Incompetence costs, even in the Lumumba administration. The failure to pay bills even when the city has the money means the Riverside Drive project is going to cost another $850,000. WLBT reported October 18:
A major road project in Belhaven will cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars more than expected after the city failed to pay contractors for months.
Last week, Jackson’s One-Percent Infrastructure Sales Tax Commission approved allocating an additional $850,000 to cover increased engineering costs on the Riverside Drive Reconstruction Project. The $850,000 for engineers is in addition to the $76,000 the commission approved spending last month to cover rising asphalt costs. And like the $850,000, contractors had to pay higher prices for the asphalt after the project was delayed for some 250 days due to the city’s lack of payment. “Because of the city’s incompetence, it did not pay the contractor and the cost is now another $850,000, which means the whole project will cost a million dollars more,” One-Percent Commissioner Pete Perry said. “Due to the fat incompetence of not paying [its] bills, this project cost another million dollars. And the money is sitting in the bank.” Article
The downtown deadbeats in City Hall just couldn't bring themselves to pay the bills even when it had the money to do so. Hence, the contractors walked off the job. Funny how that works. The city doesn't pay, the contractor doesn't work. Rinse, repeat.
Ward 7 Coucilwoman Virgi Lindsay tried to blame the leadership changes in public works for the failure to pay bills. Uh-huh. Hmmm..... somehow other cities manage to pay their bills when there is turnover in their public works leadership. One hopes the administration is not refusing to pay the contractors on this project for reasons of race.
The more likely explanation is once again, the administration failed at performing basic management tasks. Such is to be expected when no one in the government has any experience actually running anything before they assumed their current jobs.
Several Commissioners said it best: incompetence.
Note: Start the video around the 1:00 mark.
38 comments:
With regards to this specific project not convinced KF this isn't purposeful sabotage by the spiteful half-Mayor.
The mayor is too busy running around calling everyone except himself a racist.
Virgi Lindsay my wife left me, I was obligated to pay the people we owed! Now the entire Public Works Department was not in turnover!
Did we shut the water off because there was a turnover?
Who’s driving the bus when the bus boss leave? Do we shut down?
Stupid people play stupid games and we all loose!
Pay your bills!
Did Socrates get his cut? 10% for the big guywho lives in a gated community?
Man Hemphill is making a mint off the City of Jackson. Wasn't it Hemphill that did the work for MAC Construction on the Siemens water meter debacle? Don't forget the other costs when you have change orders like increased payment and performance bond costs that will be charged back to the city. While it is small in comparison to the the $850,00 increase, even at a 1% rate, the bonding change order will add another $8500 to the bill.
Jackson is the incompetence capital of the US. I don’t feel sorry for them anymore. The citizens not only vote for it but they accept it.
MAC ripped off Hemphill. Hemphill wound up during Regions and MAC. Case settled. I suspect Regions paid up. MAC stiffed everyone on the JSU project so the insurance company had to pay out on the bond. The insurance company recovered against Hemphill. Hemphill in turned sued MAC. Got a garnishment order against MAC on the North State Street project and got paid in full.
The citizens who vote for these clowns likely don't pay taxes, so no skin off their behinds.
Typo police here...
"MAC ripped off Hemphill. Hemphill wound up during Regions and MAC."
"...wound up SUING Regions..."
I’m sure it’s just racism.
Was recently told by a Jackson vendor that they had to wait 5 months to be paid on an invoice. After finally receiving payment and when Jackson called the vendor back for more service, the vendor decided they were not in the banking of Jackson, MS at 0% interest business - and refuses to trade with Jackson anymore.
Good lesson for all vendors – don’t do business with “wants to be known as most radical city” Jackson, MS.
What do the initials behind the Mayor's name, "CPM," mean?
Does this mean that someone else signed for him, with his permission I assume, or is it a reference to an academic or professional title?
Thanks.
Virgi's husband is a respected accounting firm executive, he should mansplain her.
KF- speaking of MAC, you should check out his truck and trailer that has been parked downtown, mostly at Pearl and Congress for at least 8 months - taking up several parking spaces without paying for parking meter- advertising Mr MAC for mayor of Jackson in '24. In a normal, non incompetently run city, that truck-trailer would have been towed after 24 hours-
Again please. Who is MAC?
“Such is to be expected when no one in the government has any experience actually running anything”, I disagree.
The mayor is very good at running his mouth. He's not saying anything that will correct a problem, but he's good at running that mouth.
Childish pay avoidance games ruin Jackson's credit and contracting reputation. This administration couldn't keep a goat alive, even if that was its only responsibility. Unless it was a scapegoat.
I had a well operated 300 home bicycle paper route business at 14 years old that was more responsibility than this city could handle. Please demand Lil Choke solicit bids for garbage pick-up, another service he can't run except into the ground!
@9:44 AM - CPM means "Can Perpetually Mismanage"
I don't see how anyone does business with the COJ anymore. It is well known in a lot of business circles that getting paid in a timely manner is not going to happen. Didn't we learn the vac-trucks weren't paid for? The incompetence is very telling of the leadership, or lack thereof.
No One Rips off Hemphill- Fact!
Wait a minute...
Aside from the fact that contracts usually exist only in the words written on paper, I want to know WHY the engineering part would require that kind of increase? Do the engineers get paid for not working or suddenly they can't handle the same work because of a delay?
What exactly changed in the WORK to be done because of the delay?
The contract covers or should. all sorts of overruns and delays and causes.
Late payment just doesn't make sense as to the "cause" nor does "delay" of such ridiculously high engineering costs. They are supposed to know what is involved in completing the project and likely problems as well as delays that may arise. They aren't working during a "delay" and the "job" stays the same.
Companies large enough to have bid have other things for their people to work on during delays. They can even be sent to help on another job.
Asphalt costs rose? There's no mechanism in the contract to deal with that? No cushion? Who got the asphalt subcontract part of the overall contract and aren't they bound by that the price they quoted?
Seems like a lot of politics being played by those who haven't read the contract and don't understand that contractors assume risks and do their subs. The "owner" does too.
What the hell does the contract say???? Surely there's not a " we can underestimate costs and you must pay clause or_'we can stop work and you still pay us for our time "clause or a " pay as you go" clause.
This reads to me like Pete's usual "seize the political opportunity" MO since he didn't at any point quote the contract specs.
Contract pay usually have a specific process for dealing with costs /overruns/ delays/ and the engineers job is mostly up front and to check the work is done to specifications described in the contract. Only in LaLa land would that be $850000!
And " news" people ought to be able to find the contract and consult with a lawyer who specializes construction law who doesn't represent any of the parties or lives in Jackson as to how the contract reads before creating a brouhaha based on political sources.
And, a news outlet ought to have reporters who know that contractors like every business ever assumes risks in a changing operating environment. Politics seems to have convinced some they are so revered that we, the people, have to assume their risks so they have none!
Until then, reporters and the rest of us shouldn't jump to conclusions because Pete looks for a chance to play partisan politics. That's his job of choice.
Okay so Hemphill didn't work for some period of time. Doesn't that mean the Engineer didn't work either??? So why do they need another $850,000 for inspection etc.???
Seems like a lot of politics being played by those who haven't read the contract ...
HIGH WIND ALERT.
11:22
You answer your own question: the City is beholden to the Contract covering the Work. Increases in cost of work, including added costs of delays, automatically incur a percentage increase in Engineering fees. You can likely yourself go to Public Works dept and read the Contract. Getting paid in full, on time, per Contract should never be a risk undertaken by any Contractor.
Richards Disposal always gets paid on time. Otherwise the "big guy" wouldn't receive his 10%.
October 23, 2023 at 11:22 AM, maybe you should quit ranting, and pontificating on the interwebs, high tail your ass to the Public Works department, and read the contract for yourself. That way, you can seize the political opportunity.
In before “It’s because they’re Democrats.”
Think again.
It would be very telling to pull a few “random contracts” and their pay timeline vs billed and compare it to how swiftly Richards gets paid. One could probably make a pretty safe assumption if the dots connected.
Now way anybody is this incompetent. I’d vote that it’s intentional. Just don’t pay people and see what we can get away with. Specially those white firms.
I just left the Hinds County Tax Collector office in Jackson. I was dealing with a tag issue on one of our company vehicles. If all of Jackson and Hind's county offices are run like that office, I now understand why Jackson is in the shape it is in.
11:52. Just because contractor got extra money for asphalt and extra days for not working due to City incompetence does not mean. Engineer gets automatic fee increases. I bet engineer’s contract is based on hourly rates not percentage of construction.
It's the cost of doin bidness?
Lil Choke, who choked again, claims $850 thousand "was an oversight not entered into the system."
What a system! Please run the Lumumbas outta town!
3:11
If Contract included Engineering as all hourly based, it would have been "cost plus" not a competitive bid document, so Council would not have approved an open ended contract for identifyable specific work, plus such an unknown total could not be competitively compared to other bids.
The little emperor simply doesn't pay his bills because fiduciary performance isn't a chapter in Marxist 'Rules For Radicals'.
October 23, 2023 at 12:33 PM
That is assumed so it doesn't need to be said.
5:04. Estimated $14M construction contract. What you figure engineering percentage should be? 15%? 20%? That’s $2.1 to $2.8M. So, $850K because contractor didn’t get paid and didn’t work is a bit excessive!!!
3:11. Last I hear engineers don’t bid for engineering work! And also the Council would have approved a contract with a not to exceed amount, amended only by subsequent Council approval.
6:29
If results of bid were excessive, then City did not seek, compare and qualify sufficient bids... or... City did not hold up its contractual obligations. Lil Choke should be personally liable for part of the tens of millions of costs to taxpayers related to his malfeasance/ incompetence/ Marxist priorities as Mayor thus far. He really should be chained in an exhibit at the zoo, he's such a freak.
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