Mayor Diane Delaware recently requested the financials of the Yazoo County Convention and Visitors Bureau. She said she is not upset, but that she did not get them.
“I am not offended by what they did,” she said. “But they sent me back an Open Records request.”
Delaware brought the issue out in the open during the last Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, stating that she asked for the CVB’s financials because the organization “spends taxpayer money inside the municipality.”
“I am not trying to get inside of running your organization,” Delaware said. “I am simply trying to say that these financials are open to the people. To the degree, that you simply won’t share them, then it begins to make you think ‘what’s under there?’”
“The unfortunate thing is when you start to look, you find something under there,” she continued. “In these board meetings, everyone who uses public funds, there is no secrecy. There is no right to secrecy. It is open to the public.”
Delaware said she did fill out the Open Records request for the CVB financials. She also reminded over boards appointed by the city council that they are put in place for oversight.
“And no matter how good you think you are doing or the greatness of your board, when your board makes the decision that you no longer answer to the people and you can do anything you want to do… then you are going astray,” she said.
Delaware said it is imperative that the people have knowledge, particularly surrounding the actions and finances of a public board.
“There is no board to which we the city appoints, that the county appoints, that America appoints, that the state appoints, that is not spending or doing something with the people’s money,” Delaware said. “This is a lesson in civics, but it is factual.”
Delaware also reminded city-appointed boards that meeting minutes are to be delivered to the city clerk within 45 days of the meeting.
