So now the official picture of exactly far in the hole Hizzoner has led the City comes into sharper focus the magnitude of the budgetary issues facing the City for FY 2016 also come clear. $450,000 in trade payables from the 2015 fiscal year sandbagged by the administration. An entire additional pay period due to leap year missed in the original budget for another $100,000. The total shortfall number I remember being mentioned last Thursday for the 2016 budget alone was $280,000. Some simple addition results in $730,000 with other financial skeletons still looming, most notably the $300,000 repayment demand from the United States Department of Justice which brings the total shortfall to over a cool million dollars. Imagine the disaster if the City council hadn’t belatedly taken steps to reign in Hizzoner, a compulsive spender/addict:
Mayor pays city back for raises, but budget shortfall still looms – Stacey Cato and Geoff Belcher
But those in attendance at Monday night’s marathon continuation of the week before Tuesday/Thursday Council meetings were treated to not only the Mayor showing up but also showing out, as he is prone to do when his spending addiction is threatened. The longer this drags out the worse it will get and worse it got as we found out last night:
Sheriff eyes allegation of ‘malfeasance’ in Bay ~ Geoff Belcher
You see folks while the Mayor decided to play hookie last week and skip the regular and recessed meetings Glenn Grannan from HCSO was there listening last Thursday to the Performance Audit Report presentation on behalf of Sheriff Ricky Adams. The reviews are coming in and they are not favorable on Hizzoner.
Is overspending and misspending a Municipal budget a crime in Mississippi? I would imagine it can be given certain circumstances. None of the peanut gallery, Slabbed New Media included, has accused Mayor Fillingame of illegal activity but the peanut gallery does not conduct criminal investigations for a living. But from a larger standpoint purposely steering the ship onto the reef “out of ego” can’t be tolerated. Someone has to stand down and something tells me it is not going to be the public that is now out a cool million dollars.
I personally do not lust to see Hizzoner prosecuted although some of his victims rightfully see things a bit different and that brings me back to the spending addiction that has an iron grip on Hizzoner. Lifers here may remember I posted the 12 steps once in reference to the City’s spending addiction and I think today it is important to review Step 1 because it is the absolutely hardest step to take:
We must admit we were powerless over our addiction – that our lives have become unmanageable.
Once we get past Step 1 a solution can be crafted. There is no sugar coating the fact that the financial hole is equal to about half of the local annual tax take and there is less than half a year remaining to fix the massive hole in the FY 2016 budget. Papering over the misspending and overspending with the municipal reserve fund shortchanges the taxpayers greatly. With payroll running $100,000 a pay period I don’t know how the City will be able to renew its windstorm coverage and pay the employees. To the extent the Mayor has kited the budget for so long the cure will be painful and that is the worst of it.
Stay tuned.
Doug,
I believe payroll is running at $153,ooo each pay period.
That is the figure that has been read back to Councilman Reed each meeting when he requests it, and I have been writing it down rather than try to remember.
Atkinson’s quote in the Echo may need some clarification as she stated ” her team” found nothing illegal.”
Her team is not investigative or forensic, and according to her, her report could end up anywhere in Pickering’s office.
I, too, was surprised to see Grannin in attendance at her presentation last week.
Not now though!!
If nothing else, the City Comptroller & City Clerk signing a check or checks is clearly illegal.
Cajuncutie,
That is what confused me too.
As one citizen said to me leaving the meeting the night of the Auditor’s presentation,
” If any of us signed our named on a check on an account we had no legal access to, we’d already be hiring s lawyer!!”
I had to agree.
It is not how big the cow prod is, it is the amount of voltage applied. Les will be hollering…..Don’t Tase me Bro!
Where the prod is applied also makes a difference.
Don’t get your hopes up too high folks. The SRHS, the DMR, are only a couple of good examples for you. I keep awaiting an issue of RICO act indictments to materialize, because, believe me when I say that the Feds have the goods; but it looks like old Fata$$ and his group of merry marauders and crooks are still squeaking by. But I hear there is a lot of disgruntled members of the clan currently…and loose lips sink ships. Maybe that is what the Feds are banking on to tie up loose ends? We can only wait for the bomb to hit.
Exactly Lana; and from a simpletons point of view … if all city checks must be counter-signed by the City Clerk, how can we not have a City Clerk? #banpublicforum
Spot on. The Clerk’s signature legally is an attestation as we all heard last Thursday night. In order to discharge the job you must have enough financial savvy to understand what you are certifying.
Still though, even though Smith had a permanent case of “red-ass” with the affliction frequently popping up with Kolf, I hate to see anyone go to jail because they were Les Fillingame’s dupe.
Fact : illegal signatures on checks , only one signature on check & signatures don’t match.
Fact : Mailed Signed Affidavit with false information to DOJ
Fact : Harboring failed drug test.
Fact : no Drivers Li. That’s ok , Drive a $700,000 fire truck is ok.
Fact : Illegal signed bond papers & never put it in the bond book or told council about this.
Fact : Did not put dedicated $$$$ in correct accounts.
Fact : plus all the State Statues the this Idiot has broken.
Fact : All is Illegal
Les is not capable to truthfully carry out his oath of office. He is also afflicted by taking instructions from a criminal attorney. Criminal attorneys dupe the law for a living. Les has has been duping the council, citizens and vendors. He met his match with the OSA! He will not dupe them.
Paying Attention?
I agree with you except for one point, that being Les’s attorney is an affliction to him.
That lawyer is his salvation while the taxpayers he duped are picking up the tab for his legal fees.
But my all time favorite Mayoral quote is yesterday’s Sea Coast Echo— drum roll:
“The allegations being investigated by the Sheriff’s Department will be proven to be FRIVILOUS AND WITHOUT ANY REAL CONTENT.”
Sounds more like a radiologist description of an MRI of his brain!!
It is reported that Les just paid the community center fee with his own money for the chamber of commerce. It does not take much thought to see through that. He told them that they could use it for free and the tax payers will eat it and now he can’t get away with it while being watched!
He is a philanthropist with other peoples money!
He needs to save his money for his family’s legal defense. When the call outs for his daughter get verified fraudulent by the tenants and cell phone records. And the new golf cart the firetruck company gave him comes out. Then with all the other things already uncovered he will need a good legal team.
Last night Rhonda O. said we need to reduce the number of Council People. That may or may not be true.
In fact what we need to reduce is the amount of unqualified and unskilled department heads. This brings to mind her husband who cannot pass the Building Inspector Test. One can only speculate why he can’t pass it even with taxpayer funded tutoring. He has a DUI Pending and is still driving a City Vehicle. While he had a DUI Citation it is reported that he was under insured and had falsified car tag. By the way a portion of car tag fees go to the city. It is reported he took a Car Tag off another Vehicle and put it on his Antique Car. This would be a intentional violation. The amount of an Antique Tag is $25 for life. He does not make good personal decisions so one can only believe he makes the same kind of decisions for the City. For instance not understanding the agreement to a local beach front business and granting them city property free and saying I misunderstood! Maybe he can’t read semi complex sentences!