State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement and report.
Today State Auditor Shad White’s office released an analysis of the audits of the City of Jackson from the last two decades. The analysis shows a concerning financial situation for the city and its residents. “While my office is legally prohibited from auditing cities, cities like Jackson are audited by private CPA firms,” said State Auditor Shad White. “We can, however, analyze the results of city audits. Our analysis of Jackson’s audits shows serious and fundamental financial issues that have to be straightened out. Every concerned taxpayer should be reading this report.” The analysis highlights key problems, such as: • Despite a population loss since 2003, Jackson’s revenue continues to increase. • Continued revenue increases are being outpaced by expenses. • The city’s largest source of revenue, property taxes, is being paid by fewer individuals.
• There has been an explosion of unpaid water bills. The city’s accounting treats many of these bills as if they will never be paid. • The city is not collecting all its water bills, and if it does not collect water bills, it does not have revenue to fund day-to-day operations. • The General Fund and Siemen’s settlement dollars are footing the bill to keep the water system functioning. • There are has been a large increase in water connections added by the city despite population loss. “Jackson is our state’s capital, and we cannot have a strong state without a strong capital,” said Auditor White. “Cities in other Southern states, like Atlanta in Georgia or Birmingham in Alabama, are growing fast and fueling the economies of their states. Jackson can generate growth for Mississippi, but not until it gets its fiscal house in order.”
31 comments:
It's impossible to audit the City of Jackson; more $ is off the books than on them.
Yep- NE Jackson property owners are pulling the wagon- -always have, always will.
Don't disagree with Shad's comments, but likely much easier and welcomed to relocate the State Capitol than it is to improve Jackson.
You Jackson people each have $429,000 of debt--cough it up
Jackson-
Home of the water and sewer bill grifters.
Is it common for a State Auditor to not be able to audit a city? Who is responsible for criminal prosecution when a city has illegal things going on?
Just asking, because I didn't know that.
How have revenues gone up but services keep getting worse?
You are such an idiot. Did Phil ask you to help out Tater Tot?
Why don’t you see if you can find your mentor’s missing texts?? You’re pathetic.
Math is racist.
Remember folks, your mayor farmed out $30million to an out of state law firm for the Siemens "Settlement". That's $30mil that could help the City of Jackson fix it's issues. $30mil is real money. They could have gotten it done a lot cheaper and kept it local with some of the legal community from around the Metro area. That means some may not come back to him as campaign donations, but the City would have a lot more to play with. It was a pretty slam dunk cut and dry suit.
Auditor White better hope the City of Jackson doesn't hire all the same lawyers that Former Auditor Phil says approved the TANF funded Volleyball Farve Mahal.
@3:00 PM - The $30,000,000 went to a Detroit law firm. All road$ out of Jacki$tan lead to Detroit.
and sewage is still flowing into the Pearl!!!
I hate to tell him that the capitol of Alabama is Montgomery and not Birmingham.
Just move the capital city. Easier and safer for everyone involved.
2:53…Accusing someone of deflecting while deflecting…far out.
I already knew this; I've been reading this on this blog for several years.
What good is an audit or an analysis of an audit if nothing can be done about the problems?
3:00, interesting point. Everything else has to be kept local, but apparently not the law firms when big money is involved.
Could we get the Auditor to provide a report on Jackson's criminal polluting of the Pearl River?
No, 30 million went to law firm in Atlanta that had bought mayor's house in foreclosure. He bought the house (on gated street off Ridgewood) from the Atlanta law firm, for a reduced price.
3:48 Too big a read for you?
He said "CITIES in other Southern states, not "CAPITOLS in other Southern states."
Now do PRVWSD
“ Every concerned taxpayer should be reading this report.”
Taxpayer here. I could care less
@3:48 go back and read. He never said Birmingham is the capital of Alabama.
Also, you stated that Montgomery is the capitol of Alabama. That is incorrect. Montgomery is the capital of Alabama.
Did he find anything illegal, are they just that smart or is this a political tag along for White?
Between Antar City, Credell County and Toni Johnson Election Commissioner, just hoe much money is really missing.
Shad provides the metrics to further analyze the looming insolvency of Jackson. The Governor and Legislature need to decide whether it's more appropriate to let Jackson to totally fail or take over now. Either option will be labeled "racist".
WOW!!! Astonishing findings Here are 4 more bombshell revelations from Shad's report:
1) Water is wet.
2) It's dark at night.
3) The Pope is Catholic.
4) Bears do, indeed, poop in the woods.
Now, Shad go do your job and stop campaigning with taxpayer money.
All water systems make a good profit except Jackson. What is going on in Jackson is criminal.
What's the problem Dees, don't want anyone calling out your buddy"s shortcomings?
@7:26 PM: I'm no fan of the idiot "Emperor of the New Republic of Africa". He's in this job WAY over his head. At the same time, I don't want Shad politicking with my tax dollars. Shad has zero authority to report on city audits. And did Shad review the audits of any other municipality? Nope - I checked.
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