Some of the FEMA trailers stored on the land on Highway 43 South in Marion County.

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

The federal government has paid two Mississippi companies a total of $804,645 for use of land on Highway 43 South in Marion County to store FEMA trailers, according to the General Services Administration.

A company called 23467 Mississippi LLC of Hattiesburg was paid $480,645 by FEMA for use of the approximately 300 acres of land located at 1817 Highway 43 South, Columbia. The company leased the land to FEMA from April 9, 2007 to April 9, 2009.

The land then went under the ownership of Marion Clay & Gravel LLC, which has leased the property to FEMA since April 10, 2009, according to the GSA. To date, FEMA has paid Marion Clay & Gravel LLC $324,000 to store the trailers at the site.

In total, FEMA has paid $804,645 since it started leasing the land, according to the GSA.

It is unclear who owns Marion Clay & Gravel LLC. The Columbia phonebook lists a business address for Marion Clay and Gravel at 1917 Highway 43, Columbia, but a message left at the number was not returned. Likewise, it is unclear who owns 23467 Mississippi LLC.

The Mississippi Secretary of State Office does not require that the owners of LLCs be listed. According to the Secretary of State Web site, Marion Clay & Gravel LLC was created Feb. 23, 2009 and is currently listed in “good standing.”

The Mississippi Secretary of State Web site states that 23467 Mississippi LLC was created Aug. 21, 2006 and is also currently in “good standing.”

Over 9,000 trailers were stored at the Marion County site, but all of the units were purchased by Lubbock, Texas businessman Lance Inderman for $9.1 million in February. Inderman could not be reached for comment to determine what he plans on doing with the trailers.

The trailers were used as temporary housing after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita five years ago. A few months ago, a GSA spokesman told the Informer that the trailers had to be removed from the Marion County site by September.

The government issued over 100,000 FEMA trailers after the hurricanes, and many of the units had significant levels of formaldehyde. As a result of the formaldehyde issue, Inderman had to sign a waiver stating that the trailers he purchased would not be used for housing. Formaldehyde was used to make the wood products in the trailers and is a carcinogen.

MCDP President Jerry Frazier

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

Marion County Attorney Joe Shepard has responded to a public records request that was seeking the salary amount for the head of a local taxpayer-funded economic development organization.

The Marion County Informer filed the records request last week seeking the salary for Jerry Frazier, who is the executive director of the Marion County Economic Development District and the president of the Marion County Development Partnership.

In his response to the records request, Shepard stated, “Mr. Frazier provides three distinct professional management services as follows: Manager of the Marion County Economic Development District (MCEDD), which owns industrial parks and buildings; manager of the Marion County Development Partnership (MCDP), which is the economic development and chamber of commerce organization of this community; and also, Mr. Frazier provides oversight of the Marion County Subdivision Regulations. These professional services are provided by Mr. Frazier for an annual fee of $85,000.”

Shepard also stated in his response to the records request, “Mr. Frazier is not a salaried employee of Marion County Mississippi, the city of Columbia, Mississippi, or any governmental entities of Marion County, as well as the Marion County Development Partnership. Nor does Mr. Frazier receive any employment benefits normally associated with salaried employees, such as retirement, insurance, FICA, taxes etc., from any governmental agency or the Marion County Development Partnership.”

MCDP Office

According to the 2009-2010 MCEDD budget, the county contributed $100,000 to the MCDP for “operating expense” and $96,000 to the MCEDD for “operating expense.” The city of Columbia also gives the MCDP $40,000 annually, said City Clerk Donna McKenzie. Other than funding from the city and county, the only other money the MCDP receives is from its 250-260 members, which include local businesses, Frazier has said.

According to the MCDP Web site, there are two other MCDP employees: Vice President- Chamber of Commerce Division Carolyn Burton and Administrative Assistant Angela Harper.

The Marion County Informer filed a separate records request with Frazier last week asking that he provide a detailed line-item breakdown of how the taxpayer money is used in the MCDP and MCEDD, but county officials refused to provide the information. Andrew Foxworth, counsel for the MCDP, responded via certified letter today to that records request, saying the MCDP is not subject to the Mississippi Public Records Act because it is not a public body.

Foxworth responded to the request stating, “The MCDP is not a division or entity of the state, the city or any subdivision thereof. The MCDP was not created by the Constitution or by any law, executive order, ordinance or resolution. The MCDP is a private non-profit entity. Therefore, the MCDP does not appear to fall within the definition of a ‘public body’ as set out by the Act. As a result, the MCDP would not be subject to the terms of the Act.”

The 2010-2011 proposed MCEDD budget also asks that the county contribute $96,000 to the MCEDD for “operating expense” and $100,000 to the MCDP for “operating expense.” It is unclear if the Marion County Board of Supervisors will provide that funding for the MCDP and MCEDD in the upcoming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

Marion County Attorney Joe Shepard

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

Marion County officials have refused to explain how taxpayer money is specifically used at a local economic development district.

County Attorney Joe Shepard responded via certified letter today to a records request filed by the Marion County Informer last week. The records request asked that Marion County Economic Development District Executive Director Jerry Frazier reveal in detail what the $96,000 in county taxpayer money pays for at the MCEDD.

The 2009-2010 MCEDD budget states that the county gave the MCEDD $96,000 for “Operating expense for MCEDD (management, professional services, etc.)” The Informer’s records request asked that Frazier provide a detailed breakdown of line items that the $96,000 pays for.

In response to the records request, Shepard, counsel for the MCEDD, stated, “The Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983 does not require, nor does it in any way imply that a public body or employee is under any obligation to spend time and resources explaining to you a document that you already have in your possession.”

The Informer’s records request also asked for a detailed breakdown of how $100,000 in county taxpayer money was used at the private non-profit Marion County Development Partnership. Columbia City Clerk Donna McKenzie said the city also gives the MCDP $40,000 annually. Shepard stated in his response that he was only responding to the portion of the records request dealing with the MCEDD.

The Informer filed a separate records request last week asking that Jerry Frazier, who is the president of the MCDP and the executive director of the MCEDD, reveal his salary since both organizations he is over receive taxpayer funds. The Informer has yet to receive a response from the request asking for Frazier’s salary.

The proposed 2010-2011 MCEDD budget once again asks that the county give the MCEDD $96,000 for “operating expense” and the MCDP $100,000 for “operating expense.”

Marion County Supervisor Raymon Rowell

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

“My salary is a public record, and the rest of the county workers’ salaries are public record.”

That’s how County Supervisor Raymon Rowell responded this afternoon when the Informer asked him if he thinks Marion County Development Partnership President Jerry Frazier’s salary should be released to the public.

“Anybody who wants to know my salary is free to know that,” said Rowell. “That’s basically the way I see it.”

Rowell would not respond with a direct yes or no answer on whether he thinks Frazier’s salary should be released to the public. Rowell said he does not know Frazier’s salary.

Rowell also would not comment when the Informer asked him if he thinks the county should once again fund the MCDP with $100,000 in fiscal year 2010-2011, which begins Oct. 1.

Board of Supervisors President Calvin Newsom could not be reached for comment to ask whether he thinks Frazier’s salary should be made public. Supervisors Randy Dyess and Lloyd Fortenberry also could not be reached for comment.

The Marion County Informer filed a formal public records request this morning asking that Frazier’s salary be disclosed since the MCDP has received taxpayer funding. Frazier said the MCDP received $100,000 in county funds last year. In addition, the city of Columbia gives the MCDP $40,000 annually, said City Clerk Donna McKenzie.

Other than funding from the city and county, the only other money the MCDP receives is from its 250-260 members, said Frazier. The MCDP is a private non-profit economic development organization that works to attract jobs and industry to Marion County, Frazier has said.

Frazier has said that the county actually funds the Marion County Economic Development District, which then passes the $100,000 through to the MCDP. Frazier is the executive director of the MCEDD.

The Informer has published two other articles on this matter that can be read by clicking these links: http://bit.ly/cUX97v       http://bit.ly/bpZBBr

MCDP President Jerry Frazier

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

The president of the Marion County Development Partnership has been asked to divulge his salary amount to the public.

MCDP President Jerry Frazier was presented today with a formal public records request from the Marion County Informer asking that he release his salary.

Frazier refused to speak with the Marion County Informer this morning.

The records request asks Frazier to release any earnings he receives from the MCDP and the Marion County Economic Development District, which he is the executive director of.

Frazier told the Informer on Monday that the MCDP received $100,000 in county funding last year. The city of Columbia also provides the MCDP with $40,000 a year, said City Clerk Donna McKenzie. The only other funding the MCDP receives is from its 250-260 members, which include local businesses, Frazier said.

According to the MCEDD preliminary budget for the upcoming 2010-2011 fiscal year, the county is being asked again to commit $100,000 for MCDP “operating expense” and $96,000 for MCEDD “operating expense.”

According to Frazier, the county actually funds the MCEDD, which then passes the $100,000 through to the MCDP. The MCEDD contracts with the MCDP for economic development services, Frazier said.

Frazier has said that the MCDP is a private non-profit organization that works to attract jobs and industry to Marion County. Since the MCDP and MCEDD both receive taxpayer funds, the Marion County Informer believes that Frazier’s salary amount should be released to the public.

Tim Magee, who serves on the MCDP and MCEDD Board of Directors, said he does not think it would be “fair” to release Frazier’s salary. Magee added that it is up to Frazier if he wants to release his salary.

MCDP board member Rene Dungan declined comment, and member Donald Hales referred the Informer to Board Attorney Andrew Foxworth, who could not be reached for comment.

Other MCDP Board members, Jonathan Jones, Jay Carney, Todd Pittman, Robin Sanderson and J. Todd Watts, were not immediately available for comment.

According to the MCEDD letterhead, the MCEDD also has a Board of Directors that consists of William Pittman, Jay Carney, Donald Hales, Tim Magee, and Todd Watts.

The Mississippi Public Records Act requires that a response to the Informer’s records requests be issued within seven days.

On Tuesday, the Informer reported a story about how the MCDP receives taxpayer money. To read that article click here: http://bit.ly/bpZBBr

To see a copy of the records request for Frazier’s salary click here: Public Records Request

Marion County Development Partnership Office

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

The private non-profit Marion County Development Partnership received $100,000 in county funding last year, according to the organization’s president.

In addition to the county funds, the MCDP also receives $40,000 a year from the city of Columbia, said City Clerk Donna McKenzie.

The MCDP is the local economic development organization that works to attract industry and jobs to Marion County, said the organization’s president, Jerry Frazier. Other than the funding from the city and the county, the only other money the MCDP receives is from its 250-260 members, said Frazier. The MCDP “consists of members of the private and business sector of our community,” Frazier wrote in a letter to the Marion County Informer this month.

The county actually funds the Marion County Economic Development District, which then passes the $100,000 through to the MCDP, Frazier said. The MCEDD contracts with MCDP for economic development services, Frazier said. Frazier is also the executive director of the MCEDD.

Frazier said the $100,000 that the county provides to the MCDP is for operating expenses. It is unclear what the money provided by the city and county specifically pays for at the MCDP. The Marion County Informer has filed a public records request with Frazier to find out what the taxpayer money pays for at the non-profit MCDP.

MCDP President Jerry Frazier

The Marion County Informer about two weeks ago requested a copy of the MCEDD’s fiscal year 2010-2011 preliminary budget that was recently submitted to the Board of Supervisors. Board of Supervisors President Calvin Newsom refused to release the budget, saying it was just preliminary.

The preliminary budget was turned over by the county last week after the Marion County Informer filed a public records request for the document. Even though it is just a preliminary budget, the Informer still believed it was a public record because the MCEDD is funded with taxpayer money.

According to County Comptroller Mary McKenzie, the county funded MCEDD with $359,000 for fiscal year 2009-2010, which ends Sept. 30.

The preliminary budget for 2010-2011 proposes that the county fund MCEDD with $314,000 or $504,898. The proposed budget states that the county will need to fund the MCEDD with the $504,898 if payment on bonds for the former Wellstone Apparel building is passed through the MCEDD. If those bond payments are not passed through MCEDD, the budget request is only $314,000.

In previous years, MCEDD received money from rent payments on the former Wellstone building, but that revenue stream has been lost since facility was vacated last year. Frazier said the MCDP is working diligently to market the Wellstone building to find another tenant, and efforts include advertising in national magazines. The MCEDD owns the former Wellstone building.

It is unclear how much revenue the MCEDD was receiving from rent on the building, but a 2009 budget document states, “In the past the MCEDD has bundled the $314,000 from Marion County and the $176,400 received from rent to pay: MCEDD operating expenses; the $192,000 annual debt service on the building; and other designated debt services.”

Now that the MCEDD is no longer receiving rent payments, the county apparently has to make up for that lost revenue. The proposed 2010-2011 budget states that a bond payment of $190,498 will be owed on the former Wellstone building in 2011. According to a payment schedule on the building, a principal balance of $1.76 million is owed on the facility.

The 2011 MCEDD proposed budget also includes $29,580 for MCDP office building annual debt; $49,914 for CAP loan on building leased to Wellstone Apparel, LLC; $96,000 operating expenses for MCEDD (management, professional services, etc.); and $13,500 for utilities to secure Wellstone building.

It is unclear what the $96,000 that the county provides for operating expenses at the MCEDD specifically pays for. The Marion County Informer has filed a records request with Frazier to determine what the money goes toward.

Marion County’s total assessed value has decreased by $2.2 million compared to last year, according to new figures released by Tax Assessor Sherry McGowan.

The value of motor vehicles decreased by $3 million, which probably means Marion County residents are keeping their old cars instead of replacing them with new ones, McGowan said. Assessed values of vehicles also went down last year, but only by about $720,000.

The county’s total assessed value for 2009-2010 was $144,561, 492 and for 2010-2011 it is $142,274,648, for a total decrease of $2,286,844.

Other than motor vehicles, another area that saw a large decrease was personal property, which consists of business inventory and equipment. The assessed value of personal property decreased by about $1.2 million this year.  With the poor economy, some businesses are cutting back on inventory while others are closing completely.

Real property, which includes homes and land, actually went up by about by about $2 million, partly brought on by home improvement projects.

Marion County Comptroller Mary McKenzie said the $2.2 million drop in assessed value is the largest she has seen since she started working for the Board of Supervisors in the early 1970s. In fact, McKenzie said she can’t remember another year when the assessed value went down at all.

The drop in assessed value most likely means the millage rate will have to be raised to bring in the same amount of money, said McKenzie.

“It’s going to hurt as far as what we take in,” agreed Supervisor Raymon Rowell.

Asked if he thinks the millage rate will have to be raised because of the drop in assessed value, Rowell deferred to Board of Supervisors President Calvin Newsom, who could not be reached for comment.

McKenzie said it is too early to tell how much the millage rate might have to be raised to compensate for the drop in value.

One positive thing is that the county completed paying off the note for Marion General Hospital this year and will no longer have to levy 2.29 mills for that payment, said McKenzie.

The county currently assesses a total of 131.96 mills, for a total budget of $21,385,227. The new millage rate will probably be set around Sept. 15. Last year the Board of Supervisors did not increase the millage rate in the general fund.

The Marion County Board of Supervisros is now posting public notices of meetings on the front door to the office.

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

The Marion County Board of Supervisors is now posting public notices of its meetings, following an Open Meetings complaint being filed with the Mississippi Ethics Commission.

The Marion County Informer filed the complaint earlier this month after the Board of Supervisors held a meeting without posting any notice.

Board Attorney Joe Shepard has said that the Board of Supervisors is in session for 10 days each month, beginning on the first Monday, and during that time the Board can meet anytime it likes without posting notice. The Informer could not reach Shepard for comment to ask him why the Board of Supervisors is now posting notice of its meetings on the front door to the office.

County Supervisor Raymon Rowell said he does not know why meeting notices are now being posted, saying he does not think the Board is legally required to do so. Rowell said he still believes the supervisors can meet anytime during the 10 days they are in session without posting notice.

The Marion County Informer believes that the Mississippi Open Meetings Act requires the supervisors to post public notice of their meetings.

Rowell said he saw the meeting notice on the door and wondered why it was posted. He said he does not know who made the decision to start posting the notices, adding he has not seen anything from the Ethics Commission regarding the complaint.

Rowell said the Board would not want to meet in violation of the law. “We wouldn’t want to do something wrong,” he said.

If posting notices of meetings makes the citizens feel more comfortable, Rowell said he is in favor of doing so. “If people think we need to give notice, I don’t have a problem with it,” said Rowell. “I work for the people, and they pay my salary.”

Rowell added that if the people don’t like what he is doing he can be voted out of office. “I want to do what’s right,” Rowell said. “I don’t have a problem with people coming to our meetings.”

The Ethics Commission has not yet made a ruling on the Open Meetings complaint. Last week, the Informer received a letter from the Ethics Commission stating that the complaint had been received. The letter states that the next step is for the complaint to be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors which will have 14 days to file a response.

After the Ethics Commission receives the response from the Board of Supervisors or if no response is received, the complaint may be dismissed or a hearing may be set.

The letter, dated July 6, closes by saying, “Your continued cooperation in this matter will be appreciated.”

Other members of the Board of Supervisors including Lloyd Fortenberry, Randy Dyess, and Board President Calvin Newsom could not be reached for comment.

From left, Tamme Bufkin, Ottis R. Bullock and Marion County Supervisor Raymon Rowell at the Board of Supervisors meeting this morning.

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

Marion County needs to do a better job of capitalizing on its timber industry to create jobs, a representative from the local Forestry Association told the Board of Supervisors Monday morning.

The Marion County Forestry Association and forestry associations from surrounding counties are in the process of developing a plan to reap the economic benefits of the rich timber industry in South Mississippi.

Ottis R. Bullock, who heads up economic development for the Marion County Forestry Association, and Tamme Bufkin of Hattiesburg, who lobbies state government on behalf of the Association, spoke to the Board of Supervisors Monday morning about the plan.

The plan’s goal is to make Marion County and surrounding counties more attractive to timber industries so those jobs won’t be lost to neighboring states such as Alabama, which is beating Mississippi in terms of attracting mills, said Bufkin.

With 70 percent of Marion County’s land being timber, there is a great opportunity to improve the economy with those resources, said Bullock. There is the potential to grow three times the amount of timber here than is being grown now, Bullock noted.

Forestry is Mississippi’s No. 1 industry with a total economic impact of $14 billion to $17 billion, and more can be done to grow the business, according to Bufkin.

The Board of Supervisors can help in the development of the forestry plan by creating a list of potential sites that could accommodate timber mills. Such sites would need access to water, electricity and preferably a railroad spur.

The supervisors suggested that the 3,000-acre former Columbia Training School site would be a good location for timber industries to locate, but there is a problem in using the property because it is currently under the control of the state Department of Human Services.

Bullock and Bufkin said they would see if the Mississippi Forestry Association could leverage some influence in the state Legislature to get the Training School property turned back over to the county so the land could be used as potential timber industry sites.

Bufkin said the biggest question Mississippi’s timber industry faces is, “Where is it going?” She noted that the nation continues to turn toward the renewable energy resources of wood, solar and wind, and Mississippi has a great opportunity as being No. 3 in the United States for timber.

Some companies have decided not to establish mills in Mississippi because of a lack of tax incentives and poor infrastructure, namely roads, Bufkin said.

Other than establishing a list of potential mill sites, the plan the Forestry Association is trying to put together will include timber inventories, labor force estimates and a strategy to lure industries. Mill sites can range in size from 20 acres to 1,000 acres.

Board of Supervisors President Calvin Newsom said it is difficult to fix poor roads to attract timber companies because funding is decreasing. The state needs to establish another funding mechanism by which counties can get money to improve roads, Newsom added.

The supervisors agreed with Bufkin and Bullock that developing a plan to capitalize on the area’s timber resources is a good idea. Supervisors Lloyd Fortenberry suggested possibly using land near the new Pearl River bridge in Goss for mill sites, saying there is a rail line and electricity available.

Bullock said he will have similar meetings with neighboring counties to move the plan forward.

A picture from the flyer that advertises Pearl River Airboat Adventures.

By Josh Mitchell/Informer Publisher

Marion County could soon become a tourist destination for those who wish to take an adventurous boat ride down the Pearl River.

This morning, Gary Blackwell of Columbia went before the Marion County Board of Supervisors requesting permission to operate Pearl River Airboat Adventures from the Columbia Water Park.

Board of Supervisors Attorney Joe Shepard said it would be OK for Blackwell to operate the business as long as boat passengers sign a waiver stating that Marion County is not responsible for incidents or injury. Blackwell said he had no problem with such a waiver and hopes to have the business operating by mid August.

Blackwell said he plans on building a floating dock in the river at the Water Park to give passengers a platform to load the boat from.  Marion County Supervisor Raymon Rowell said he is concerned that allowing a business to build such a dock could set a precedent in which other private enterprises start constructing similar objects in the Columbia Water Park.

Gary Blackwell

Blackwell hopes passengers on the Airboat Adventure will see wildlife, especially alligators. “I’m hoping to find a gator place so they (passengers) can feed them,” said Blackwell, noting that Florida and New Orleans have similar tours. “They ought to be able to see an abundance of wildlife on the Pearl River banks.”

The tour will be good for this area, Blackwell said, because, “There’s nothing going on in Columbia. I’m just trying to make some things happen for Columbia and bring some tourism in.”

Blackwell said he has ordered a $60,000 airboat from Orlando, Fla. that he hopes to have delivered in the next month. Blackwell is not sure of what the exact tour route will be, saying he still needs to scope out the river. However, he said the airboat he ordered is capable of going on sandbars to allow passengers to get out and explore the banks.

Blackwell told the supervisors that he could have chosen Monticello as the place to operate the airboat adventure, but he wants “something happening here.”

The tours will be by appointment only and weather permitting, he said. Appointments can be made by calling the Round Table Restaurant, which Blackwell owns. He does not know yet what the charge for the tour will be but said the minimum length will be 30 minutes while some will last two hours.

He added that he hopes the local Boy Scouts take advantage of the airboat adventure to explore the Pearl River and camp.