JJ filed an Open Meetings Act complaint against the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority this morning this morning with the Mississippi Ethics Commission. The Kingfish attempted to see the minutes of the Board of Commissioners last week but was denied access last week.
Section Section 25-41-11 of the Mississippi Code states:
1) Minutes shall be kept of all meetings of a public body, whether in open or executive session, showing the members present and absent; the date, time and place of the meeting; an accurate recording of any final actions taken at such meeting; and a record, by individual member, of any votes taken; and any other information that the public body requests be included or reflected in the minutes. The minutes shall be recorded within a reasonable time not to exceed thirty (30) days after recess or adjournment and shall be open to public inspection during regular business hours.
The law makes it clear any citizen can walk off the street and read the minutes of the governing body. Yours truly visited JMAA last Thursday afternoon in an attempt to view the minutes for the February 10, 2020 meeting as well as the minutes for this year.
JMAA staff said the minutes were posted on JMAA's website. However, the February 10, 2020 minutes are not on the website. A federal lawsuit claims those minutes state the termination of the JMAA Chief Financial Officer. The minutes posted also do not include claims dockets, reports, and contracts accepted into the minutes. Thus stating the minutes are online is a rather incomplete answer.
The JMAA staff said I could file a public records request for the records I sought. However, the Open Meetings Act states I do not have to file a public records request for the minutes. Period. The law states the government must give the citizen access to the minutes upon demand during business hours. If the Public Records Act is used, JMAA can take up to 14 business days to provide the records as well as charging fees.
A JMAA employee sent me a public records request form and instructed me to return it for the minutes I sought. I replied I do not have to fill out such a form to view minutes under the Open Meetings Act. Open Meetings Act.
A July 2020 Attorney General opinion allows the government to electronically store the minutes. However, the Attorney General said the government must provide a public access terminal (as it does for MEC) to the public. The opinion covered only municipalities but JMAA is arguing in federal court it is part of the city of Jackson. The opinion states:
Pursuant to Sections 21-15-17 and 25-41-11, municipal meeting minutes must be made available to the public, for review and inspection, in the office of the municipal clerk during regular office hours. To ensure the public’s free access to municipal meeting minutes which may be electronically stored and maintained, the municipal clerk’s office must be equipped with a public-access computer terminal. See, MS AG Ops., Barber and McKenzie.
It is the opinion of this office that a municipality may forego the use of physical minute books and store all minutes electronically; provided, however, all requirements of Miss. Code Ann. Sections 21-15-1, et seq., inclusive of the signing and seal requirements of Section 21-15-3, are satisfied and the minutes are publicly available for review and inspection.
Stay tuned.
25 comments:
Tom Hood has reached for his pen to write a strongly worded letter rebuke to JMAA. The rebuke will be worded strongly with strong words and words that are strongly worded. JMAA will feel the wrath of his strongly worded strong words. And they will immediately cower in fear and grant KF access to the minutes once they receive the strongly worded letter filled with strong words.
get fucking blogboy you aint no real journalist
When receiving such eloquently worded retorts as found at 11:19am, you are probably digging close to the spot where the bodies are buried.
Good Job Mr. Fish.
You might just save the residents of Jackson from themselves someday.
Great job KF
And 11:19 "you ain't no lyricist". That isn't really a sentence. If you had used "get f***ed blogboy, you aren't a real journalist", your point would have been gotten. Instead you let everyone know of your JPS education(or lack thereof, and we don't take people seriously who cant use big words properly.
Pretty obvious you're not an English major either.
Sic 'em, KF! Thank you!
Good job, KF. Steady on. Guv'ment hates daylight.
11:19 dat swole reporting doe
Kingfish is my hero - please, everybody, send him money today (like I'm doing as soon as I write this) - he's the only editor / reporter in the Jackson area looking out for you & me
I went by the place and they allowed me access to
Their minutes….try again?
I agree with @11:50. Government hates daylight. Good job Kingfish. The law is the law. So many problems in this country would be solved if we held our governmental bodies accountable. Kingfish is correct and the JMAA is wrong. It may be considered minor or petty by some, but right is right and wrong is wrong. Anyone criticizing Kingfish on this is part of the problem.
11:19 is probably a JMAA board member who graduated/attended JPS.
Good job! Stay the course!
Can't ANY of you blockheads tell that 11:19 is being sarcastic?
Sorry, KF, but I had to chuckle about "blogboy".
Well 1:14, actually I thought of a lyric in Bonnie Raitt's classic tune "Thing Called Love".
( I ain't no porcupine, take off your kid gloves)
But great move KF ... perhaps you can get copies of the expense vouchers from the Pairs Air Show trip.
Lol at y’all giving money to a blogger claimed journalist
If Knigfish wanted to cushy job, he would head over to Clarion Ledger to do absolutely nothing other than attend Jackson City press conferences. Here's the CL headline for the day "Jackson will remain under mask mandate, mayor says". Done! Check! Can I get my weekly salary now.
Journalism is dead because they don't pay much, so there is no incentive to work. They should pay more journalists by the story, so they'll actually crank out some work.
Good job King!! Thank you for CARING, unlike CL, JFP, Mississippi Free Press, etc etc.
Hope you get attorneys fees and costs.
And the Board is held individually liable.
Mr Kingfish, you're ALMOST as good as Shad White !!!
also, thanks for keeping us up-todate on Spot, the stolen Dog.
Opps, that should be SMOKE
It is unbelievable that a beautiful city like Jackson, MS has turned into a thrid world sh t hole. Its a swirling dervish to fly into The Soul City, which has not soul, nor has it been bold for decades. How do the business folks make any money to pay taxes when salespeople can't fly in...when tourism is almost dead. Mississippi is a gorgeous state with great people and restaurants and music and culture...but so mismanaged. It makes me so sad. If ya'll had a modicum of talent or sense, you could outshine New Orleans or Birmingham or Mobile in a heartbeat. It's too late though. The tax paying citizens, white and black and green are gone, beauce they want a better life and safer life for their families. Those who are left - please continue to cling to your victimhood - instead of taking personal responsibility for your own actions. Embarrassing and Nauseating!
'The girl' at JMAA who refused access have been rebuked by His Holiness, The Honorable Mayor of The Cush. Pursuant to that rebukeness by his Holiness, she have now posted that somebody else have been give access to them minutes, so what she done is cover her track by saying, "Hey, I happen to know the law on this matter". She can now say she don't remember no Kingfish (or Andy) dropping in to make no request anyhow. A copy of the minute will be on a pedastul out by the yellow 'caution - wet floor' sign in front of the Delta ticket counter near the revolving kiosk thing featuring JMAA Commishioners.
JMAA's board of commissioners proved to be incompetent over a decade ago. The fact that they now have members both incompetent and corrupt is unsurprising.
Rotunda sized portraits of der commissars in the airport remind me of the "Emperors new clothes"... my don't we look pretty
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