Jackson Jambalaya

My understanding is Jackson doesn't touch the money. Corps directs the work.

And Bennie Thompson wants to bypass the State and hand over $200,000,000 to these guys? They can't manage a $90,000.000 Siemans project and the billing department and he wants to double down on that S__t Show?

Maybe this is a dumb question, but why did Waggoner continue working for the COJ without getting paid? Same goes for Richard's Disposal.

@10:59 In the Waggoner situation, I would assume that Waggoner felt confident that they would eventually get fully paid. They probably felt it was a late payment, snafu in the system, etc., but that they would eventually get fully paid. They probably had a legit contract/agreement. Richards Disposal is different because there are valid questions on whether they have a legitimate contract/agreement to do the work.

@10:59am - I think that is an excellent question!

Dr. Omari understands the progressive imperative to "keep it positive". We will not be dragged into negativity and the discussion of facts which do not advance our positive agenda. Sorry, try to understand.

Waggoner has contract, Richard's does not. Yes, a dumb question. Please catch up.

Hillman may have management experience but ZERO Public Works experience. What does a public works direct do? “Pothole and asphalt repairs. Water & sewer infrastructure maintenance and operations. Maintenance of City right-of-ways and storm water drainage systems. Major and minor infrastructure projects.” See the part about Water and Sewer. Yea. OH YEA! So you have a city who won’t pay bills. Can’t manage the billing system. Hires unqualified personnel. Wont hire enough personnel., ect. ect. The list is long but distinguished, as Goose would say.

The city cannot collect its revenue nor pay its bills.

When does a criminal indictment come into play?

Ooops!

10:59, they thought they would eventually get paid, but they probably also worried that stopping the work would give hizzoner an excuse to not pay them at all.

Richards is not dumb. They knew Chuck would eventually get Uncle Bennie to replenish the criminal coffers.
They'll get paid shortly.

I have friends in various industries who know better than to deal with COJ.

Jackson is the equivalent of the morons who pay $400 per month to rent to own a $300 tv because they have a 200 credit score.

11:08 - actually, I think it is not. 11:07 provides an excellent explination of the difference.

Richard's does not have a valid contract, approved by the City Council. Waggoner does. Therefore, as long as they are performing and meeting the terms, the City, and the Council, are oblilgated to pay. Same is not true for Richard's.

Problem with the city is that this is not unusual. A month ago Robert Lee brought invoices to the council to pay for several YEARS worth of rental fees to one of the companies that provides the sewer by-pass pumps you see around town. They had to pay these past due invoices in order to keep the pumps from being removed like the leased Vaccumm trucks.

Contrators performing work repaving roads, replacing bridges, and doing water/sewer work are not being paid timely either. It won't be long before there will be no contractors willing to work for the City of Jackson - just as was the case when MEMA needed contractors at Curtis who wanted assurance that they were being paid by MEMA, not the city of Jackson.

I suspect she would be the first one to tell you that. She's pretty no-nonsense.

Remember when the state took over OBC and immediately found it hard to hire contractors due to Jackson's notorious reputation for not paying its bills?

Well, this is why.

I'll bet none of their high priced hand picked consultants waited a year for their paycheck.

Personal opinion...but..WHAT exactly has Waggoner MANAGED? ?

Only the unwashed masses pay their bills on time, right?

These people at the city have to be the dumbest people in the world. How can you not budget for an expense that will occurr. They said they didn't have the money well then you tell them they can't work or find the money. Also said they didn't expect the company to be working into the next fiscal year. What a load of crap. I am pretty sure the finance people with the city tell their mortagage companies they don't have the money and expect to keep their house. The state has a law that all vendors have to be paid within 90 days. No excuses. What a bunch of bafoons.

Jackson can't or won't pay their bills and can't collect either. I have two homes with three water meters. Home 1 has an irrigation meter that hasn't received a bill in over a year. The more important bill is for the home. It includes water, sewer and garbage charges. I do get a bill for that but it always reads $0.00 as being due. Home 2 has very, very low water usage. It's meter has been estimated for 18 months. I figure I'm paying $30 extra per month than I should be paying. Three calls to the city have been made. Three assurances that the meter would be read. It hasn't so I just quit paying the bill. I told them, and they made note (so they say) that I was suspending payment until the meter is read. They said ok. The way I figure it, if they can't take the time to come read a meter, which would then produce revenue, they won't take the time to come shut off the meter. But knowing our water department, they'll probably just cut off the meter.

It’s telling that the Mayor will push to pay an out-of-state vendor for performing services without a legal contract, but refused to pay a local company’s invoices for over a year, despite them being legally under contract. No wonder Dr. Bigmouth from Ridgeland didn’t want to say anything. She didn’t want to openly admit to how stupid she, her boss and his department leaders are.

@12:14 I believe most consent decrees require a program manager. They help with the required reporting, status updates, etc. And they help manage the processes and deadlines. I know Waggoner has also done this for Meridian and their sewer consent decree.

I'm not 100% sure I'm correct on the above. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

On the garbage crisis front: I wonder what sort of backroom chicanery is going on to keep it from crashing in on top of the water crisis.

The stupidvisors should have the invoices and Purchase Orders presented to them for approval and payment by the County Administrator on a routine monthly bill pay basis. I would start there why in the hell the invoices and purchase orders are not being acted on/approved on a timely month to month basis. ?

"Dr. Bigmouth from Ridgeland". Now THAT is funny!

Lumumba said the city has had a plan for years to fix the city's water system, but what is delaying the progress is a lack of resources and funding from the state. BS so you don’t pay vendor that are taking care of the NEEDS of COJ unless they are your cronies. If and I say If you had a plan you would have Sincerely Shared it because you have the utmost faith in EPA and all agencies offering to assist. When you complete necessary federal and state firms, then and only then will the Sincere Truth of your Efforts to deliver a better plan of coming together for the sincere interest of the citizens of Jackson be acted upon. No state in the entire USA gives funding out to any municipal agency without Sincere and proper Required Forms. As for Remarks made my Gov. Reeves in Hattiesburg yes he was glad to be in other parts of Our/His state addressing their Sincere needs. At least he was within the state addressing MS issues and not at a social conference in Miami! Thank you Sincerely to Waggoner Engineering for helping COJ

Asking for a friend what is the COJ credit rating/score when it comes to financial borrowing?

Contract or not, I don't see how any private company can be expected or forced to continue to provide services to a municipality if it isn't being paid, especially over the length of time that we're talking about here. As some suggested, maybe Waggoner expected to be paid eventually, but I think I would have sought legal action after about 6 months of no payments.

From time to time, I will read an article on the Clarion-Ledger that is listed here on JJ. They have a humdinger there now;

https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2022/09/28/mayor-chokwe-antar-lumumba-tells-residents-not-to-trust-state-on-jackson-ms-water-crisis/69524224007/

I'm shocked

Someone should have jumped her shit and told her that was the correct forum and that they all work for the people, not the other way around. It's call transparency. What a bitch.

If the credit rating is indeed 200for the COJ, sincerely the Mayor must tell the heartfelt truth that the COJ is passing these high interest payments to the Citizens of Jackson. We have faith and trust in the USACOE and EPA & know they will do what is in the best interest for the people of the COJ and Mississippi. There is no shame if the Mayor has done his sincere best but cannot accomplish the task of his job as required when he was sworn in as mayor. Then as our mothers would say there will be someone else better equipped & qualified to perform the job of Mayor with All of the complex issues arising each day.

I wonder if MAC Consultants/Construction(Marcus Wallace) had to fight to get his money? Me thinks if you are a DBE, you get PAID, and on time.

I bet Mauricka McKenzie got paid on time.

Would've been a lot more fun to watch from the suburbs if Waggoner had sent in Snake Plissken to rescue their receivables.

So, this is about lack of monies to cover the expected operations of the city.

I would really like to know how many new offices have been instituted by this administration, and the salary for those employees.

I would also like to know the expenses that are being cover for the mayor's office.

The extra legal fees for both the mayor's office, and the city council, that have been wasted in the ridiculous garbage contract, and veto lawsuit, need to be accounted for.

I would assume the lawyers are being paid. It is unreal the amount of money wasted by these people. Yet, a legal contract with a needed contractor can't be honored? Unbelievable.

"There are some discussions that should be had but they should not be had in this forum, so let's just move on" said the Chief of Staff."

Actually, based on the subject matter, as described in this blog subject, it would not be legal to defer the discussion to executive session. Any other manner of handling city business would be illegal as well.

And I will have nothing more to say in clarification, so let's just move on...

Hiring someone to perform work under a contract, then choosing not to pay them after the work is done. Sad. Sounds like what the last President did in is private business practices.

@4:13 PM, The People's Budget in the new Dignity Economy doesn't owe you an explanation for anything. Oppressor!

JJ's fact-sheet about water crash need to be read and understood by those dozen+ black ministers. Use simple facts to attack those who serve as allies for the desperate, deceitful mayor. Work now to get Banks or Stokes into Mayor's race.

16/23,904 = 0.0669% = sufficient reason to pontificate at a press conference

12:33. Agree except there’s no state law to pay bills in 90 days. However I believe after 45 days you’re entitled to 1-1/2% interest per month till bill is paid.

9:06 pm - correct. And I believe the law reads “shall” pay interest at the rate of 1.5% per month after 45 days. Waggoner was just investing their money wisely…I know I can’t get 18% return right now!

@12:14 - that's a pretty good question, but the truth is once Waggoner took over the management of the consent decree, they actually for the first time since it was entered (2013??) did some work toward fixing the sewer problems. All Lumumba administration has done for the past five years was try to renegotiate the terms, loosen the requirements, and extend the time to comply. All the while spending a few million dollars a year --- that they didn't have ---- on lawyers and the out of state engineering firm that Baby Chock insistend upon as the reciepant of the non-existent pay. BUt just so Waggoner won't feel slighted, they entered those contracts without having any money in the budget or available to pay them either.

Man, what a deal. Using other people's money even when you don't have enough of other people's money. Think this Mayor or Council gig might be a fun thing to do since my banker won't let me run my business that way

what 2:36 said. Spot on.

About the time you think you have seen or heard it all as to Jackson's complete breakdown you will get a new one. The adage "You can't make this up comes to mind everyday. This is a circus, complete with clowns and only surpassed on some days by the Hinds County Board of Supervisor's meetings. It boggles the mind but at same time you cannot wait for the next revelation to come out.

I am hooked on this soap opera. Keep them coming, maybe the next one will create the opportunity to clean house. Just have to hope.

Just My Thoughts

The reason most consultants and contractors won't sue the city for non-payment, or even charge them interest when they have the legal right to do so, is they don't want to jeopardize future business with the city (crazy, I know). Suing for payment might get you a win in court, but blacklisted from ever getting another city contract. And you just know these all local engineers depend on repeat city business, getting another mouthful of slop from the city pigpen.

And to 2:06 and 2:36, of course they (and one other DBE firm) probably got paid on time while most other firms and contractors got stiffed for months.

6 months on AR's with the City of Jackson has been SOP for at least a decade.