Jackson Jambalaya

On November 6 voters will elect two members to the Madison County School Board. If you are registered to vote, the following information about school board elections and your current school board may be helpful to you.

The school board districts are population-based, but are not the same as county supervisor districts. (Canton has its own Canton Separate School District.) Your district is indicated on your voter registration card.

Madison County School Board members do not serve a particular attendance zone or list of schools. Board members are called to make decisions in the best interests of the entire school system and all Madison County taxpayers.

School board members serve staggered six-year terms. Districts 1 and 2 were on the ballot in 2010. District 5 will be up for election in 2014. Districts 3 and 4 are on the ballot now.

The current board includes the following:
Ken McCoy, representing District 1 since 1996: McCoy is division manager for a major biotechnology firm.
Bill Grissett, representing District 2 since 2004: Grissett is a retired police officer and currently works in the computer industry.
Philip Huskey, representing District 4. Appointed in January 2011, Huskey is running for election to the board and is unopposed. Huskey is an attorney.
Shirley Simmons, representing District 5. Simmons has over 20 years of service on the board and is a well-respected member of our community.

I was appointed to the board in December 2011 as the member for District 3, and I am a candidate for election to the office on November 6.

As the only woman on the board with school-age children, I bring a fresh and relevant perspective to the position, while my experiences as a registered dietitian working in health and wellness provide me with key insight into issues vital not only to school performance but to general well-being and growth. Additionally, as an active community volunteer and a working artist, I bring the passion, dedication and imagination to help create an environment where all our children can flourish.

If I am elected, my goals include: implementing comprehensive long-range planning, ensuring academic excellence at all levels (including gifted and advanced placement education), promoting fiscal responsibility, advocating for a healthy school environment and supporting education in visual and performing arts.

I hope I can count on your vote. Our children are counting on us.

To learn more about my service on and goals for the Madison County School Board, like my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/JanetDShearer.

by Janet Shearer, candidate for Madison County School Board, District 3.

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Jackson Jambalaya attempted to learn how much the Parkway East Public Improvement District paid in professional services fees when it sold $27,770,000 in bonds in 2005. Parkway East attorney Bob Montgomery replied the district did not have any records showing how much was paid.

State law allows professional service fees up to 2% of the total amount of the bond sale. Such fees are lucrative and usually awarded to friends of the government issuing the bonds. There are no bid requirements for these services. JJ filed a public records request asking for the fees. JJ requested:

"The invoices or records of fees paid for professional services include these fees and professional services:

Issuer ,Issuer counsel, bond counsel, trustee, trustee counsel fee, rating agency fee, financial adviser fee, paying agent, other attorney's fees, underwriters fees, and underwriter's counsel fees."

Keep in mind the public improvement district is a public body and is created by acts of the legislature and county. Mr. Montgomery replied on September 20:

"I do not have the fee information which you requested on September 11, 2012 letter in regard to Parkway East. However, I asked the original bond counsel, engineer, and trustee of the bond issue to search their records.

When and if I hear from them, I will make their information available to you."

The fees are also not listed on the website of the Department of Finance and Administration. DFA issues an annual report that states the public sales of bonds in Mississippi and lists the professional service fees for each sale. Nice way for taxpayers to see what their governments are paying and to whom they are paying the nice fees associated with bond transactions. The 2005 report does not list Parkway East thus precluding anyone from learning how much the PID paid in transaction fees. However, the following 2005 issues provide a range of what the fees should be:

$21 million for Belk project: $207,649
$25,128,008 for Juniper Capital project: $337,070
$29,530,000 for Desoto County Convention Center: $439,209

2% of $27,770,000 is $555,400 is probably the maximum amount allowed by law. Nice change if you happen to be Butler Snow, Hancock Bank, and whoever else Parkway East chose to work on the sale if the fees were close to the limit.

Editorial Comment: That was the news, this is the opinion.  Such a rejection is nothing short of a poke in the eye of the taxpayers.  The taxpayers are forced to pay millions of dollars in bond payments for Parkway East and Parkway South yet Parkway East claims it has no records of paying what were likely hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees when they sold the bonds.  The same bonds the taxpayers are forced to cover thanks to the Madison County Board of Supervisors.   It strains credibility to expect Parkway East would not have on file these records or that is not able to obtain them. The Board should not make any more payments on behalf of these PIDs unless the taxpayers are given all details of these transactions.  However, do not expect such leadership from this board as its quite clear where their interests lie.

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The Madison County Homeowners Association issued a statement opposing a proposed property tax increase in Madison County:

The supervisors aren't stupid and know what public reaction will be to a tax increase. The question is why are they proposing the increase? Is there really a shortfall? Is it creating a phony issue so John Bell Crosby can vote against it and use it in his attempt to become Mayor of Madison? Or is the board taking advantage of the proposed tax increases by Hinds and Rankin Counties and implementing their own? Is there a need for a tax increase after the county spent money on no-bid contracts and picking up the tab for projects such as Parkway East? Time will tell. Earlier post on proposed tax increase. Here is the published announcement:

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Seems a few people are not happy about some of the plans for Reunion. They have apparently started up a little website.

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