Keep it clean

This posting is being written to respond to the front page article “County; Keep it Clean” in the Fri, 16 Dec issue of the Tunica Times. I hope this letter will clarify the research the Transparency Committee did in preparation for this Public Hearing.

Our Committee reads the legal notices in the newspaper on a regular basis. When we noticed the resolution by the Board of Supervisors to hold a Public Hearing concerning the clean-up of property leased by Ed Walls, we thought that perhaps this was the first time this type of resolution by the Board of Supervisors had been posted in the Tunica Times. So, we researched each and every copy of the newspaper back to Nov 2010. We were correct. The Tunica County Board of Supervisors has discussed many properties that needed attention but they have not posted a legal notice in the newspaper about cleaning up those properties between Nov 2010 and 2 Dec 2011, except for the properties leased by Mr. Walls. We stand to be corrected if someone has other information.

As for the Public Hearing, Mr. Jewelie Brown, the Tunica County Code Enforcer, read more then a few names of properties that needed cleaning-up throughout the County. None of these residents have been posted in the newspaper by the Board of Supervisors so why was Mr. Walls? As a matter of fact, this Public Hearing was announced to specifically address the property leased by Mr. Walls. Therefore, discussing other properties during the Public Hearing was out of line.

Another paragraph in this article stated: “Beat 2 Supervisor Cedric Burnett asked if the tax obligations would fall on the tenant or the property owner.” Are you kidding me? Since when is a renter obligated to pay the property tax? Maybe I should rephrase this statement: Maybe the Beat 2 Supervisor is unaware of this logical conclusion because the last time I looked, his mother was still the taxpayer on the house and property he says he lives in.

All in all, I will stand by my statement. The actions of the Tunica County Board of Supervisors and the treatment of Mr. Walls by you during the 5 Dec 2011 Public Hearing “makes me think you are picking on Mr. Walls.

Today's Board of Supervisors' Meeting

This morning's meeting was more then a bit disturbing both in content and presentation. I'm still studying the handouts provided by "Concerned Citizens for a Better Tunica" and an organization named Southern Echo. These groups had an appointment with the Board of Supervisors. Actually, what they did was to make a presentation of another plan for the Redistricting of Tunica County.

First of all, I don't believe they should have been allowed to make the presentation. This type of presentation needs to made at a Public Hearing. However, the Board of Supervisors set a precedent when they held a separate and special meeting with the residents of Tunica Cut-Off who were displaced by the recent floods. In my opinion, neither meeting should have taken place.

What needed to happen was to schedule another Public Hearing so that the displaced residents could hear what everyone else had to say and we could hear what they had to say. The folks from "Concerned Citizens..." and Southern Echo were in attendance at the last Public Hearing so why didn't they make their presentation then? Who knows.

I am going to make a thorough study of the handouts from this morning's meeting and will write more later.