Day: June 24, 2013

Good Government Monday: Jefferson Parish Citizens for Good Government

Supporters of Good Government:

The Jefferson Parish Council will meet this Wednesday, June 25th at 10 a.m. on the East Bank at the Yenni Building. Citizens for Good Government will again present summary information from our Campaign Contribution Table shown below. Total campaign contributions of $449,266 were made during the past four years to our councilmen by contractors and subcontractors on whom the councilmembers are scheduled to vote at the June 25th council meeting.

CFGG Campaign Finance Graphic 6-26-13 meeting

Because consideration of a comprehensive Request for Proposal (RFP) reform ordinance was deferred several months ago until September, and there was opposition to some of the reforms in the ordinance, Citizens for Good Government is concerned that none of the needed reforms to the contracting process will ever be implemented. CFGG has therefore been waging a campaign in recent months to pressure the Jefferson Parish Council to at least start the process of implementing reforms in the contracting process by passing an ordinance to reinstate price in the evaluation and ranking of Request for Proposal (RFP) submittals. Because published reports indicated that this reform was supported by both the council and by the administration, CFGG felt that implementation of this reform should be possible. Continue reading “Good Government Monday: Jefferson Parish Citizens for Good Government”

Good Government Monday: Hancock County Alliance for Good Government

It’s budget time again for the public schools in Mississippi. In Hancock County, no matter how you slice the pie, there is less revenue available due to the decrease in ad valorem taxes–high percentage of abandoned properties. The mil actually devalued here this year according to the Tax Collector’s Office.

Add to this increased insurance costs, PERS coming out of local funds this year, and no real increase in enrollment for Bay-Waveland School District. According to school records there an increase of only 9 students as of this time last year. Remember “headcount” matters every morning to determine support from the State.

To make matters worse for our school districts statewide, as of July 1, new legislation will require little Johnny to be present 63% of the day to be counted present. No more arriving at 7:30, leaving at 8:00 and still being counted present resulting in state funding.  The State Auditor, Stacey Pickering, was quoted in the Sun-Herald on June 14, as saying he has never like the Average Daily Attendance Formula because it cannot be audited. Imagine that!

Twenty years ago the Miss. Legislature commissioned a study on the spending of tax dollars by public school officials. Their findings were: Too many school districts (152) and too much money spent on administration. Their recommendations: consolidation of districts and using the savings in the classroom for teachers and students. Continue reading “Good Government Monday: Hancock County Alliance for Good Government”