Print this story |
E-mail story |
This story has 28 comments Add your own |
iPod friendly | Bookmark this
What is this?
Is city government nearing a shut down?
Published Wednesday, July 29, 2009
NATCHEZ — Natchez aldermen did not approve a $500,000 loan the city clerk says is needed to keep city government operational.
Clerk Donnie Holloway requested a motion on the loan at Tuesday night’s board of aldermen meeting, and Alderman Ernest “Tony” Fields made the motion.
But no alderman was willing to offer a second on the motion, and it died.
“Guys, this is something we’re going to have to do to hold us over,” Mayor Jake Middleton said said to the silent aldermen. “Y’all going to shut city government down?”
Holloway brought up the need for the loan at last week’s city work session. He said it was needed to make payroll and operate the city for the next two months.
After the meeting, Holloway said he hopes aldermen will change their minds by the Aug. 11 meeting.
“We’ll just have to bring it back up at the next meeting,” he said. “It will more than likely be approved at the next meeting.”
The city already borrowed $500,000 in May to cover budget costs.
In other business:
4 Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis requested to Building Inspector Paul Dawes that he contact the state to see what state-owned properties are in the City of Natchez.
If the houses are dilapidated, Mathis said she would like the ownership transferred to the city for either rehabilitation of the home or demolition.
Habitat for Humanity Director Duncan McFarlane said he has picked out approximately 10 state-owned properties that meet the requirements as per zoning regulations to be used to Habitat houses.
Mathis said that is one avenue she would like to explore if the city were to take ownership of the state-owned properties.
4 Grants Coordinator Brett Brinegar requested the board make a motion for a resolution to authorize her to apply for $500,000 in Mississippi Development Authority funds for the Forks of the Road.
The money was appropriated in a letter of intent from the Mississippi legislature for construction at the site — along with $1.3 million for the downtown streets overlay — but the city never applied for the money.
The motion was approved unanimously.
4 Alderman Dan Dillard applauded the board of aldermen for their diligence in budget review, planning and decision making over the past several months.
“It’s not only the prerogative of this board, but it’s the responsibility,” he said. “There will be change coming, and with change begins the process of turning the budget around.”
4Mathis said she would like to hone in on getting stimulus funds for the city. She said the mayor of Madison hired an additional employee to just scout out stimulus money for the city.
She said she knew there wasn’t money to hired a new employee but said the person could be hired and paid only when stimulus money was acquired for the city.
She requested Middleton call the mayor of Madison.
Mathis also said she believes city officials need to make another trip to Washington, D.C., to put in additional requests for project funds for Marblestone Alley, North Natchez Drainage and the West Stiers Lane area.
“I’m very afraid that this money is going to go past us and go past us quick,” she said.
She said she will be meeting with Holloway to see what funds remain in the aldermen travel budgets.
Comments
Posted by natashakubelikov (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 12:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Dan Dilliard said more money was loaned out on some loans than the city had which ruffled Donnie Holloways feathers quite a bit. You can watch it on channel 9. Wonder which one knows where the money goes??
Posted by juju (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 12:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hurry and get the new casino up and running and that would help. Maybe?
Posted by WhiteOleander (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 1:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Where to even begin........The comments from me on this one could be many and not too pleasant. I'll just remember what Mama taught me. If you don't have anything good to say about someone, just keep your mouth shut.
But, I do so want to address Ms. Arceneaux and some of her latest shenanigans. Me thinks that I don't really need to, as others are thinking the same things.
Dan Dillard was promising. Lately, I've been wondering. That's all I'll say.
Posted by stateofnatchez (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 2:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Shut down... no.
Running forward in reverse.... yes.
Arceneaux? ROTFLMAO!!!!
Posted by RAVENNEVERMORE (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 6:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Dillard is attempting his Ross Perot imitation: stop the bleeding, hemoraging, etc.
Of course, he's clueless, but it sounds really good over a microphone.
Posted by crawgator (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 7:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sounds to me like the mayor and alderman need to call one of those info commercials claiming they can get you out of debt for little or nothing. You know the one, "Haven't paid your bills or taxes ever, Don't worry call us"
Posted by rhymeandreason (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 7:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What portion of the stimulus money was targeted for Natchez? Did Natchez submit projects for funding? Have we made a case for those funds for the essential projects? A trip to Jackson seems more appropriate....and Mr. Dillard, have you taken a ride up Park Place lately? if not, shame on you.
Posted by MSviaTN (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 7:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hire someone and tell them you will pay them with stimulus money you are going to try to find??? HA Good luck finding someone to take that position.
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on July 29, 2009 at 7:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Just how long have the aldermen been wallowing in this budget mud hole? And not one decision has been made and implemented.
Could it be that the wallowing is a delay tactic? They know that assessed property values are going up and they will have a wind fall from property taxes.
I hope this is not the case but it sure looks, smells and feels like it.
Posted by mstip (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 8:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I would like to watch the meeting in August. Too bad the Natchez Democrat isn't showing it now. Can we get it back online??? I can't watch it on tv.
Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 8:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Gem/ Good Point! They just love to spend other people's money? Just poor management!
Posted by muleman (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 8:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If the city of Natchez thinks it is having problems. The mayor of McComb is suing the McComb BOA and the civil service commission in U.S. District Court. The petition contains 32 counts. Now they have problems. What a nightmare!
Posted by chuckydaone (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 9:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Fields' motion died from a lack of a second. It appears to have been followed with useless banter and no viable alternative being offered. When and if the funds allow, someone should offer a motion to purchase some leadership (smile). A sad pity.
Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 9:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well at least it's only Mathis talking about more spending- she should be aware that Madison, MS is a bustling city adjacent to Jackson and Ridgeland with a strong economy and a much larger tax base than our rural town.....but our Mayor has lost his mind- wants to keep borrowing- what is he thinking about????? He must be counting that property tax money and thinks any loan can easily be paid back with that??? I think that is faulty reasoning,....
Natchez is now considered a rural town, NOT a metropolis........we don't need another employee to count stimulus money.......
Also I think Mr. Dawes has better things to do- like inspections, etc- instead of running down what the State owns, why can't Mathis make a phone call and find out for herself what the State of MS owns in Natchez? She needs to do something to justify her position other than spout nonsense and hassle city employees with her errands.......
I'm proud of the aldermen taking a stance against loans and spending...now get that millage down to keep our taxes low.......
and YES Mr. Holloway- shut down city operations if necessary to avoid any stupid loans........cut work weeks to 4 days and save on utilities and wages......CUTCUT/CUT/CUT!!!!!!!!!!!CUT THAT BUDGET!!!!!!
Posted by Hardcorps (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 9:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Let's just impeach the whole bunch and start over. We have the ten year old fat kid in charge of the cookie jar. What if we ran our households like this? Can we get fool stamps from the gubmint for these cartoon characters?
I got behind a fat woman who payed for her groceries with food stamps last week. When I walked out of the store she was putting hers in an Escalade. Maybe use her as an advisor huh?
Posted by kmbjd40 (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 10:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The city just needs to follow the Obama model. Let's borrow about $10 million, ad a ton of new services, claim we're cutting the cities deficit in the process and officials can blame their predecessors when it all blows up in their faces. It seems to be working for the Dems nationally. Not. Wouldn't that be change we can believe in?
Posted by classicnatchez (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 10:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It was also pointed out last night that there was 500,000,000 in stimulus monies for fire dept. renovations etc... This seems to have been overlooked by our city hired grant writer. The deadline for appplying for the money was July 10th. Seems to me Jake should have been on top of this as well. Isn't his job to administrate? The Democrat was all over Eric Smith when it was thought he had missed a deadline for storm related money. Mary Hood chose not to even bring this catastrophe to the publics attention.
I felt Mrs. Mathis made it perfectly clear that there are grant writers who work on commission. They get a percentage of what they bring in.
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on July 29, 2009 at 10:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I did not read the statement to say that the grand writer would be on commission.
However, aren't grant monies supposed to be used for the intended purpose so the city would have to come up the commission out of general funds?
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on July 29, 2009 at 10:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
grand should read grant
Posted by classicnatchez (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 11:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Mr. McCullars, I myself am not very versed in exactly how all that works. I would think that to be true. However, it would seem to me let's just say you had to pay $5,000. for $50,000. That's a deal as far as Im concerned.
Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on July 29, 2009 at 11:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Mr. McCullars died in 2002. I am Gary.
We may be in a Catch 22. While it would be great to get the grants, we do not have the money in our general fund to pay the commission.
I may be wrong, however, I have been wrong once before. But it was a loooooooong time ago. :>)
Posted by LOVESNATCHEZ (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 12:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well, Dan Dillard is patting the alderman on the back; might as well, noone else will. Joyce is ready to spend more money and fly her butt back to Washington. Make a damn phone call. Holloway is sure it will pass next time around. If the BOA has any sense at all (and that's very unlikely), they will not vote again; or vote it down. Sorry to say, but everyone else is laying people off, the city should do the same. It's nothing new to see a crew of 5 or 6 out in the streets and 2 working. STOP THE INSANITY. Joyce wants our mayor to call MARY HAWKINS BUTLER. Why? Because she knows how to run a city and Jake doesn't? We don't need her to tell us that. I wish we could put Joyce and Mary Butler in the same room. Mary would tear her butt up and put her in the place she belongs.
Posted by beammeupscotty (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 5:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The reason they need to think twice about borrowing more money is the reduced amount of revenue that will be coming in for the foeseeable future. More debt means more interest payments and less service.
Posted by rushinghjr (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 7:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Everyone / look at the statement of 09:46 A. M. by Hardcorps/ It is sensible , but sounds like the Owhampy tribe and the DemocRATic Congress! He's got some true wording that fits our "situation"? Natchez is being laughed at now! Mr. Hardcorps has spoken the "Truth"!
Posted by jlmorris (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 9:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Joyce "Arse in (the) know" Mathis does not have a clue about the city budget. Otherwise, she would not be asking if there is money in the budget for a Washington trip.
JMO
Posted by natashakubelikov (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 10:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Obama,s there so he will take her in maybe for a beer like the policeman and what,s his name.
Posted by sdaafrye (anonymous) on July 29, 2009 at 10:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Grant writers can be paid from the grant if the grant is written as such. My step-mother has written grants for various agencies and has the commission worked up in the grant to pay for her service of writing the grant.
Posted by brod (anonymous) on July 30, 2009 at 2:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I bet Joyce and Ricky want to travel to Washington to try and have a beer with the prez. Joyce probably wants to get in the middle of the Gates crap. I'm sure Ricky could offer a dis or dat.
Post a comment (Terms of Use Policy)
(Requires free registration.)