Two members of the city council said they are not being given enough timely notice to attend the special call meetings for the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. But Mayor David Starling said, in emergency situations, “sacrifices are necessary.”
During the recent city council meeting, Alderwoman Elizabeth Thomas said a special call meeting was scheduled for Sept. 29 at 11:30 a.m. She said she was notified about the meeting the day before, Sept. 28, at about 4 p.m.
Aldermen Charlie Jenkins and Thomas said they were unable to attend the special call meeting due to scheduling and work conflicts.
“We are supposed to receive a 24-hour notification of a special call meeting,” Thomas said. “In our minutes it reflects that it had been voted upon that all special call meetings will be called after five o’clock so that all board members can attend.”
The items on the agenda for the Sept. 29 special call meeting included an order to select consultant engineer services for the RAISE grant and for Municipalities and Counties Water Infrastructure; order to add City Clerk Kaneilia Williams as an authorized signer on all City of Yazoo City bank accounts; and executive session matters for the street and police departments.
According to the special call meeting minutes, the selection of the consultant engineer services for the RAISE grant was moved to executive session “due to personnel and potential litigation discussion.”
“That came strictly from (the Mississippi Department of Transportation),” Starling said. “It was an MDOT guideline that it be handled in executive session.”
Board Attorney Lilli Evans-Bass said the city council could not discuss the matter in open session since it was considered an executive session matter.
“But we had employees who work for the city…” Thomas said.
“We can’t discuss it in an open meeting because it was an executive session matter,” repeated Evans-Bass.
Jenkins suggested tabling the approval of the special call minutes to discuss those matters in executive session.
“I am providing answers that some people may not want to hear,” Starling said. “When you got that notice, it said it was an emergency meeting. We had some things to discuss about personnel. A lot of people in our city complain about the salary that our aldermen make. But every time we have a meeting…you should be able to attend. We can’t govern the city on two days a month. Sometimes it takes coming out. I am sure it is a public record. But you all as a community, come down and look at the record at who is at these special meetings and who is not. There are no schemes going on. We are simply trying to conduct the city of Yazoo City’s business.”
Jenkins said the special call meetings should be held after 5 p.m. so that it would be possible for everyone to attend them.
“If you call a meeting for 11:30 a.m. and I have less than 24 hours from (the notice) at 4:30 p.m….we are supposed to have meetings after 5:30 p.m.,” Jenkins said. “That is what we voted on.”
“Yes, we did,” Thomas added.
Starling said conducting special call meetings after 5 p.m. was discussed but never voted upon officially.
“Well, for something this important, I have stressed many times that I could be here after 5 p.m. or 5:30 p.m.,” Jenkins said. “But at 11:30 a.m.? I did receive a call, but I was at a meeting at work. I spoke with (Alderman) McCoy to explain that I had a meeting going on at work.”
Thomas also said she was in the middle of her social work license renewal and was also unable to attend the special call meeting via a phone call.
“With the positions that we hold, sometimes sacrifices are necessary,” Starling said. “These jobs do not cater to your individual life.”
“Well, then that should be held accountable to every member on this board,” Thomas replied.
The special meeting minutes were approved, however, with Thomas and Jenkins in opposition.
Also, the consultant engineer services for the city’s RAISE grant was granted to Farmer Morgan for the Main Street Revitalization Project.
