McComb officials unanimously voted Tuesday to send themselves to a conference in Washington, D.C., in March, but some raised questions about the cost.
Mayor Quordiniah Lockley said Selectwoman Tabitha Felder Isaac expressed interest in attending the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference after it was mentioned during the recent Mississippi Municipal League conference in Jackson.
“Selectwoman Isaac asked me about whether we were going,” he said. “She would like to go. Again, any travel by any member of the board or the mayor has to be approved by this board.”
Selectman Tommy McKenzie raised concerns about the cost of allowing all elected officials to attend.
“Would this be a case-by-case basis of which we would need to approve?” he said. “I mean, this is kind of a large-ticket item.”
Lockley said by voting to allow everyone to attend, city officials can make travel plans immediately.
Felder Isaac initially withdrew the proposal as concerns over costs were raised.
“Mayor, I can wait and go next year,” she said. “I don’t have to go this year. I can go next year. That’s OK. You can take me off. I don’t want to go. I can go next year.”
The conference provides opportunities to meet with other mayors, city council members and federal officials and exchange ideas.
“It would have been nice. I was going to be begging for the money for the City of McComb. I was going to be begging to help us in the City of McComb, the whole city, to help do something for the citizens of McComb, to fix the roads, to give us something.”
“If you can get all that, I’ll pay your way,” McKenzie said.
“I can pay my own way,” Felder Isaac replied. “I have the money, but I wanted the city to pay my way.”
McKenzie said he didn’t want to dissuade anyone from going.
“I’m not trying to discourage anybody from going anywhere,” said McKenzie in response.
In a related matter, the board retroactively approved travel to attend the Mississippi Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials and the Mississippi Municipal League conferences earlier this month in Jackson.
Lockley said Selectman Matt Codding, who was present by speakerphone, brought it to his attention that the board attended the conferences without approving the travel.
“Selectman Codding asked us for a record of travel,” Lockley said. “Anytime the board travels, the board has to approve this travel. When I went through the minutes, we saw the work session where we discussed it, but we did not officially, in the minutes, approve our travel, so we have to ratify our travel.”
The board also unanimously approved travel to the summer Mississippi Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials and MML conferences in June in Biloxi.
