It has been a year since the Tunica County Sheriff's Department fiasco surrounding our County Administrator. So, I went looking around on the Sheriff's website to see if he was upstanding enough to remove all false information about this incident. Especially since it was proven that Michael Thompson was entrapped and there was no warrant issued for his arrest...as proven in court.
Guess what I found? I found the original press release with untrue statements was still on the Tunica County Sheriff's website. So, let me see if I have this straight: Because you are the Sheriff, you can say anything about oh, anybody and leave these falsehoods on your website for the world to see.
I could scan in this document and attach it to this posting but have decided against doing this. The reason? Because the press release includes Mr. Thompson's picture in a jail uniform. I thought people might look at the picture only and not debunk the written word.
Here are the words and this blogger's opinions:
"02/13/14
Newly Hired County Administrator Arrested
On Wednesday, February 12, 2014, County Administrator Michael Thompson was arrested in Tunica County on the charge of driving while license suspended.
It was discovered that Mr. Thompson had an outstanding warrant out of Montgomery County for Failure to Appear (FTA). Blogger: This was proven to be not true in court. There was no warrant for Mr. Thompson's arrest.
Tunica County Justice Court Judge Louise Linzy made contact with the Justice in Montgomery County to confirm the warrant on Michael Thompson. Blogger: There was no arrest warrant. The arrest warrant was not sent and Michael Thompson was able to post bond on the charge of driving while license suspended. Michael Thompson posted a cash bond of $525.00.
At this time, Michael Thompson's arrest warrant is still outstanding in Montgomery County. Blogger: There was no arrest warrant.
/t/C. Davis, Commander"
Tunica, we can do better then this. I hope you all will think twice about who you elect as the Tunica County Sheriff in the upcoming elections.
Monday, February 16, 2015
12 Feb 2015 Board of Supervisors' Meeting
I will focus on one item from this meeting and that will be the adjustments in budgets. As always, if I have any of this wrong, someone please correct me.
Before listing the dollar amounts, there is a bit of staging that needs to happen. The vote for these reductions came after the Board came out of Executive Session. The votes sitting at the table were: James Dunn, Sonny Nickson and Rev. Daley. (Phillis Williams was out of town and was not in attendance on this date.) The Sheriff, who does not have a vote and Cedric Burnett were standing at the open back door, on the left as you are facing the judges' bench.
So, the vote was called and Burnett ducked, yes I do mean ducked, out of the room and the Sheriff said something like...Count him absent or he's absent. Doesn't this sound like a repeat of the payroll fiasco in Sep 2014? Unbelievable irresponsibility for a public official.
Here are the reductions: all are per month
Departments:
Sheriff and Jail payroll reduction: $60k
From appropriations:
Mid-State Opportunity: $10k
North Delta PDD: $5k
Tunica National: $13k
Airport: $14k
Chamber: $5k
Contracts:
Lawn & Park Mowing: $6k
Street & Ditch Care: $5k
Miscellaneous: $3k
Updated on 2 Mar 2015: Total Monthly Savings: $121k
The motion passed.
Before listing the dollar amounts, there is a bit of staging that needs to happen. The vote for these reductions came after the Board came out of Executive Session. The votes sitting at the table were: James Dunn, Sonny Nickson and Rev. Daley. (Phillis Williams was out of town and was not in attendance on this date.) The Sheriff, who does not have a vote and Cedric Burnett were standing at the open back door, on the left as you are facing the judges' bench.
So, the vote was called and Burnett ducked, yes I do mean ducked, out of the room and the Sheriff said something like...Count him absent or he's absent. Doesn't this sound like a repeat of the payroll fiasco in Sep 2014? Unbelievable irresponsibility for a public official.
Here are the reductions: all are per month
Departments:
Sheriff and Jail payroll reduction: $60k
From appropriations:
Mid-State Opportunity: $10k
North Delta PDD: $5k
Tunica National: $13k
Airport: $14k
Chamber: $5k
Contracts:
Lawn & Park Mowing: $6k
Street & Ditch Care: $5k
Miscellaneous: $3k
Updated on 2 Mar 2015: Total Monthly Savings: $121k
The motion passed.
11 Feb 2015 Tunica County School Board Meeting @5p
Let me start by saying this meeting was very disappointing. To begin with, the Board President thought it was her prerogative to remove public comments from the agenda. NOT.
The room was packed and representatives from the MS Board of Education were in the audience. Also in attendance was the Tunica Times. I am hoping the article will be in this week's issue and the facts will be reported accurately.
As for the Transparency Committee, we had a prepared statement to deliver and here it is:
The room was packed and representatives from the MS Board of Education were in the audience. Also in attendance was the Tunica Times. I am hoping the article will be in this week's issue and the facts will be reported accurately.
As for the Transparency Committee, we had a prepared statement to deliver and here it is:
11 Feb 2015 Board of Education Meeting @5p
I want to speak directly to my District 2 Representative,
Tomaka Cotton.
When you were running for this office, you visited our
Committee and asked for our vote. On the
basis of your visit, I voted for you. Shame
on me.
Should you decide to run again to represent District 2, I
will not be voting for you due to you having voted for a $15K raise for the
Superintendent when he has a 69% evaluation and your recent involvement in the
removal of Resource Officer Dennis Taylor.
Shame on you.
10 Feb 2015 Election Commission
The Tunica County Election Commission did not hold their scheduled meeting on the above date at 5:30p. There was no posting of a canceled or rescheduled meeting. Sure wish these elected officials would get it together. Since the Election Commission doesn't seem to be able to keep their meetings straight, perhaps the Board of Supervisors should do it for them.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Beat 2 Supervisor's Negative Voting Record for Sep 2014
Tue, 2 Sep 2014: All Supervisors present
Approval of the minutes from the Aug 2014 meeting: Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 187: Road and Bridge Supplies: Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 188: Install 3 culverts on 400 mile Road: Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 212: Executive Session: Why were Adrian McKay and Hylon Oliver in Executive Session? Came out of Executive Session: The Board approved a manual check to PERS regarding an employee issue Burnett voted nay. Question: Aren't we paying Burnett's PERS expenses?
Book 166, page 213: Manual check for $3702.00 to PERS on behalf of Mr. Sharon Reynolds: Burnett voted nay.
Note: On page 215 minutes say there will be a recess until 5 Sep 2014 at 4p. On page 216 minutes say 5p.
Book 166, page 217: Claims: Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 220: Manual check for $81,569.18 for Evans General Constructor (Construction): Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 221: County Administrator requested a "Work Session for the 2015 Budget Year" on 11 Sep 2014. Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 222: Travel: Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 225: Adrian McKay listed as in Executive Session.
Mon, 15 Sep 2015: All Supervisors present.
Book 166, page 251: Increase in taxes: Burnett voted nay. Blogger: This is irresponsible.
Book 166, page 314: Payroll: Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 318: Travel: Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 393: Adrian McKay requested a manual check for $188.00 for Parks and Recreation travel that was approved in Aug. Burnett didn't ask why, Burnett just voted nay.
30 Sep 2014: All Supervisors present.
Book 166, page 415: Resolution establishing Road Maintenance Fund Sub Account at First Security Bank: Burnett voted nay. Blogger: Pay attention to this and ask yourself why. Better yet, go ask Cedric.
Book 166, page 416: Resolution establishing General Bond Sinking Fund Sub Account at First Security Bank: Burnett voted nay. Blogger: Pay attention to this and ask yourself why. Better yet go ask Cedric.
Book 166, page 417: Resolution establishing Paul Battle Arena Fund Sub Account at First Security Bank. Burnett voted nay. Blogger: Pay attention to this and ask yourself why. Better yet go ask Cedric.
Book 166: page 418: Resolution establishing Tunica River Park Fund Sub Account at First Security Bank: Burnett voted nay. Blogger: Pay attention to this and ask yourself why. Better yet go ask Cedric.
Note: Book 166: page 471: Letter from Williams, Pitts and Beard concerning our audit that ended 30 Sep 2013. Letter shows audit exceptions.
Book 166, page 507: Payroll: Burnett voted no.
Book 166, page 512: Travel: Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 515: Adrian McKay in Executive Session.
Book 166, page516: AOP signature authority for Adrian McKay and Deliah Vaughn to sign AOP documents: Burnett voted nay. Blogger: Isn't this the same Adrian McKay Cedric keeps saying he wants to be Co-County Administrator? Hmmmm......
End of Sep 2014
Approval of the minutes from the Aug 2014 meeting: Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 187: Road and Bridge Supplies: Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 188: Install 3 culverts on 400 mile Road: Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 212: Executive Session: Why were Adrian McKay and Hylon Oliver in Executive Session? Came out of Executive Session: The Board approved a manual check to PERS regarding an employee issue Burnett voted nay. Question: Aren't we paying Burnett's PERS expenses?
Book 166, page 213: Manual check for $3702.00 to PERS on behalf of Mr. Sharon Reynolds: Burnett voted nay.
Note: On page 215 minutes say there will be a recess until 5 Sep 2014 at 4p. On page 216 minutes say 5p.
Book 166, page 217: Claims: Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 220: Manual check for $81,569.18 for Evans General Constructor (Construction): Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 221: County Administrator requested a "Work Session for the 2015 Budget Year" on 11 Sep 2014. Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 222: Travel: Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 225: Adrian McKay listed as in Executive Session.
Mon, 15 Sep 2015: All Supervisors present.
Book 166, page 251: Increase in taxes: Burnett voted nay. Blogger: This is irresponsible.
Book 166, page 314: Payroll: Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 318: Travel: Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 393: Adrian McKay requested a manual check for $188.00 for Parks and Recreation travel that was approved in Aug. Burnett didn't ask why, Burnett just voted nay.
30 Sep 2014: All Supervisors present.
Book 166, page 415: Resolution establishing Road Maintenance Fund Sub Account at First Security Bank: Burnett voted nay. Blogger: Pay attention to this and ask yourself why. Better yet, go ask Cedric.
Book 166, page 416: Resolution establishing General Bond Sinking Fund Sub Account at First Security Bank: Burnett voted nay. Blogger: Pay attention to this and ask yourself why. Better yet go ask Cedric.
Book 166, page 417: Resolution establishing Paul Battle Arena Fund Sub Account at First Security Bank. Burnett voted nay. Blogger: Pay attention to this and ask yourself why. Better yet go ask Cedric.
Book 166: page 418: Resolution establishing Tunica River Park Fund Sub Account at First Security Bank: Burnett voted nay. Blogger: Pay attention to this and ask yourself why. Better yet go ask Cedric.
Note: Book 166: page 471: Letter from Williams, Pitts and Beard concerning our audit that ended 30 Sep 2013. Letter shows audit exceptions.
Book 166, page 507: Payroll: Burnett voted no.
Book 166, page 512: Travel: Burnett voted nay.
Book 166, page 515: Adrian McKay in Executive Session.
Book 166, page516: AOP signature authority for Adrian McKay and Deliah Vaughn to sign AOP documents: Burnett voted nay. Blogger: Isn't this the same Adrian McKay Cedric keeps saying he wants to be Co-County Administrator? Hmmmm......
End of Sep 2014
Blogger: For your convenience, Aug 2014 is listed below.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Reader takes exception to paper practices...
My Letter to the Editor will follow my opening statement along with the Tunica Times "Amplification". Another long one so grab a coffee and take a seat.
The letter when sent to the Tunica Times was entitled "Untrue Statements". The new title was selected by the Tunica Times staff.
Blogger: Since the Tunica Times didn't go to the Public Records office and either read the report or get a copy of the report in Book 167 Page 602, where did they get the information? They didn't get it from the Chancery Clerk. I asked. They didn't get it from Joe Eddie Hawkins. I asked. Since you don't have to reveal your "sources", the public is left to speculate. Hmmm, my guess is the report came from one of the Supervisors. I don't think it was the Beat 3 Supervisor or the Beat 4 Supervisor or the Beat 5 Supervisor. I don't even think it was the Beat 1 Supervisor. Anyone want to take a guess as to who is left? Anyone else want to speculate? See what happens when you don't include a by-line?
30 Jan 2015 issue of The Tunica Times
The letter when sent to the Tunica Times was entitled "Untrue Statements". The new title was selected by the Tunica Times staff.
This letter is being written in response to
several articles that have appeared in the Tunica Times. The first article was
an Opinion piece and appeared in the 19 Dec 2014 issue. The second article on the front page of the
30 Jan 2015 issue and is titled “Fleet for roads, other co. departments tops
50.”
Concerning the first article, the Opinion
piece, we have written extensively on our blog
(www.transparencyintunica.blogspot.com) about the factual inaccuracies in this
piece. Additionally, the Opinion has no
byline and is more than 350 words long which is the Tunica Times’ rules for
publication. Therefore, we have come to
the conclusion the article must have been written either by the Publisher or
the Managing Editor. Here is another
point to ponder: When these inaccurate
facts are proven to be wrong, even in an “Opinion” article, isn’t an apology
warranted?
Concerning the front page 30 Jan 2015
article, again there is no byline. That
makes this article like an unsigned letter.
I am not going to spend my time researching each and every department
for the factually accurate or inaccurate listing of the number of vehicles
assigned to each department. That being
said, the Recreation Department is listed as having 2 vehicles. Wrong.
Barbara Tuchel
Tunicans for Transparency in Government
AMPLIFICATION:
The Tunica Times' policy on length refers only to Letters to the Editor. Other columns and opinions contained on this page are either marked as guest column or written by the editorial staff of The Tunica Times. A non-bylined opinion is a product of the newspaper's editorial board. This practice is common in many, if not most, newspapers. For example, Memphis' Commercial Appeal contains daily opinions of the editorial board which are not signed. Blogger: The Times Daily in Florence, AL runs opinions with the editor who wrote the piece printed below the opinion. So, who is right and who is wrong on this issue? I guess I think I sign everything I write and I expect others to do the same.
Regarding any factual inaccuracies contained in the December opinion piece, the source material was primarily news stories which had run in 2014 in this newspaper. Blogger: And you took various stories and attributed them to Michael Thompson?????? That is unconscionable and just plain wrong. Those with direct knowledge of factual inaccuracies should, at any time, speak directly to the editor or publisher and present evidence to the contrary. The Tunica Times will correct demonstrated inaccuracies. Blogger: You were in attendance when our 22 Dec 2014 report was presented and you were told where to find this information we had researched to find your errors. The public is waiting for you to correct the fallacies in your Opinion. Are you going to apologize for your errors or not?
Regarding last week's front page story, "Fleet for road...", it is our usual practice to byline news stories unless they are a compilation of several writers' work, or unless the story is primarily a list or merely a reprint from another source. In this case, the source was a fuel report from the county road manager that was given in December 2014. The story explains that this is not a complete list of county vehicles; it was not meant to imply that the two vehicles listed for the recreation department were the ONLY vehicles being used by Parks and Recreation. Blogger: So what was the purpose of this report with no by-line? Now I am going to have to enter the entire "Fleet for road..." article. This is such a pain. For Pete's sake, just correct your errors and apologize to Michael Thompson. The "Fleet for road..." Article is below the 22 Dec 2014 report.
Blogger: Since the Tunica Times didn't go to the Public Records office and either read the report or get a copy of the report in Book 167 Page 602, where did they get the information? They didn't get it from the Chancery Clerk. I asked. They didn't get it from Joe Eddie Hawkins. I asked. Since you don't have to reveal your "sources", the public is left to speculate. Hmmm, my guess is the report came from one of the Supervisors. I don't think it was the Beat 3 Supervisor or the Beat 4 Supervisor or the Beat 5 Supervisor. I don't even think it was the Beat 1 Supervisor. Anyone want to take a guess as to who is left? Anyone else want to speculate? See what happens when you don't include a by-line?
End of Amplification
Following is the report our Committee delivered at the 22 Dec 2014 Board of Supervisors' Meeting. Please note that Brooks and Dick Taylor were present during the delivery and this report is now a part of the BOS's December 2014 minutes. Highlights show information that was debunked at the meeting. There is a full surgery of this Opinion on this Blog dated 19 Dec 2011.
*******************************************************************
*******************************************************************
22 Dec 2014: Board of Supervisors’ Meeting @ 5p
Thank you for the appointment this evening.
We have 2 subjects in our presentation tonight.
The first topic is about the funding you will be voting on
tonight.
At your last meeting, we heard from Lyn Arnold how the
Chamber and Economic Development became so closely entangled. At the time, this may have been a good
decision. However, needs have changed
and so has our funding.
Please consider funding Economic Development and not funding
the Chamber. In most communities,
funding of a local Chamber of Commerce is obtained through individual, company
and corporate memberships. Our Chamber
has been largely funded through our local governments.
As we transition to an Efficient and Sustainable Government,
we will need to replace our lost income with other revenue streams and are in
need of Economic Development to attain these goals.
The second topic concerns the recent Opinion piece that ran
last week in the Tunica Times. There is
a very long post on the Transparency Blog rebutting a good bit of the Tunica
Times offering. It appears this Opinion
blames so many of our troubles on our County Administrator when it is way past
time for we, the people of Tunica County to accept the blame for the financial
mess we are in and not try to continually transfer this responsibility to
someone else.
I will address one of the three “accomplishments” attributed
to Michael Thompson in this Opinion.
“in the biggest debacle for Tunica County, Caesar’s
Entertainment abruptly closed the county’s largest resort property, Harrah’s,
throwing over a thousand people out of work, shuttering three hotels, a world
class golf course, Cottonwoods, and the resort area’s only true convention
facility, and putting an end to a successful program of charter (flights) into
Tunica Airport, flights which were drawing visitors from far outside the
drive-up market.”
- May I be so bold as to
ask, who built a golf course to compete with Cottonwoods and River Bend? We did.
Not Michael Thompson.
- Are you clearly stating
that with the closing of Harrah’s, no other casino is bringing charter
flights into Tunica Airport? That would be interesting to investigate but
again this is not a decision attributed to Michael Thompson. We the people of Tunica County are the
people who allowed this airport to be built without the benefit of a
feasibility study.
- Then there is the
statement about “throwing over a thousand people out of work.” The month Harrah’s closed, Tunica
County’s unemployment rate was 17% for Jun 2014. Jul was 18%. Aug was 15%. Sep was 13% and Oct was 12%. Not much of a change from before Harrah’s
closed. You know what else this
might show us? Not many Tunicans
were employed at Harrah. Don’t know
for sure but maybe.
As was stated earlier in this report, there is a more
extensive rebuttal on the Transparency Blog.
In closing I would like to ask the Tunica Times to recognize the factual
mistakes made in this “Opinion” piece and to run an apology to Michael Thompson
in their next issue. To show you are
sincere this apology needs to be front page and above the fold.
In the meantime, Michael, I would like to offer an apology
from the Tuchel household for all of the mean spirited things that have been
done to you and said about you since your arrival in Tunica County.
End of Report
Blogger: It gave me no pleasure to have to take our newspaper to task but there comes a time for them to step up and correct their mistakes. To say you were not aware, is not true. You have chosen not to correct and not to apologize.
30 Jan 2015 issue of The Tunica Times
"Fleet for roads, other co. departments tops 50"
A partial list of vehicles owned and operated by Tunica County shows that he total for the Road Department is 40; for Maintenance, five; Receiving, 1; Solid Waste, two; the Tunica County Recreation Commission, two; and the Tunica Arena, one, for a total of 51.
This total does not include vehicles operated by the Tunica County Sheriff's Department, Tunica County Administration; or any vehicles that may have been added to the inventory since January 1.
As of December 2014, the fleet included: six Ford F150 pick ups, four Ford F250 pick ups; four Chevrolet 2500 trucks; one Chevrolet 1500; and one Chevrolet 3500 utility truck.
Other vehicles listed in a December 2014 fuel report include: a Mack tractor truck, a Ford bucket truck, a Chevrolet spray/salt truck, and four Mack dump trucks; a CAT motor grader and CAT trackhoe, one Mack and one Peterbuilt garbage truck, a Ford knuckleboom, an Ingersol-Rand packer, a sewer cleaner, two John Deere zero turn movers, a Bobcat loader and a Komatsu loader, two CAT backhoes, a Mack water truck, three John Deere tractors, and a Beauthling packer.
Also on the inventory are: a Chevrolet service truck, a Broce mobile broom, two CAT dozers, a Tiger mower, a Rhino air compressor, a Ford bus and Ford transit van, a melter/sealer, and an Olathe chipper.
Blogger: So, what is the purpose of this report? Does it tell us how many vehicles we have? No. What does reporting on the vehicles that received fuel service in Dec 2014 show us? Okay, Tunica Times, it's time to fess up. Who is providing you with erroneous and useless information? Oh, that's right, newspapers don't have to reveal their sources. But you still need to apologize to Michael Thompson.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
2 Feb 2015 Board of Supervisors' Meeting
Before posting the Committee's report, there are a few things I want to say and need to be said about last night's meeting.
1. Joe Jackson asked our County Administrator if he had moved to Tunica County. When Michael Thompson started to answer the question, Jackson said answer the question yes or no. Jackson went on to say he wanted Thompson fired. Here's my question: "On what basis?" To Jackson I say, we don't have the right to besmirch a person's professional reputation just because we want to do so. Tunica County and some elected officials need to understand this and quite frankly grow up. We do not have time for this foolishness.
2. It was at this point Cedric Burnett moved to fire Thompson and make Rochelle Siggers and Adrian McKay co-administrators. Burnett's motion died for lack of a second. On so many levels this motion emphasizes that after being on the Tunica County Board of Supervisors for 15 years, Burnett still does not understand the hierarchy of government to remain in compliance with our annual financial audit.
3. It is my belief this "outburst" was preplanned and unwarranted.
4. At a later point in the meeting, there was a discussion about increasing the mills for fire protection in the North Tunica Fire District. Because of the decrease in property values, the NTFD is not earning enough to fully staff the department. If the NTFD is not able to fully staff the department due to funding, residences and business will see an increase in their insurance rates due to a decrease in their fire rating. Therefore, it was necessary to increase the millage to produce enough money to fully staff the department to maintain the fire rating.
Not often do I agree with James Dunn. Last night Dunn tried to explain this fire rating problem to Burnett in as clear of terms as was possible. I agree with Dunn and after all he is the Supervisor from this Beat. AND still, Burnett voted against this increase stating he wanted to wait. Wait for what, the property values to go up?
You know what is scary? I believe Burnett thinks he is the smartest Supervisor and so many of us can't believe his convoluted reasoning.
But wait, there's more:
5. The Board was going into Executive Session and like everyone else, Bob and I got up to leave the room but left our coats on our seats. (Did anyone else notice the coat rack had been removed from the Board Room?) The Sheriff asked us to remove our coats from the room because he didn't know if we had a recording device in them. I asked Sonny Nickson if he wanted to "frisk" my coat. Then the High Sheriff of Tunica County pointed to Nickson and said don't you do it, she'll sue you. Funny.
Transparency Report
Above the figures representing the balance of the gaming revenue, we would like to see the original date and amounts of all GO Bonds
What this will accomplish is the public will be able to see in real numbers what funds the County garnered from gaming each year and if the GO Bonds were really necessary.
Can you set a date for this workshop and will you publish that meeting so everyone will know when and where this meeting will be held?
And finally, we are in an election year. It is 2015, and way past time for the citizens of Tunica County to be living in fear of punishment for invoking their Constitutional rights to speak and to run for public office.
Our Committee has been advised of 2 Tunica County Sheriff’s Department employees who have been demoted. One of these demotions also involved the Tunica County School District.
The first Sheriff’s Department employee is Dennis Allen. It is my understanding that Deputy Allen was demoted for declaring to run against Sheriff Hamp. This demotion forced Mr. Allen to retire from the Sheriff’s Department.
The second set of information, we found on our doorstep and these documents have been posted on our Blog. This incident involves Deputy Dennis Taylor who was the Resource Officer at RFHS. Mr. Taylor’s offense seems to be his letter to the editor about the behavior of Superintendent Chandler and Board of Education President Tomaka Cotton during a Board of Education Meeting.
These actions are not only bullying in nature but they are also costing us money. Money that we cannot afford. I am asking for (any other of) the public’s documented information to be given to me so that I may post this information on our Blog. Together we can put a stop to this despicable behavior by some of our elected officials.
1. Joe Jackson asked our County Administrator if he had moved to Tunica County. When Michael Thompson started to answer the question, Jackson said answer the question yes or no. Jackson went on to say he wanted Thompson fired. Here's my question: "On what basis?" To Jackson I say, we don't have the right to besmirch a person's professional reputation just because we want to do so. Tunica County and some elected officials need to understand this and quite frankly grow up. We do not have time for this foolishness.
2. It was at this point Cedric Burnett moved to fire Thompson and make Rochelle Siggers and Adrian McKay co-administrators. Burnett's motion died for lack of a second. On so many levels this motion emphasizes that after being on the Tunica County Board of Supervisors for 15 years, Burnett still does not understand the hierarchy of government to remain in compliance with our annual financial audit.
3. It is my belief this "outburst" was preplanned and unwarranted.
4. At a later point in the meeting, there was a discussion about increasing the mills for fire protection in the North Tunica Fire District. Because of the decrease in property values, the NTFD is not earning enough to fully staff the department. If the NTFD is not able to fully staff the department due to funding, residences and business will see an increase in their insurance rates due to a decrease in their fire rating. Therefore, it was necessary to increase the millage to produce enough money to fully staff the department to maintain the fire rating.
Not often do I agree with James Dunn. Last night Dunn tried to explain this fire rating problem to Burnett in as clear of terms as was possible. I agree with Dunn and after all he is the Supervisor from this Beat. AND still, Burnett voted against this increase stating he wanted to wait. Wait for what, the property values to go up?
You know what is scary? I believe Burnett thinks he is the smartest Supervisor and so many of us can't believe his convoluted reasoning.
But wait, there's more:
5. The Board was going into Executive Session and like everyone else, Bob and I got up to leave the room but left our coats on our seats. (Did anyone else notice the coat rack had been removed from the Board Room?) The Sheriff asked us to remove our coats from the room because he didn't know if we had a recording device in them. I asked Sonny Nickson if he wanted to "frisk" my coat. Then the High Sheriff of Tunica County pointed to Nickson and said don't you do it, she'll sue you. Funny.
Transparency Report
2 Feb 2015: Board of
Supervisors’ Meeting @ 5p
Thank you for the appointment
this evening.
We have a few subjects in our
presentation tonight.
- A copy of the Claims Docket in the Public Records each month. Thank you for leaving a copy of the Dec
Claims Docket for the review of the public. Please note that we have been asking for
this documentation for over 6 months.
Going forward, I’m hoping this agreement between the Comptroller’s
Office and the public will be honored each month without having to ask for
it.
- The public has an agreement with this Board to have each employee and that employee’s salary made a part of your January minutes each year. Certainly, last January had many challenges not the least of which was not having a Human Resources Manager. Now that we have Mr. Oliver in place, may we expect to have this list included in Feb this year and Jan in years to follow? Blogger's note: At this time James Dunn asked that I just deliver the report and the Board would decide on the requests at a later time. I explained that these requests had already been approved by the Board and were not being carried out. I agreed to give a copy on the report to the County Administrator for follow through.
- On more than one occasion, this Committee has requested a report
prepared by Economic Development to show the money Tunica County has spent
on the Hwy 304 projects versus the money Tunica County has earned from
these projects. When can we expect
this report to be available?
- On behalf of the citizens of Tunica County, this Committee has
asked for the number of lawsuits in the Sheriff’s Department. When can we expect this information?
- Blogger's note: This is a new request: In the past, this Board has held workshops with the public explaining our broken tax structure. The public is in need of another opportunity to understand what has happened to cause our present financial situation.
What
we would like to see is a Timeline starting in 1996, the year our tax structure
was broken. Each year will show the
gaming revenue minus the amounts given to the Town of Tunica and the Tunica
County School District.
Above the figures representing the balance of the gaming revenue, we would like to see the original date and amounts of all GO Bonds
What this will accomplish is the public will be able to see in real numbers what funds the County garnered from gaming each year and if the GO Bonds were really necessary.
Can you set a date for this workshop and will you publish that meeting so everyone will know when and where this meeting will be held?
And finally, we are in an election year. It is 2015, and way past time for the citizens of Tunica County to be living in fear of punishment for invoking their Constitutional rights to speak and to run for public office.
Our Committee has been advised of 2 Tunica County Sheriff’s Department employees who have been demoted. One of these demotions also involved the Tunica County School District.
The first Sheriff’s Department employee is Dennis Allen. It is my understanding that Deputy Allen was demoted for declaring to run against Sheriff Hamp. This demotion forced Mr. Allen to retire from the Sheriff’s Department.
The second set of information, we found on our doorstep and these documents have been posted on our Blog. This incident involves Deputy Dennis Taylor who was the Resource Officer at RFHS. Mr. Taylor’s offense seems to be his letter to the editor about the behavior of Superintendent Chandler and Board of Education President Tomaka Cotton during a Board of Education Meeting.
These actions are not only bullying in nature but they are also costing us money. Money that we cannot afford. I am asking for (any other of) the public’s documented information to be given to me so that I may post this information on our Blog. Together we can put a stop to this despicable behavior by some of our elected officials.
Monday, February 2, 2015
Out of Line
Left on my doorstep. I only have one thing to say: DISGUSTING!!! What do you think?
Note from Blogger: I could not cut and paste these in order. The correct order is 1. Letter on BS Chandler's Letterhead; 2. Photocopy of the Tunica Times article; 3. Sheriff's Departmental reassignment. Also, I believe the initials on the original letter are those of BS Chandler and Sheriff Hamp. Not sure about this.
Note from Blogger: I could not cut and paste these in order. The correct order is 1. Letter on BS Chandler's Letterhead; 2. Photocopy of the Tunica Times article; 3. Sheriff's Departmental reassignment. Also, I believe the initials on the original letter are those of BS Chandler and Sheriff Hamp. Not sure about this.
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