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District 2 supervisor Cedric Burnett, frustrated that the county board has not received financial updates in more than nine months, filed a Freedom of Information request for public records on September 17 to Circuit Clerk Sharon Reynolds, whose staff hand delivered it to Chancery Clerk Rechelle Siggers' office and to the county administrator. Read the letter below. Burnett is not asking for "public records". Burnett is asking for reports that he says he needs to make decisions. Wait just a minute. Burnett wrote a letter to be read at a Board of Supervisors' Meeting saying he was voting no on everything unless he specifically voted yes. At least I think that is what he said.
"As you know, I am the elected supervisor for Supervisors' District 2 in Tunica County, Mississippi," Burnett wrote. "I have repeatedly requested certain documents at the meetings which will give information upon which to base decisions and votes. And you were repeatedly asked to go by the County Administrator's Office and you would be given all of the information you needed. Did you go by the Administrator's Office? And how come other Supervisors had the information they needed and you didn't? Seems I remember the Chancery Clerk handing you the IPad the County purchased and loaded with reports for you. But wait, if the Chancery Clerk had your IPad with the loaded documents, then you didn't have it and came to the meetings without preparation.
"These are documents which I understand are required by law to be maintained and provided monthly. To date, I have not received any of the information. I don't know what this means so I can't respond.
"Given this, I am making a formal request for public records." These aren't public records.
Burnett said he had officially asked for year to date cash in bank and general ledger reports, a comparative budget for each month, and gaming revenue totals, starting in January to the present. He also requested copies of the county administrator's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2015 and of the budget that supervisors approved September 15. This is so frustrating. I've checked with other Supervisors and each of you were given a 2015 Budget Proposal. Not only that, there was a Power Point presentation containing 2014 v 2015 comparisons and the public was in attendance. You didn't come to the open workshop where "Efficient and Sustainable Government" was presented. Why is that? Even the public received a paper copy. We now understand why we are in such poor fiscal condition. If you need it spelled out for you, here it is: WE HAD DECLINING TAXES AND DECLINING REVENUE ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Do you realize our gaming revenue has been declining since 2006? Do you realize if the other Supervisors did not vote for the 15.77 tax increase we would most likely have defaulted on our General Obligation Bonds and then where would we be?
"That's all information that we need," Burnett explained. "I've been asking for it all year and haven't gotten it." Cedric, this just isn't right. In 2012, the budget was presented and you voted against it. At the same Board meeting a tax increase of 15.77 mils was presented and you voted against it. Are you saying you didn't have the information you needed in 2012? The documents for this information is in the Public Records: Book 153; pages 483-495.
Burnett said this week that he had not yet received the information requested, but he had been contacted by Board attorney Ellis Pittman. Your letter was received on a Friday and you demanded satisfaction in 24 hours. Why? You've been given what you need. You just need to do the work and stop trying to get others to spoon feed you information.
"I am in receipt of your request," Pittman wrote. "...with the day being Friday, it will be impossible to comply with your request...due to the office being closed on Saturday and Sunday.
"The County Comptroller is in the process of calculating the fees and costs associated with producing the documents pursuant to your request...
"It is my understanding that the County will require prepayment prior to the production of the records requested.
"Every effort will be made to provide the documents to you...within seven days."
State law requires public bodies to provide a written explanation if records cannot be produced within seven working days. The recors requested must be produced no later than 14 working days from the receipt of the original request.
This is a copy of the request from Supervisor Burnett. Again, to try to make people believe information is being withheld from you when it has not been withheld from you is just WRONG.
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