The city of Brandon will hold a hearing on a moratorium, yes, a moratorium on get this, small business development in downtown Brandon. The city stopped issuing permits earlier this month. See the notice below.
So the city faces a shortfall after the Department of Revenue screws it on tax payments but tells businesses not to come to Brandon even if for a short while. we don't need the tax revenue nor the license fees even if for a short while. Ooooook. Did I mention the city hired a supervsior's son in May to be the director of economic development at a salary of $42,000 then gave him a $15,000 raise in July? The Clarion-Ledger reported yesterday:
Brandon Mayor Butch Lee says the city may have to cut services and have layoffs in part from having to repay the state for sales taxes it overpaid Brandon.
“All of our problems are not a result of it, but this combined with the way other things are going, costs increasing … it’s just spiraling down,” Lee said.
The state Department of Revenue says Brandon was overpaid about $1.5 million in sales taxes from 2010 to 2012, money collected from businesses that were not inside the city limits....
The city is paying the taxes back at $16,000 a month, deducted from its monthly sales tax return from the state. For June, the city received about $461,000. Lee said the city is getting a double whammy, not only having to pay the $16,000 a month but having the businesses removed from its sales tax stream. This causes a cash-flow crunch in a city with a $13 million annual budget and other expenses rising, Lee said....
Here's a good start, Mayor. Rescind that raise. That will cover one month. Open up your downtown again. Tax revenue can be a wonderful thing, even for Republicans. I suspect Brad, Gary, Mary, and Gene are laughing at this little moratorium. Phil is a gentleman, he'd just shake his head a couple of times.
Note: For those of you saying this is only temporary, I didn't see moratoriums imposed on the Reservoir and other areas while overlays were discussed.
24 comments:
If you are so smart JJ why dont you run for mayor?? You have a track record of supporting losers in your hometown!!
The moratorium is only temporary. (See link below for documents). The city is working on a downtown overlay district, and needs a temporary halt until plans are put in place.
Here is the rest of the story:
http://brandon.s463.sureserver.com/?page_id=420
According to the city website, the downtown area affected is pretty much the old downtown Brandon, nothing else. An overlay district would greatly enhance the area, and in the long run, will increase the tax base. They are smart to halt new permits until plans are put in place.
Brandon is ranked as one of the top 100 small towns in America according to CNN Money Magazine and filled with potential and its downtown is the heart of the community. Brandon will do well to briefly hit the pause button and consider how best to ensure a vibrant, walkable downtown and avoid a sprawled over, cut and paste place.
What is missed in this tax shortfall deal is two things. One, the Department of Revenue agents are supposed to "approve" the city diversion when new accounts are established. This is a big amount for just a couple of small businesses. Some agent somewhere made a huge, huge mistake. Secondly, it is ironic that the city just voted to increase taxes for sporting venues and now may have to lay off people. Like an old supervisor told me one time....don't laugh at Jackson, we are only one screwed up election away from being there ourselves.... (huh Hattiesburg?)
The economic development he has accomplished is the 2% tax increase levy, he is workin on getting liquor passed.
You will also probably see the BOS supplementing the city on a project or two.
Butch doesn't give a rat's behind about anything other than doing what he believes is best for Brandon.
And, he is one who recognizes what he doesn't know and is smart enough to learn what he needs to know to do a good job.
He's really just wants to get the job done right and was frustrated with what he saw happening at every level of politics.
If shaking things up and doing what needs doing means he won't be re-elected, he doesn't care.
I got to see this man operate in an entirely different setting and watch him when the opportunity to be mayor was unexpectedly dumped in his lap.
He's loaded with charm and charisma and confidence and tough as nails. He's nobody's fool. But, he's also so damn honorable, it's hard to believe at first. I thought he was just another pretty boy who might have gotten by on his looks but I was wrong.
He just won't care about party politics or what critics say or what enemies he'll make.
If Butch thinks the supervisor's son was the best he could get for the money and this is what it took to get him, I'll betcha there's something about the kid's brain and vision and enthusiasm or background that you're missing KF.
Tread slowly cause in the end, you are going to respect this guy and realize any whispering in your ear are the bad ole boys with hidden agendas.
You don't have to post this...just giving you a heads up...
An Overlay district is a part of a zoning ordinance and according to state law but be directing by the City comprehensive plan.What does the plan say?
9:01: Hello, Butch.
If Lee is so smart, why did he run off the police chief who had spent his entire career at Brandon? A chief who had no lawsuits against the city and the highest morale the PD has ever seen?
You don't "shake things up" for the sake of doing it.
Stay tuned...more to come....
Say what you want, I hear the supervisors son has influence with the chair of the Senate finance Committee
9:01- Please tell me how crow tastes in a few years
I'm so NOT butch or Butch ROFL
9:34 pm...you'll need the pie recipe for crow LOL
poor lil ole boys...change is hard
You mean king Butch the one who sued the state
For disability
Not one of the good ole boys hires Wood's boy bs!!!!!!!!!!!!
He ran off the best police chief Brandon
Will ever know
Chief Chalk worked over 5 years with no pay
When he started
Not one of the good ole boys hires Wood's boy bs!!!!!!!!!!!!
He also kept his anti development director also
This just in: Raw sewage spills from Gallatin Street manhole. Contaminates Pearl all the way to Swinging Bridge. So...all the sewage spilling over is NOT in Brandon.
Well...of course, this is all about personal relationships and " who do you know?"
It can't possibily be about qualifications,performance and facts.
If morale is good, it could be that nobody is having to do much work, has everything they need to be comfortable at work, and is getting paid more than they think they deserve.
The moratorium may be needed to be well positioned .
Any attempt to make positive change is met with resistance here.
Not because the change is bad but because it disturbs the social pecking order.
Did someone actually say that the supervisors son has friends on the finance committee and that's a good thing? This is why Rankin County and Brandon are in the shape they are in. People that believe things like this are important. Brandon hired a planning guy, the son of a supervisor and created a new job for the person that use to have the position. The police department should be priority and instead, it's the bottom of the barrel. Maybe because hard working officers don't have friends on the finance committee?
Who is the chairman of the Senate finance committee?
Senate Finance Committee:
Joey Fillingane, Chairman; Dean Kirby, Vice-Chairman
Members: Nickey Browning; Hob Bryan; Kelvin E. Butler; Lydia Graves Chassaniol; Deborah Jeanne Dawkins; Sally Doty; Steve Hale; Josh Harkins; Billy Hudson; Kenneth Wayne Jones; David Jordan; Will Longwitz; Chris Massey; Haskins Montgomery; Philip Moran; David Parker; Rita Potts Parks; John A. Polk; Derrick T. Simmons; Tony Smith; Bill Stone; Gray Tollison; Giles Ward; Michael Watson
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