Jackson Jambalaya

Good for the Council. Sorry Harvey, Jackson needs the accountability!

Hold Harvey accountable but Weill has nothing to say. He screwed the pooch when he stupidly backed the loser.

If nothing else, Jackson desperately needs checks and balances. Hold him/them accountable and demand transparency!

Accountability is good, however weekly payroll seems a little overzealous. Monthly reports would be more practical and would provide a broader spectrum for oversight.

The detailed payroll review was first enacted when Melton was scamming and jamming his entourage with ghost jobs and no-bid contracts. It was never an issue before and it shouldn't be one now. Our form of government gives us a toothless and powerless legislative branch. There are bigger fish to fry than wasting time on this piss ant stuff.

Given the poor condition of city finances, I think the council has every right to ask for the payroll. They are being asked to sign it and any lawyer would tell them to read what they sign.

I do think it should be on a monthly basis however.

So you don't trust Harvey Johnson so much that you are worried he will pull the same stunts as Melton. Or, are you saying that all previous Councils were derelict by not reviewing the payroll.

It has nothing to do with the condition of city finances unless you saying that if times were good you'd be less worried about graft and corruption.

Am saying they were all derelict.

12:32 - Does it matter?

Have we become so indifferent that we simply expect elected officials to vote on things they haven't read, understand or given information about?

If the council has to approve something, does it not stand to reason that they understand what it is they are approving?

Of course JDBerry they should read and understand but if the payroll is within the budgetary plan as set forth by the Council then what is the point?

It is politically stupid for Weill and anyone else to oppose Johnson one month into his term on this nit if he is not exceeding the budget. It was Melton's dishonesty that brought the practice about. It was Melton who destroyed a trust that Harvey Johnson had never previously tarnished.

With all the major problems this city faces it is idiotic to waste precious cycles taking a stand on this.

I certainly hope that you will adopt that strident posture and lead the protest marches on city hall the next time our city council is voting on more budget busting rate swaps, tax increment financing and tax kickback schemes. Because from all of Kingfish's investigations the Council is voting on all of those big ticket items that commit Jackson to long term, and sometimes dangerous, debt without a single solitary clue as to what they are voting on nor an inkling as to how in the hell the city is going to pay it all back.

Filed FOIA requests for everything on the proposed $40 million bond interest rate swap. Keep it up and we might actually have it killed.

Wonder if Sterne Agee would hire me?

The point is that they vote on the payroll each time. What's the point in the vote if, as you suggest, they should just rubber stamp it every time?

The liability is on the Council members when they vote on those items. They better know what they are approving. Auditors have a way of asking probing questions.

Exactly.

read the Ware case and what the COA had to say about not reading things when you sign them.

They vote on the payroll each time because it is the law. Just as they vote on a myriad of other expenditures.

If you want them to conduct a line item review of each weekly payroll transaction then do you also want them to conduct a line item review of each purchase transaction of fuel using the Fuelman card?

You must because if you are saying that it is a requirement that they audit the executive branch to that level of transactional specificity then you can't stop at payroll. If it is a best practice for payroll then it must also be for every other outlay.

Depends on what the auditor defines as "material".......they could draw that down to a very small amount. Liability is still there. You really don't want to ever look at an auditor and tell them you approved the expenditure but didn't read the documents.

Five gets you $10 that the line item review of payroll isn't considered "material" because if it was then the reviews would have been happening before Melton destroyed the trust. Harvey Johnson wouldn't be pushing back if he felt it exposed the city but maybe local attorney and Councilperson Weill should get his panties in a bunch and ask SA Pickering's office for a formal opinion so that he can find an exit ramp to put up or shut up.

I spoke to Weill a little while ago. Here is what I learned. He doesn't want to spend or waste hours scrutinizing the payroll records, just a few minutes to see if anything is out of whack.

Their signature is required on it by law and if they approve something like that that is later determined to be fraud and they shouldn't have approved it, they can be held liable on a personal basis.

Notice how the two attorneys who are political opposites agree on this issue.

Who are those attorneys?

Weill and Lamumba

Here's hoping that going forward Mr. Weill will worry equally about the huge future tax liabilities he and his cohorts are saddling Jackson taxpayers with when they approve tax-diverting giveaways and sweetheart deals downtown as they do their own personal liability skins. SHEESH.

How hard is it to count money that you do not have?

Not sure Weill and Lumumba are political opposites. Cultural opposites, yes. But they both voted no to the Tisdale library naming.

And on the bond deal, I posted months ago that it was dead. It's dead, regardless of your open records request. Good work, KF. Maybe Weill can learn from you.