It is said the road to hell is paved with good intentions? What does one say when the Madison County Board of Supervisors strip the city of Madison of all county road funds for next year? Madison will see what a court has to say after it filed a notice of appeal in Madison County Circuit Court Tuesday.
The Supervisors voted 3-2 to approve a $6 million county road funding plan that was not on the agenda. The plan gave no funds to Districts 1 and 2 as Supervisors Karl Banks, Gerald Steen, and Paul Griffin grabbed all the money for themselves. Supervisors Trey Baxter and Casey Brannon accused the Gang of Three of meeting in secret, thus skirting the Open Meetings Act. The discussion closed with Mr. Brannon saying "I hope you choke on your Christmas presents."
Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins-Butler was understandably aggrieved upon finding out the Gang of Three stripped all road funding for Madison. The Board of Eadlormen voted to sue Madison County. Some highlights of the notice of appeal are:
* "the Madison County Board of Supervisors--over strident objections by two supervisors-voted to approve an FY 2026 Funded Projects Plan that was developed in secret, sprung on the Board and public without notice, and disregards the interests of over 40% of the County's citizens. This secretive process produced an arbitrary road plan that lacks evidentiary support, violates principles of open government and due process, and prejudices the City of Madison and its residents, who were intentionally excluded from the process."
37 comments:
To be such a successful county, these supervisors sure are putting on a "bad business" clinic!
I do not understand the mindset it would take to exclude 40 percent of the entire team and in essence " hog " all of the money.
I know one thing is for sure, I certainly wouldn't want to do business with someone who would do that!!!!!
Madison county supervisors must had learn how to screw taxpayers over from hinds county
Whoa, must be some kind of behind the scenes animosity between Queen Mary and the Supes. Well, she won on the weed issue, and is likely to succeed here if statutory protocols weren't followed.
Glad they filed lawsuit. Hope they win. Those 3 supervisors were crooked to have set this up.
My money is on Mayor Mary.
Get all those emails and texts and this will get very entertaining.
Mother Mary will whup they butts.
This is nothing more than the non producers in the county voting to take the money generated by the producers.
Her track record of wins makes her the odds-on favorite.
Nothing would be a better day than seeing three of them resign.
My money is on Bradley, Arant to drive up all parties legal fees and expenses and effectively force a setttlment. Read their designation of the record. They''ll fight for months on whether the record is complete..On another front, keep a close watch on the campaign contributions of the Circuit Judge to whom the appeal is assigned.
That palm grease makes the three musketeers on the BoS do stupid things.
Only three of them, NOT all of them.
There is nothing in the state constitution or the statutes that says a county must spend county tax dollars inside a municipality. The county is responsible for county roads and bridges, not those of the towns.
Last time I looked appeals from an order of a Board of Supervisors has to be on a Bill Of Exceptions, signed by the Board President. The standard of review is whether the order is arbitrary or capricious.
Did the City of Madison file a Bill of Exceptions? Sure doesn't look like it. Their lawyers attempt to "designate a record" when the only possible record could be a Bill of Exceptions, which they didn't file.
Yup, if protocols weren't followed - i.e. Bill of Exceptions filed - then the Supes lose. Now, Who "decides" the outcome of a Bill of Exceptions?
The “Record on Appeal” is a Bill of Exceptions”, signed by the Board President. If the record on appeal isn’t filed in the Circuit Court within 10 days of the decision the Circuit Court has no jurisdiction. The City of Madison loses.
The dilDOH of consequence might be arriving for one of the parties. The folks from Dewey Cheatem and Howe will always get paid though!
Steen. What a snake.
Yall quit playing lawyer, you look ridiculous. If this action is over turned, they simply walk back into the next meeting and pass it again. Totally up to the board as a whole (i.e. 3 votes) as to what streets get paved.
Wonder who asked/ suggestion Engineer bring the "funded plan documents" with him to the meeting to just have to pass out, then considered, then got 3 votes !!?? He didn't think that up on his own BECAUSE the item of 2026 Funded road plan was not on the agenda.. Hmmm
Mary is horrid. When she’s gone people will be much better off.
Boom
“Bill of exceptions” !?!? Next you geezers will be talking about demurrers
@4:53pm (the first one) Is right. If y’all don’t like the majority’s decisions, vote them out. The lawsuit is just a delay tactic and an attempt to bully them with legal fees into settling. The city won’t win this one on the merits.
5:55 Mary has served since 1981 and she will be right back in again with my full support for another term hopefully.
VOTE them out would be marvelous. BUT no one runs against them who has enough standing and brains to win in Dist 3, 4 or 5...... No one... Next election is way down the road as of today.
@7:44 PM - the Bill of Exceptions, in these cases, is a statutory requirement, because there's no record made of the proceedings in the Supervisors' meeting, no "evidence" introduced, no sworn testimony. Former district judge Harold Cox used to tell lawyers who made uninformed arguments, "If you went to law school you should get your money back."
@8:17pm - Sounds like you should run then. Everyone loves to complain, but very few will actually do something about what they’re complaining about. Easy to bitch, hard to get off your ass and change things.
Mary is the ONLY reason Madison is a good place to live. If you disagree, move to Canton or Jackson.
7:55- You dang geezer. The statute 11-51-75 was amended 7 years ago to drop the “bill of exceptions”. And Harold Cox died 40 years ago—and was never known to be exactly a legal scholar.
This bad blood has been boiling since King Gerald was coronated as "Most High Supervisor" over 20 years ago (along with the help of Taggart).
His vote is always for sale and with the support of the other two democrat amigos, he will do anything he can to piss on the leg of every citizen in Madison. He's done this same thing several times with road money and other funding.
The other two democrats, both black gentlemen, will not buck Steen's chicanery knowing that he votes for their stupidity the same as they vote for his.
Per the calendar - the next MC Board meeting is January 5, 2026 at 9 am. Please attend, Please tell the board your comments. Their public agenda usually drops on Thursday or Friday before here> https://www.madison-co.com/elected-offices/board-of-supervisors/upcoming-agenda ( the previous agenda is posted until updated to next meeting)
Will you all please go to the meeting and talk to those board members? The 3 who pulled this crap specifically and thank Mr. Baxter and Brannon for calling it all out.
".....a sharply divided Board of Supervisors voted 3-2....?" What now constitutes a "sharply divided" vote? Except for a tie, 3-2 seems pretty close to me.
Refund of Road Tax: A Mississippi Code section specifies that one-half (1/2) of all ad valorem taxes collected by the county for road purposes on property within a municipality (whose streets are maintained at the municipality's expense) shall be paid over to the municipality.
Contract in Lieu of Refund: Instead of receiving the one-half tax refund, a municipality may contract with the board of supervisors for the county to perform work on municipal streets using county employees and equipment. This agreement must be entered into the minutes of both governing bodies. (see Hoy Road).
In the year 2016, soon after Steen corrupted newly elected supervisor Bishop, Bishop, at the behest of Steen, got a motion passed to require that anybody wishing to address the coronated body be approved and included on the agenda.
Therefore, don't show up and expect to be allowed to voice your opinion (unless you intend to speak complimentary of the three amigos).
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