The EPA recommended the West Rankin Utility Authority repay $663,321 of an original grant of $1,932,200 in a preliminary report issued on October 13, 2009. The grant was issued on August 24, 2001 for sewer system evaluation, a water supply feasibility study, and other related tasks (The details of the project are on p.6). WRMA was a deadline of February 10, 2010 to respond. Copy of report
The EPA ruled the West Rankin Utility Authority violated several guidelines in relation to the grant. It stated WRUA did not seek bids for the architectural and engineering service contract but instead gave it to one firm. WRUA did not have its own "written procurement procedures". WRMA "did not have a financial management system" and "did not monitor grant activities" as required by federal law (p.8). Because there was no such system in place, WRMA was not able to account for how the money was spent as it maintained little, if any records. The EPA further "questioned $1,745,457 of costs claimed under the grant" for A&E fees and that the WRMA met two of the five criteria needed to be classified as a "high-risk" grantee.
What was particularly interesting was the managers did not follow federal guidelines which state the government agency must seek bids for such services. Instead they followed state guidelines, which, surprise, allow such a government entity to select a A&E firm based upon "qualifications" for professional services and requires no bids from competing firms. (Just think Jim Hood and Joey Langston or Mike Moore and Dickie Scruggs.) One must wonder exactly what is going on as Mr. Rhoads, Miller, and other members of the board are experienced public officials and know that for every federal grant, there is a specific set of guidelines that must be followed to the letter or else the grant has to be repaid.
WRMA responded in a letter dated August 31, 2009 signed by WMRA President and Flowood Mayor Gary Rhoads. He claimed WMRA was a newly-created agency when the grant was awarded with "little staff". Mr. Rhoads did not deny WMRA's failure to seek bids for A&E services and stated it was in compliance with "state regulations." It said its "bid selection committee" (which was unidentified) was satisfied the fees were not excessive and said the decision was "informed". Mr. Rhoads stated an experienced accounting firm has been hired to remedy the deficiencies in their accounting system.
What exactly IS the West Rankin Utility Authority? It has no website. There is no mention of it in The Yellow Pages or The Yellow Book. An online search of the realpages.com provides a "Rankin West Utility Authority" that is located on Old Highway 49S in Richland but the phone number given is for Flowood City Hall. In contrast to this lack of transparency, the Madison Wastewater Authority posts all minutes of its meetings online (not surprising since the splendid Madison County Chancery Clerk is the secretary), while Jackson's is online as well.
The letterhead in the response states the board members are Flowood Mayor Gary Rhoads, Pearl Mayor Brad Rogers, Flowood Public Works Director Gary Miller (Executive Director), Mayor Tim Coulter, Benny French of PRVD, Dick Vanderleest, Richland Mayor Mark Scarborough, and Joe F. Donald, Jr. It should also be noted several of these officials are also members of the Rankin-Hinds Levee Board. It has been reported to JJ Mr. Miller is no longer the Executive Director but that has not been confirmed. Attempts to reach several board members were unsuccessful.
The EPA also made a similar recommendation on a 1995 grant to the City of Flowood. The EPA issued a report on October 27, 2009 in which it recommended Flowood should repay $896,224 for similar violations. Copy of report. Flowood's response is on page 14 of the report.
Note: Any additional information provided by Flowood or WRMA officials will be posted on this website. Efforts were made to contact Mr. Miller and Scarborough but were unsuccessful.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
EPA wants West Rankin Utility Authority to repay $663,321 and Flowood to repay $896,224
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
37 comments:
Gee, a no-bid contract for architectural and engineering services. Hmmm, wonder who got that contract.
What I found interesting are the two different responses. One was from Flowood the other from the West Rankin Utility.
Responses were similar in nature, we are newly formed, we haven't done this before, we don't have the staff, but, why in the time between the first and second report would they not show some progress on all fronts. It's only three key activities, if they had, they may have avoided the "high-risk" recommendation.
It looks like a typical audit like I've seen in many corporations, the auditors are looking for comparative measurements, and Flowood relied on outside contractors to provide the only set of measurements. Thus, any auditor is looking at the numbers as single data points with no comparable measures.
The problem is the appearance of impropriety. Just the appearance of the A&E firm having preferential treatment is not a good thing. I mean Yates Construction is a Federally approved contractor, were they consulted?
KEEP digging dude. We smell a rat.
Who are the engineers for the West Rankin Utility Authority? Let me guess, the same engineers that work for Flowood and the Rankin Hinds Levee Board?
Next thing we'll find out is that they all have the same attorney as well.
5 will get you 20 they do. HEY JFP WAKE UP!
FOLLOW THE MONEY (and the Engineering Firms).
4:56 has the right idea but the engineering firms are the small players.The real money flows to the contractors that build the projects that the engineers design.
Fish-you have a very good nose for getting out and ahead on stories that otherwise would never see the light of day.
There is a certain mayor that is reported to have a son-in-law that is employed for a certain contractor that has done the majority of the construction work for West Rankin---can you say "change order"?
Who was the chairman of the board and the board members of the WRUA while these contracts were being doled out....?
Well...even when there are " bids", if the RFP ( request for proposals) is written in such a way that only one potential bidder would qualify, the end result is the same.
All that has to be done, is for those drafting or approving the final draft to ask their " favorite" how they are specifically different from other potential bidders.
It's a bit of an art form to phrase the language in such a way as to either go unnoticed or survive a bid protest, but it happens and bid lettings get next to no scrutiny.
Dusty Rhoads (the ex-cop, redneck Mayor's son) works for Yates Consruction Company, the largest in the state.
FOLLOW THE MONEY.
Tomorrow night AT THE OMNI baby.
Yates would play by the rules. It's not in their interest to do otherwise.
This would be small potatoes for Yates and if Dusty did anything to put them at risk, there would be hell to pay.
That doesn't mean those making the decisions didn't have reasons of their own for favoring Yates or that Dusty wasn't stupid.
Wouldn't bet as the drip drip drip comes to a stop many will be caught up in things that we could have never evisioned was going on right before our eyes.
You guys don't have a clue. There is no great conspiracy. Rhoads may be an ex-cop and a redneck on occasion but he has done more for Rankin County and City of Flowood than anyone I can think of. Kingfish, if you want to look into something, look in to Leland Speed's ownershhip of land that would be benefited by the Two Lakes Project. You might also want to inquire about contributation Speed may have made to the Two Lakes Foundation. If that's not a conflict, I don't know what is.
Pray for the poor fool above (6:15 PM) who believes the tripe served up by the Jackson Free Press.
I don't read the Jackson Free Press. I just operate on facts. You might want to look in the mirror to see the fool. By the way, thanks for the prayers. Hope so see someone of your caliber in church this morning.
Sure you don't. And your Rankin County Superman Gary Rhoads doesn't read it either.
No one is accusing anyone of anything. The problem is when there are state laws that don't require bids for large contracts and there is little transparency, people all too often assume the worst.
And by the way, Leland Speed donated his land at issue to Mississippi College. Of course, it boggled Ladd's mind as to why he chose MC. If she had bothered to do some basic fact checking, she would have learned MC has benefited
tremendously from Mr. Speed's philanthropy over the years and there is at least one building named after him.
Ladd couldn't lead you to that piece of land right now, today, Kingfish. It is a small inconsequential parcel of nothing land. But when you are dealing with people as hateful, angry and ignorant as Ladd any molehill is a mountain. You're talking about the same outfit that is dogging out one of the Working Partners for an existing lot on an existing street in an existing neighborhood built 40 years ago. That isn't a stretch, it is a reckless leap.
You almost sound like you are the angry one. Are you sure you don't have an economic interest in the Two Lakes Project. As for Superman Gary Rhoads, I would put his accomplishments in Flowood up against yours. And no, I don't read the Jackson Free Press but maybe I will start. As for Speed's contribution to the Two Lakes Foundation, don't you think that is relevant to his service on the Flood Control District. I sure as hell do.
Is Rhoads' sweetheart deal on Dogwood Festival adjacent land fair game? Did that represent an ethics violation? Because if you are on a hunt for skeletons ol' Mr. Accomplishment Gary has a walk-in closet full of them.
Your weekly read of the JFP is confirmed.
I can not WAIT for this to get ugly, and it will soon. Talk about closets. Leland Speed can match ethics with ANYONE, ANYTIME.
Now for the redneck, ex-cop Mayor that refuses to annex subdivisions, for the fear of getting his HICK clock cleaned by a non-redneck, and the engineering firms,politicos,consultants, "grants applied for and received by non-reporting" bogus foundations and the law firms (and a very few specific lawyers) THAT HE CONTROLS, wait til the feces hits the fan. I CAN'T WAIT.
WRUA gonna get a whole heap of scrutiny going forward. Better hope Gary that y'all kept good minutes and records. A damn avalanche of FOI requests inbound your location at this time. Accountability is a bitch Gary.
Won't be from me. What I'm interested in is how the JFP suddenly became experts on plat maps and who owned what land on one side of the river. I'm wondering if they did that all on their own.
Does this guy really want to pit Mayor Rhoads' morals/ethics up against Leland Speed? Let me know when that slot gets filled so that I can tivo it.
All right, tone it down just a hair. I don't know the first thing about those guys so I zapped it. Next thing you know you will be calling some of these guys Kurt Busch fans.
Go gettum Leland....
What is wrong with Kurt Busch fans. And for the record, I posted the link here first before they probably went and searched records on their own. I do have to agree with the annexation problem. Flowood is a very tightly controlled city. Very little in the way of citizens, beyond Corporate citizens.
That is because Gary will not annex, as he is afraid, if he does, more people (ie:intelligent people) will chose the Mayor.
I was just thinking that based on your comments. Thanks for connecting the dots. Why not try and put up our own candidate? The Jambalaya Party...hmmm.
Gary Rhoads' brother is all up in the State legislature. He used to work for MDOT, and he was their "liason" for legislative affairs. I don't remember his first name, but he loves to brag about the good ole days when he played football at Mississippi State. So, that is how Dusty got a job at Yates. Also Rhoads' daughter works for Flowood Elementary. I'm sure she didn't have to face much competition when she was hired right out of college, when there were more experienced teachers who would have loved a job in Rankin County. The good ole boy connections are alive and well here in the Deep South!
Does anyone wonder why the transportation system (Lakeland Drive) is so terrible? Rhoads and his idiot cronies allowed for major commercial development without one iota of consideration of the effects on the transportation network. Their failure to plan has screwed Flowood residents. And no doubt, the city will be relying on the State taxpayers to fix it. A bunch of dumbass rednecks are leading that city, thinking that they are above the law. I smell more than a rat... perhaps an infestation!
How did the City of Flowood and WRMA come up with the match for Federal funds? The EPA is seeking reimbursement for Federal funds minus the excess matching funds provided. Sounds like the local taxpayers are going to take the hit, without even knowing it. If I lived in Flowood, I would be asking some serious questions.
The City of Flowood's response to EPA's report, which states that the City simply cannot keep up with every scrap of paper (regarding the consultant selection) is the most hilarious excuse I have ever heard. The City is blatantly admitting that they did not adhere to Federal regulations for record keeping, which requires that records be kept for several years after the contract has been completed. The EPA was well within those time limits for conducting the audit.
As for the WRMA claiming that they were a newly formed agency. What a lame excuse! The Federal regs don't give a sh%t when the agency was formed. All grantees are required to follow the laws & regs, and they agree to follow all regs upon award of the grant.
One would assume that Gary Rhoads would be familar with Federal requirements, as the City receives various sources of Federal funds. However, looking at the EPA's audit on the City of Flowood, that assumption has no merit. Instead, I am left to assume that Rhoads and any funds that he has a hand in managing are suspect for impropriety. I personally think he is a weasel who thinks he can do whatever he wants in his jurisdiction. Good luck with that, Rhoads!
I anticipate that there will be much more focus on Mississippi from the Feds. After all, we are the ones that have born and bred such wonderful, upstanding leaders/businessmen, such as Bernie, Dickie, Gary Rhoads, and the like.
And, in comment to a previous post about going to church, although I cannot attest this for a fact, I suspect that all of these types of slugs attended church regularly.
OK, taxpayers, I did the math:
The EPA recommended that since the WRMA paid $529,419 in excessive and unstubstantiated matching funds, that WRMA pay back only $663,321. So that adds up to $1.2 million in costs to the taxpayers for Rhoads' blunder.
The EPA recommended that since the City of Flowood paid $471,917 in excessive and unstubstantiated matching funds, that the City pay back only $896,224. So that adds up to $1.36 million in costs to the taxpayers for Rhoads' blunder.
Rhoads is screwing taxpayers out of $2.56 million just on these two ventures alone.
My rule of thumb is that if the documentation isn't there to substantiate expenditures, then it doesn't exist. Stupidity is not an excuse for not obeying the law. Even a dumbass like Rhoads knows that, as an ex-cop and all!! If you can't obey the Federal laws and regulations, then don't apply for the grants. Rhoads abused the taxpayers statewide and nationwide--until EPA got involved. He needs to limit his squandering money to the taxpayers within his jurisdiction of Flowood, and keep it in house. I certainly didn't vote for some stupid redneck to squander the Federal taxes I have paid. This is not a "local" issue. ALL taxpayers nationwide should be angry. We all got screwed, but the local taxpayers really got screwed to the tune of $2.56 million.
NOTE TO EVERYONE: Now is not the time to be driving in Flowood without Rankin County tags. They desperately need your hard-earned money to pay back the Feds!!!
Look at 25. Its ripe with chain businesses and a lot of folks that got sold a bill of goods. You cannot develop a strip of highway without folks who live and attend to the businesses in that area - tax base wise. What is worse is that Lakeland got dragged through the Cole testimony the other day. The town of Jackson is creeping on Flowood. Those jokers are not really claiming that they have it together? Are they? I'm sure none of the numskulls really paid attention.
Yes, the Mayor's son works for Yates and is even on the Board of Aldermen. Yes, the Mayor's daughter teaches at Flowood Elementary. Yes, the Mayor's son-in-law teaches and coaches at NW Rankin HS. If anyone happens to know any of these people, they would agree that these are all competent, able, qualified individuals who happen to be perfectly suited for each of those jobs. Elected officials are not the only ones who use their contacts to help people they know get jobs. The "who you know" game in the job hiring arena is a common practice.
I'm not saying there isn't any shady business going on in Flowood, I just don't think it's with the employment of the Mayor's kids.
I really don't have a problem with a mayor's daughter working as a teacher for less than $30,000 a year in a district that employs several hundred or thousand people. I'm more concerned with nepotism when promotions come into play or when the hiring is done for a limited number of jobs, not a larger pool like teachers or firefighters.
Any new developments on this?
Post a Comment