhaps azaleas and other flowering shrubs could be planted along the trail. The entire area could become a nature preserve, where people could go to see the flora and fauna of a swamp right in the middle of town. Or maybe the little creek could be dammed and a town lake created. I don’t know if any of these things will ever happen but I feel I owe it to the creek to at least suggest it. It’s a sad creek now, an eyesore for the town. Once it was happy, a place we were proud of. We called it Boley.
Although most of the old swimholes are gone and overgrown, there are still a few scenic spots on Boley if you know where to find 'em; however, Boley has deteriorated terribly since the 1950s when it was more pristine.
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We will hold At-Large in abeyance for the forseeable future
Posted by admin in Commentary on August 17th, 2009
We sort of approach the following with mixed feelings. We began At-Large in April, our first post being on April 16, and, of course, it was about the city council and the then upcoming election. Little did we know, or the incumbents at that time, what a big change would occur with the then current council. By June all but one were replaced by voters who were mainly disgruntled over the management of city financial matters.
It remains to be seen how the new council will handle a whole platefull of problems it faces, mainly financial.
But back to the main topic.
We have taken a position as a reporter with the Picayune Item, and will begin our employment with that newspaper at 1 p.m. today. We have not made that decision lightly, and here is my reason for going back to work for the Item and holding At-Large in abeyance. Abeyance is a big word meaning temporary inactivity or suspension. There, you won’t have to look it up.
My main goal in starting this blog, or website, was to inform the citizens of Picayune about what was actually going on in city government, as best as I could. We had no ulterior motives or axes to grind. We have done that for four months, and we are placing At-Large in abeyance almost exactly to the day ending four months.
Why we have accepted the position with the Item falls under the term resources. I can reach more people working for the Item. The newspaper, along with the Poplarville Democrat, a sister publication, reaches the entire county. They have a great website that is complimentary to their newspaper publication. And they will pay me to do something I love to do, that is reporting the news and writing.
I have a long history with the Item. I began work there in the summer of 1968 under owner Charlie Nutter, a tough old nut, who was a former AP bureau chief and AP foreign correspondent. I later went to LSU and got a degree in journalism. Off and on I have worked for the Item when it was a weekly, a semi-weekly, and was managing editor of it when it went daily in, I believe, 1978. I also worked under Bill Posey, who was publisher of the Democrat, as associate editor and then editor.
So, for those who want to follow my reportage, you can do it in the Item and on their website, and the Item management says that at some future point, when I get back into the flow with them, I will be able to write a blog, which will be posted on their website.
Over 6,000 persons have come to this site since I began it on April 16. And what is amazing to me (and you don’t see this count on the front page of the website) people have clinked on my stories approximately 20,000 times. That means that when someone comes to the site, they move around on it.
I want to thank those who encouraged me to begin the site and who have made comments to me on how to improve it, and, of course, for the encouragement that those readers gave on a consistent basis. I want to also thank my son, Andy, who set the site up for me and has continually advised me and worked with me on developing it. I want to also thank my son, John David, who has helped me with reportage on the site and also made some constructive comments.
This has been my first experience with the internet as a journalist, and believe me, it has been an eye-opener. The world wide web has changed everything when it comes to dissemination of news and information, and there will be more big changes ahead. Those who are willing and capable of making the changes and adapting will survive; those who don’t adapt will die. That’s the way a free capitalist system works. I wish our political leaders in Washington, D.C., realized this more, and would back off a little on micro-managing the economy.
So, Adios! Amigo! I will see you at the Item.
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