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State audit needed for the city
Published Saturday, November 8, 2008
An audit ordered by former Mayor James Perkins Jr. is supposed to give the incoming Selma City Council and the new mayor, George Evans, a view of the city’s finances.
While we find it honorable that Perkins would have such an audit conducted prior to leaving office, we aren’t totally satisfied that this is the proper measuring stick for city finances.
For at least four years, perhaps more, a dam held back the flow of information from the public and members of the city council to the point when council members asked questions publicly at meetings, some of them were accused of personal biases.
Nobody really has a grasp on the city’s finances or what issues hover over the bookkeeping system instituted at City Hall. Even past audits show the same exceptions occurred from year to year.
Mayor Evans took office last week. We would expect him to invite representatives from the Alabama Department of Public Accounts to come to Selma as quickly as possible, give the books a good going-over and make recommendations of how the city may go from this starting point.
Mayor Evans is aware of the issues that envelope the city’s financial department. He is likely more aware now than he was two weeks ago.
When he makes the call for the state to come in and look at the city’s books, Evans should have the full support of the city council. This action certainly is not political because Perkins no longer holds office.
This action is a good practice for any changing of the guard. Any time a chief executive comes into office, a baseline needs drawing. This action of calling in the state to take a look at the books is a rational move.
We hope Mayor Evans does not wait too long to make this move.
Comments
Posted by leo71 (anonymous) on November 9, 2008 at 8:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Evans-- and the largely new council and council president-- staked their election bids on fiscal responsibility and transparency,this is the first test that they'll hold true to their words.We all need to make sure that they do.
Posted by dingaling (anonymous) on November 9, 2008 at 9:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I have to agree leo71,the new city goverment must start anew.
Posted by catchem (anonymous) on November 10, 2008 at 11:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I am not sure if the State would have juridiction over an audit of The Selma Water & Sewer Board, but if not, it would be a good start for the City Council to form its own Public Service Commission. This Commission could have that authority once formed. Until the Council replaces the members on that Board and/or form such a Commission, the water rates will continue to go up. The Alabama Public Service Commission has no authority over them.
Posted by allmylife (anonymous) on November 10, 2008 at 3:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Given the previous administration's reputation for secrecy and of hiring only people Perkins thought he could trust it would be wise for Mayor Evans to have another audit done.
Posted by One_Voice (anonymous) on November 25, 2008 at 9:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It will never happen watch and see. Homeee got homeee's back Watch and see.
Posted by allenes (anonymous) on November 26, 2008 at 12:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I think the entire City goverment should be audited. All this secrecy and whatever else is all a bunch of Bulls***. Selma needs to move out of the OLD REPUBLIC and into an age where a white and black person can both have the same job and be paid the exact same payrate. I'm appalled at the way this City is run. The Selma Police Department and the Selma City Court System needs to be investigated also because of the high number of guilty verdicts that are given in court and the fact that this system is biased also. It's so sad that the judges take the word of the officers and even if the person is found not guilty they are still forced to pay court costs and whatever else they may have to pay.
The Police Department arrests people based on hearsay and a lot of times they come to neighborhoods like mine (8th Ward) and don't know what's going on. Just an example, they arrested a young lady one morning only because the woman who called them said this lady called her a bitch! The police didn't hear this woman say anything and they both lied on this lady. I know this woman didn't say anything to this lady and when she came back through the officers stopped her and made her get out of her vehicle and arrested her. They believed what this lady said and there were other people standing outside and the police didn't question anybody else. Both officers said they heard this woman call the other woman out of her name but I saw it all and IT"S A LIE. Because I stay in the area and don't want these folks harrassing me, I can't reveal who I am. But I can say this: THE OFFICERS AND THE LADY, DENISE STRONG, ARE ALL LYING! THE ONLY THING THAT THIS WOMAN MAY BE GUILTY OF IS SAYING HA, HA, HA.
IS IT A CRIME NOW TO LAUGH AT PEOPLE, EVEN IF YOU ARE TREPASS AWAY FROM THAT PERSON!
THIS LADY MS. STRONG, HAS A TRACK RECORD WITH THE SPD AND SINCE SHE HAS BEEN LIVING IN THIS NIEGHBORHOOD I'VE SEEN THIS LADY GET ARRESTED NUMEROUS TIMES AND TAKEN TO JAIL FOR DRUGS BEING FOUND IN HER HOME AND SHE GOT OUT NO LESS THAN A HOUR AND A HALF LATER AND HER CHILDREN WERE IN THE HOME WHEN THE DRUG BUST TOOK PLACE AND SHE STILL HAS THE CHILDREN. SHE DON'T NEED KIDS IF YOU SELLING DOPE OUT THE HOUSE WITH THE KIDS. i HAVE EVEN WATCHED AS THE OTHER LADY PASSES BY MS. STRONG HOUSE AND MS. STRONG HAVE THE KIDS OUTSIDE CALLING THE OTHER WOMAN OUT OF HER NAME. AND THE DRUG BUST THAT TOOK PLACE AT HER HOME HAPPENED A WEEK BEFORE THEY TOOK RODERICK SANDERS TO JAIL.
NOW SHOULD SOCIETY CONTINUE TO LET PEOPLE LIKE THIS WHO ARE KNOWN DRUG DEALERS AND GOD KNOWS WHAT ELSE, CONTINUE TO TAKE DOWN NIEGHBORHOODS?
IT'S SAD! A LOT OF THINGS NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED AROUND SELMA!
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