Though he was invited to explain his actions on Sept. 16 that led to misdemeanor charges of joyriding and impersonating a police officer, former police Lt. Mark Anderson did not appear at the McComb city board’s work session Monday.
The board voted 4-2 at its Sept. 22 board meeting to have Anderson speak at the work session. He was listed last on Monday’s agenda, but Anderson did not make an appearance at the work session. The board adjourned when it was determined he was absent.
Anderson abruptly resigned from the police department in August, when selectmen appointed Greg Martin as chief. But Mayor Zach Patterson said at a board meeting on Sept. 8 that Anderson would return in a week, and that his time off would be considered leave.
The morning of Sept. 16, Anderson went to police headquarters for the shift change, got in a patrol car and left. He reportedly did not respond to radio calls and returned to headquarters 12 hours later at the end of the shift, when Pike County sheriff’s deputies arrested him.
Board makes plans to counter shortfall
In another matter, the board set the wheels in motion to create a contingency plan in case the the city runs out of funds before the end of the calendar year, before it collects tax revenues.
The city will get the bulk of its collections from January through March. Meanwhile, October through December collections are expected to be lean.
City Administrator Quordiniah Lockley said there is a strong chance the city will not be able to make it through the year without borrowing funds.
“October through December is an extremely slow or dry period,” he said. “Because of the economy … as the state sees a drop or decline in revenue, as the county sees a drop or decline in revenue, we can also expect a drop or decline in revenue.”
The board considered two options — borrowing against anticipated tax revenues or borrowing from another city fund.
The board will not make a decision until next Tuesday’s board meeting.
“Our money situation is tight. Everybody’s predicting a continual decline” in revenue, Lockley said.
He cited state law that allows governments to borrow funds against anticipated property tax collections. This city can borrow up to 50 percent of anticipated funds, and if it does so this year, it must repay the loan by March 15, 2010.
“This provides the funds necessary to pay the operational costs of the local government,” Lockley said. “The good thing is no notice to borrow is required. We don’t have to bid it out, we don’t have to publish it in the newspaper.”
Lockley also noted the maneuver has been used by the city in the past.
Chief financial officer Mary Adams explained that the anticipated taxes are determined through assessed property values collected by Pike County tax collector Joe Young and the millage rate.
She confirmed the anticipated tax revenues are around $3 million. This would allow the city to borrow up to $1.5 million.
Adams suggested an alternative to borrowing against anticipated tax revenue — borrowing from another city fund.
“If the utility fund has the necessary cash, we could borrow it as long as we pay it back in 2010,” she said. “I checked into this last year. We could borrow from the utility fund if it had excess cash, although the utility fund is not supposed to have excess cash.”
In other business, the board also received applications from the four candidates to take over the late Jennifer Winston’s seat on the McComb Housing Authority Board.
The candidates are:
• Delores Jordan, the Rev. Gregory Partman, Warren Ellis Gilmore, and Eddie R. Smith. All four meet necessary requirements.
Gilmore is the brother of current housing authority commissioner Greg Gilmore, but board attorney Wayne Dowdy said that does not present a problem.
“I don’t think there’s any statute that I am aware of that would prohibit that,” said Dowdy. “If a brother was on this board, a brother cannot appoint a family member or vote in support of a family member. But, this board appointing two brothers being on the board would not be prohibited.”
The board members will consider the applications and vote on the applicants at the board meeting.
