Columbia Mayor Reed Houston

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

In a special-called meeting this afternoon, the Columbia Board of Aldermen agreed to advertise for bids to complete the Ridgewood sewer project.

The Ridgewood sewer project has already cost about $360,000, and finishing the work could cost between $150,000- $200,000, Mayor Reed Houston said.

So far the project has included improving and replacing sewer lines on Ridgewood, West Lafayette and Martin Luther King. The portion of the project the Board is seeking bids on now will put in a new sewer line between Pine Street and Gill Street.

Finishing the project may require the city borrowing money, Houston said, noting that there are limited funds in the water and sewer budget to pay for the remainder of the project. Houston said he would be in favor of the city borrowing funds so the project can be completed. The mayor added that putting in the line from Pine to Gill Street was part of the original plan.

The fact that there are limited funds in the water and sewer budget brings up another problem that the Board of Aldermen discussed today in the meeting— water rates. Houston said he thinks a water rate hike is necessary to fund current operations and so the city can save money for future projects.

The mayor said the city’s water infrastructure is getting pushed to its maximum potential and that another well and water tower will be needed soon, possibly in the next year. A new water tower is estimated to cost $1.5 million, Houston said.

Houston said the Board of Aldermen has not made a final decision on how much of a rate hike might be implemented and that the Board is still in the discussion phase.

In other matters from the special-called meeting, the Board of Aldermen took no action on sending Columbia Police Department Dispatcher Rhonda Burnham to a mandatory state certification class on the National Crime Information Center. Houston said Burnham is the only dispatcher within the city that would have to go to the training because she is the lead dispatcher. The training is July 26-30 in Jackson, and there is no charge.

In other business, the Board voted to spend about $3,000 to put rip-rap along National Guard Road for erosion control.

This statement is from city of Columbia Street Superintendent Rusty Rowell:

After Mayor Houston’s statement on July 13th, there seems to be some confusion about my certification. I want to ensure the public that I am certified in all the required aspects of my position.

Since Mayor Houston has taken office, the only certification seminars that I have been asked to attend was for certification as a Commercial Class I Rubbish Site Operator. This is a certification that I had already received on  March 1, 2009, and that does not expire until March 1, 2012.  Since I was already certified, and my child was sick at the time, I did not attend and waste city funds on a duplicate certification.

The transfer of job duties was not my idea. However, like Earl, I will support Mayor Houston and The Board of Aldermen in their decision and continue to perform my assigned job duties.

David Rusty Rowell

City of Columbia Street Superintendent Rusty Rowell provided this scanned image of his certification to the Marion County Informer.

Columbia Mayor Reed Houston

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

The Columbia Board of Aldermen on Monday voted to take oversight of the landfill and sanitation departments away from one department head and give those responsibilities to another city employee.

Oversight of the landfill and sanitation department was the responsibility of Street Superintendent Rusty Rowell, but the Board voted to put those departments under the direction of Cemetery, Parks and Recreation Director Earl Turnage.

The departments were passed over to Turnage to equalize the number of employees that Rowell and Turnage oversee, Mayor Reed Houston said. Prior to the switch, Rowell was supervising about 30 employees and Turnage 11. Turnage will gain nine employees under the new system, making them have about 20 employees each.

Rowell and Turnage each make the same salary at $32,240. Turnage told the Board of Aldermen that he does not have a problem taking on the additional departments, saying, “I’ll do whatever you want me to do.”

However, Turnage said he thinks Rowell has a “problem” with the change. Rowell declined comment to the Marion County Informer. Turnage said Rowell does not understand why the change is taking place.

Due to personal reasons, Rowell has difficulty attending certain seminars that are necessary to be certified, Mayor Houston added.

In other business, the aldermen denied a request to waive Expo Center fees for the Marion County School District, which wants to use the facility for an August event. The city already has a policy in place that states fees will be waived by 50 percent for government agencies wishing to use the facility. The aldermen decided to stick with the policy and offer the School District half off from the regular fee.

In other business, the aldermen voted to send Municipal Court Clerk Pearlie Magee to a mandatory Mississippi Municipal Court Clerks seminar in Choctaw. The state will reimburse the expenses of the seminar, according to City Clerk Donna McKenzie.

The Board went into executive session to discuss hiring and firing in the Police Department, hiring in the Fire Department and an employee issue on the 911 Board.

Columbia Mayor Reed Houston

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

Columbia Mayor Reed Houston told the Marion County Informer this afternoon that he thinks city water rates need to be increased.

This morning the mayor and Board of Aldermen met to discuss water rates and passed a motion to cut off customers’ water after two months of nonpayment. Previously, it was “open to interpretation” how long a customer could go without paying his bill before water service was disconnected.

Houston did not elaborate as to why a water rate increase is necessary and would not say how much of an increase he thinks will be required.

The Board of Aldermen met for its regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday night and approved several travel expenditures for city employees. The aldermen approved sending Police Chief Jim Kinslow to Homeland Security training in Philadelphia, Miss. July 19-22; sending the city clerk and deputy city clerk to training in Hattiesburg for $75 each; sending the city clerk to a women in the workplace conference in Biloxi for $149; and sending two water clerks to Jackson for training for $150.

In other matters, the aldermen tabled waiving the Expo Center fee for the Marion County School District, which wants to use the facility for its Back to School Bash. Board Attorney Lawrence Hahn said he checked with the Attorney General’s Office to see if it would be OK for the city to waive the fees, and the AG said an “intergovernmental waiver” is permitted. However, the city wants to do more research to see how fee waivers at the Expo Center have been handled in the past.

Mayor Houston said he has no problem sharing the city facility with the county but wants to be consistent when it comes to waiving fees for use of the Expo Center.

The aldermen also approved a change order on the Ridgewood sewer project to fix a sewer pipe at the corner of Lafayette and Martin Luther King for $3,200.

In other business, the aldermen approved purchasing a full-page ad in the phonebook for $1,350.

The board also approved appointing Michael McDaniel of MD Electric of Columbia to fill in temporarily for city maintenance supervisor Phillip Peak, who is out of work currently due to a knee injury. Mayor Houston said there is no set fee for what McDaniel will make filling in for Peak, saying he will be paid on a job-by-job basis.

The mayor and aldermen went into closed session to discuss litigation and personnel, but the board did not reveal what action was taken in the executive session. The mayor said the board has a new policy in which sensitive decisions made in closed session will not be made public until those directly involved have been notified of the actions. For instance, when the board votes to terminate an employee the city would like to notify the individual out of courtesy prior to the termination being printed in the press.

Fired Columbia Police Department dispatcher Clarence Louge holds EEOC complaint forms he plans to file against the city regarding his termination.

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

A former Columbia Police Department dispatcher who was fired this month said he plans on filing a discrimination claim against the city.

Clarence Louge told the Marion County Informer on Wednesday that he feels like he was wrongfully terminated by the Columbia Board of Aldermen on June 1.

Columbia Police Chief Jim Kinslow and Mayor Reed Houston said Louge was fired for not having a GED or high school diploma, but Louge thinks there were ulterior motives behind his termination. Louge thinks the GED issue was just a guise the city used to get rid of him and that he was really fired because he was outspoken about local political issues and is physically disabled.

“I wouldn’t keep my mouth shut about things I knew were wrong,” Louge said.

Louge, 43, said there was nothing about his job performance that would justify firing him, so the city came up with the GED issue to get rid of him.  Louge went as far as to say that if he were not disabled he would still be working for the Columbia Police Department. Because of his four back surgeries he is more susceptible to injury and therefore a liability the city could not continue to employ, Louge claimed.

Moreover, Louge said he feels like he was terminated because he did not support every aspect of Mayor Houston’s political agenda. For instance, Louge said he was outspoken after ex-Police Chief Joe Van Parkman and former CPD Capt. David Powell were indicted last year. Louge also said he spoke out after former CPD Detective Sheriann Fortenberry was fired.

Louge said he openly expressed to fellow Police Department employees and members of the general public that he thought Fortenberry, Parkman and Powell were good officers.  He says he has nothing personally against Mayor Houston or Chief Kinslow but just does not share their political views. A city employee should be able to express differing political views than the administration, Louge stated, adding, “This is America.”

Columbia Police Chief Jim Kinslow

Houston said he had “no clue” Louge was outspoken politically, and even if he did it would not have been grounds for termination. “Why would I do that?” Houston asked. The mayor added that he would not seek “retribution” against any employee for having opposing political views. “That’s not who I am,” the mayor said.

Louge said if he has a complaint against Kinslow it goes back to something the chief said at a meeting with all the Police Department employees shortly after assuming office. According to Louge, at that meeting the chief told the staff that he was basically a “PR person” for the Police Department and not someone who was going to be out on patrol.

Louge said ex-Chief Parkman was the type of chief who would patrol the streets every night and that Kinslow is “strictly 8 to 5.”

Kinlsow responded to Louge’s assertions on Wednesday, saying Louge “misinterpreted” what was said at the meeting. Kinslow said he told the staff that he was hired as an administrator to make sure the organization is properly run and that people are doing their jobs. Kinslow said he also told the employees at the meeting that he would make sure they have the necessary equipment and means to serve the citizens.

Morale in the Police Department is low because there is no opportunity for advancement or pay raises, Louge said. The fact that there are no raises is not necessarily the fault of the mayor or chief but rather the economy, Louge offered.

Columbia Police Department

However, Louge did say that Mayor Houston promised to give city employees raises when he took office and that those raises have yet to be granted. Houston responded, saying, “I said I would work to get city employees a pay raise, but I can’t promise something I can’t control.” The mayor said if it were left up to him the city employees would have received a pay raise, but the Board of Aldermen has the “control.”

Kinslow admitted there is little opportunity for advancement in the Police Department but said he is working on putting a “promotional process” in place. As far as pay, the chief said he hopes to give raises in the new budget year, which begins Oct. 1, but he does not know if the money will be available. If he does give raises, he said he will start from the patrol level rather than from the top brass.

Louge has filled out complaint forms regarding his termination that he plans to mail to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Jackson. The EEOC complaint alleges that the city committed age discrimination. Asked what his age might have had to do with his being fired, Louge said, “I was the oldest dispatcher.”

Columbia Mayor Reed Houston

Louge said he is alleging the age discrimination complaint because that’s what the EEOC “told me to go with.” In the end, Louge said he does not want monetary gain but simply wants things to be “right.”

Chief Kinslow has said from the beginning that Louge was fired for not having a GED. State statute requires certified dispatchers to have a high school diploma or GED, Kinslow said, adding that the city had “to be compliant with state law.” It is not true, as Louge claims, that he was fired for being politically outspoken or for having a disability, said Kinslow. In fact, Kinslow said he knew nothing about Louge’s being politically outspoken and did not know he was disabled.

Louge wonders why his not having a GED just became an issue this month when it never was the other years he worked as a dispatcher. Kinslow retorted that he cannot say why previous administrations allowed Louge to continue working in violation of state law.

Louge noted that he is in the process of trying to obtain his GED and said he is upset that the city did not give him an opportunity to earn the certificate before firing him. He would have preferred if the city would have suspended him with or without pay and given him a chance to get the GED. He noted that he could have moved over to the Street Department or Sanitation Department while he was getting his GED.

“I don’t understand why I’m sitting at home,” Louge said, adding that there are other city employees without GEDs and some have felony records.

Houston said some city jobs, such as in the Sanitation and Street Departments, don’t require a high school diploma or GED. As for why the city did not move Louge into another job while he obtained his GED, Houston said there weren’t any jobs available at the time.

And even if there had been jobs available, Louge might not have been suited for them due to his disability, the mayor added, noting that he was not aware that Logue had a disability until the Informer told him today. There is no dispute that Logue was a loyal employee, Houston said. Kinslow has said that he would personally recommend that Louge be rehired as a dispatcher once he obtained the GED.

Louge, who completed the 10^th grade and went two years to vocational school at Pearl River Community College, said he has contacted several lawyers about filing a lawsuit against the city. However, he may have little to sue the city for because he was an at-will employee, meaning he could be fired without cause.

Even if he does not have a lawsuit, he still plans on going forward with the EEOC complaint. He said he also plans on contacting the Attorney General’s Office regarding potential issues related to his disability. Louge also said the city is holding up his unemployment benefits, but the mayor denies that: “I don’t see what hold up there is.”

In the end, everything falls back on the Columbia Board of Aldermen, said Louge, adding that every member “needs to be replaced.” “They (aldermen) don’t seem to know what they are doing,” Louge asserted.

The Board of Aldermen voted 4-0 to terminate Logue, with member Cheryl Bourne absent and the others, Wendell Hammond, Todd Pittman, Edward Hough and Renee Galloway, voting in favor of the termination.

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

Columbia Police are looking for a suspect accused of shooting a Columbia man on June 5.

Marion County resident Evan Lampton is accused of shooting Chris Fountain, 36, according to Columbia Police Detective Chris Brumfield. Formal charges against Lampton were signed Monday.

“We’re trying to gather information on (Lampton’s) whereabouts so we can execute an arrest warrant,” said Brumfield

Anyone with information on Lampton’s whereabouts is asked to please call the Columbia Police Department at (601) 736-8052. Lampton is wanted on a charge of felony aggravated assault.

Fountain was shot twice, but five shots were fired, Brumfield said. Fountain was visiting a friend’s house at 704 Owens St. when the shooting occurred, Brumfield said. Lampton showed up in a vehicle with three or four other people and fired shots at Fountain with a .380 caliber handgun, said Brumfield.

After the shooting, Fountain was airlifted to Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg where he was released about a day later.

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

Corey Pittman of Marion County was enjoying a nice relaxing Sunday morning this week when he heard a knock on his door.

Wondering who would be coming to his house at 9:30 a.m. on a Sunday, Pittman went to see who it was. When he opened the door he saw a man get into a van and drive away and noticed that a business card advertising a car washing service had been left behind.

At that point Pittman’s relaxing morning had ended, as he was upset that someone soliciting a business would interrupt the peacefulness of his home, especially on a Sunday, a time he designates for family. “It irks me,” said Pittman. “I believe anyone would feel the same way.”

Pittman wondered if there were any laws prohibiting such door-to-door solicitation, so he called local law enforcement and spoke with a dispatcher who told him as long as the person was not threatening him it was OK. Pittman said some communities require permits to go door-to-door and have designated hours for the practice.

Pittman resides outside the city limits in Marion County, which has no law regarding door-to-door solicitation, said County Attorney Joe Shepard. Shepard, who has been the county attorney for 28 years, said it is not uncommon for people with yard and landscaping services as well as politicians, Bible salesmen and Girl Scouts to go door to door. The city of Columbia has an ordinance that prohibits the distributing, posting or displaying of advertising material in the city limits. 

County Supervisor Raymon Rowell said if there is no such law in the county, there should be, saying, “I don’t want someone bothering me on Sunday morning.” Rowell said if someone soliciting a business came to his house on Sunday, “I would be one customer they would not have.”

The business card that was left on Pittman’s doorstep advertised a business called Newell’s Detailing, which provides services for vehicles, boats, trailers, and RVs. The card also had a phone number on it, which the Marion County Informer called and spoke with the owner, Robert Newell.

Newell said he was sorry if he bothered Pittman by coming by on a Sunday morning, adding, “I didn’t know it was a big deal.” Newell said he had just finished a detailing job at Pittman’s neighbor’s house and decided to leave a couple of cards at other houses in the Lakeview subdivision. Newell of Sumrall said he only knocked on two doors.

Pittman said it would not have been as bad if Newell would have knocked on his door during a weekday during regular hours, but to do so on Sunday morning was inappropriate. Pittman said he would prefer if door-to-door salesmen never came to his house, comparing them to telemarketers, which are regulated by the state’s no-call list. Pittman understands that the economy is bad and people are trying to make a living but said there should be some regulations in place for door-to-door solicitors in Marion County.

“I have nothing against someone trying to promote a business,” said Pittman.

Columbia Alderman-at-Large Edward Hough

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

Columbia Alderman-at-Large Edward Hough wants to add language to the city employee handbook regarding driving while talking on a cell phone.

Hough said city employees should be prohibited from talking on a cell phone while driving a city vehicle.  Hough spoke about the proposed cell phone policy this afternoon after a Board of Aldermen work session on the city employee handbook. The aldermen are going through the handbook doing housekeeping work on the 21-year-old document. When the handbook was created in 1989, cell phones were rare.

Updating the entire handbook is expected to take months, and sometime during the process, Hough said he will try to get the cell phone rules added. He does not know if he will be successful, noting that he needs support from his fellow aldermen.

During his time in office, Hough said he has seen city employees driving city vehicles while talking on a cell phone. There are private companies that prohibit their employees from talking on a cell phone while driving a company vehicle, Hough noted.

City employees should pull over to the side of the road if they need to take a cell phone call or just not answer, Hough said, adding that it is proven that driving and talking on a cell phone at the same time is a dangerous practice. Hough does not know at this time what the punishment should be for violating the cell phone rule if it is added to the handbook.

City of Columbia Street Department Workers repair the driveway.

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

City of Columbia workers were resurfacing a private driveway this morning on Church Street, but Mayor Reed Houston said everything was done legally.

Houston said city workers accidentally cracked the resident’s driveway several months ago while repairing a water leak on Church Street. According to Houston, a city worker had pulled a back hoe into the driveway while repairing the water leak, and the weight of the machine cracked the drive.

The worker was operating the back hoe from the driveway to keep from blocking the street while making the repairs to the water leak, the mayor noted.

The mayor said the city was obligated to fix the driveway after cracking it. Houston did not know a cost on the project but said it was minimal, adding that city workers did the repairs with the only cost being concrete.

Columbia Police Chief Jim Kinslow

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

The Columbia Board of Aldermen on Monday night hired two new Police Department patrolmen.

The new officers are already certified, according to Police Chief Jim Kinslow. They are Michael Green of Petal and Grant Hoover of Hattiesburg, and they both just graduated the Police Academy at Camp Shelby. Green has worked as a Lamar County corrections officer, and Hoover just came out of the Marine Corps, Kinslow said.

The Columbia Board of Aldermen last week abolished a residency policy that required Police Department employees to live in Marion County. Kinslow said the policy was done away with in an effort to get the most qualified employees, rather than only being able to draw applicants from Marion County. Even though he is not required to live here, Hoover may still relocate to Marion County, Kinslow noted.

 There are now no longer any patrol vacancies in the Police Department, said Kinslow. There is a detective vacancy since the termination of Sherriann Fortenberry last month. Kinslow said that spot will not be filled anytime soon, noting that he is waiting to see what the new budget looks like when fiscal year 2010-2011 starts in October.

Alderwoman Cheryl Bourne

Alderman-at-Large Edward Hough

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

Whether to allow a business to operate in a historic residential area was a source of disagreement at the Columbia Board of Aldermen meeting Monday night.

A local certified public accountant, Scotty McDaniel, who is also the city’s accountant, was seeking a variance to operate his office in a residential zoned historical district at 723 Broad St. The Board ultimately granted the variance with certain conditions on a 3-2 vote, with Alderwoman Cheryl Bourne and Alderman Wendell Hammond voting against.

Columbia's Broad Street has residential and business property.

Bourne said she thinks putting businesses on Broad Street could harm the historic residential character of the area. Bourne said if she granted a variance for McDaniel, she would have to do the same for others, and eventually there could be many more businesses on the street.

Bourne noted that the area is zoned R-100, which is for single family residences, not business, and she added that there are probably some residents who live along Broad Street who want the street to remain residential. People who have homes on Broad Street take pride in the fact that it is a historic residential area, she added.

Hammond said he also voted against the variance because the area is zoned for single-family residences, not business. Moreover, Hammond said Broad Street is in Bourne’s ward and he voted with her out of “respect” for her opinion.

The Columbia Board of Aldermen approved a variance to allow an accountant's office to operate out of this residence at the corner of Park Avenue and Broad Street.

Alderman-at-Large Edward Hough voted in favor of the variance, saying he thinks the CPA office will look professional and he noted that McDaniel had received consent from several Broad Street residents to open the office.

Hough added that there are other businesses along Broad Street, and some of them resemble houses. As long as there is not a neon sign and parking lot in the front yard, Hough said he does not think an accountant’s office woud detract from the character of Broad Street.

Hough said he can understand Alderwoman Bourne taking issue with a business being in a residential area especially since she lives on Broad Street.

Aldermen Todd Pittman and Rene Galloway also voted in favor of the variance with conditions that there not be a flashing sign, and if McDaniel ceases operating the business, the property will go back to being zoned residential.

Columbia Police Chief Jim Kinslow

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

The Columbia Board of Aldermen has abolished a city policy that required all Police Department employees to live in Marion County.

Columbia Police Chief Jim Kinslow said he recommended to the Board of Aldermen that the residency policy be eliminated in order to get the most qualified job applicants. The policy that was abolished said that all people seeking employment with the Police Department must be a Marion County resident or become a resident within 90 days of employment.

Kinslow said a policy that requires employees to live in Marion County limits the pool of job applicants for the Police Department. A preference will still be given to local applicants, Kinslow said. For instance, if there are several applicants with equal qualifications applying for a job in the Police Department, the one who lives in Marion County will probably be hired, he said.

Kinslow himself lives outside Marion County, as he resides in Bassfield in Jefferson Davis County. The Board of Aldermen waived the residency policy for Kinslow when he was hired in February. Kinslow said he told the mayor and Board of Aldermen up front that he was not going to relocate to Marion County for the job. The Board hired him anyway on a 4-1 vote, with Alderwoman Cheryl Bourne voting against. The other aldermen said they hired Kinslow despite the residency policy because he was the most qualified for the job.

Kinslow noted that he lived in Jeff Davis County when he was assistant police chief in Hattiesburg and that many police departments do not have residency policies.

Kinslow said there are probably other Columbia Police Department employees who live outside Marion County, but he did not know how many.

The Board of Aldermen hired Rhonda Burnham of Covington County as a dispatcher for the Columbia Police Department in March after Kinslow recommended her. Kinslow said he used to work with Burnham at the Covington County Sheriff’s Office where he was the chief deputy prior to taking the police chief job here.

Kinslow said he recommended that Burnham be hired to work for the Columbia Police Department because she is a state certified dispatcher. Prior to Burnham being hired, there were no certified dispatchers working for the Columbia Police Department, Kinslow noted.

Kinslow added that Burnham plans on relocating to Marion County.

The Board voted 4-0 to abolish the residency policy on Tuesday. Alderwoman Bourne was absent, and Aldermen Edward Hough, Wendell Hammond, Renee Galloway and Todd Pittman voted to get rid of the policy.

There are currently two patrol officer vacancies in the Police Department that could be filled by applicants from outside Marion County.