At at meeting of Louisiana’s Fiscal Review Committee this afternoon in Baton Rouge, Town of Jonesboro’s Fiscal Administrator Bill Ryder testified that some $300 thousand that was recorded as savings in the town’s general fund could not be accounted for.
Additionally, Ryder said that the town’s water meter fund was short by about $80 thousand and the town was still in arrears to the state’s workers comp fund by some $90 thousand.
Ryder said that he had not received cooperation from the town’s controversial mayor Leslie Thompson ever since he was appointed to the job last August.
For his part, Thompson said he had been cooperative, and that the just-hired town clerk would help the town’s situation. He also said he did not know about the savings issue brought up by Ryder.
Ryder said that in his opinion, the town’s financial records could not be audited for the fiscal year ended 6/30/12. The town has not had an audit for the past four years.
Also discussed was the issue of water meters and billing. Ryder said that over a hundred dwellings were not being billed for water consumption, and that several hundred other meters were not properly functioning.
It is unclear if the savings in the general fund that can’t be found consists of several certificates of deposit that were listed as utilities depreciation, or some other monies.
No CD’s have been cashed since a $76 thousand general fund CD was okay’d at a 12/29/11 meeting of the town’s board of aldermen.
See here a list of the town’s CD’s as of 12/1/11.
We will post a link to the video of today’s meeting when it’s made available.
10/02/2012 at 4:55 pm |
Has it ever occurred to any of you that the town workers are deliberately sabotaging these water meters to make them read wrong? I honestly believe they are tampering with them some way. I would love to know the names of the people that have been receiving free town water!
10/02/2012 at 8:07 pm |
The mayors family, friends, and co-workers. That’s who
10/08/2012 at 5:08 pm |
This certainly is a racial thing. Freebies to blacks. After all, do they not deserve it? NOT!!!!!
10/02/2012 at 5:15 pm |
They do not work as they were promised to work. You have to do more to read them than you should and it causes problems.
10/02/2012 at 5:39 pm |
Yeah , who is getting the free water , it’s not me for sure, but wait maybe because I’m white , someone needs to look into this crap.
10/02/2012 at 9:18 pm |
ok I can honestly say that leslie thompson is not a racist. I know for a fact that a black woman had a water bill over a 1,000 dollars and when she went to complain the person at city hall told her it was because she had a pool. her response was,”it was a kiddie pool!” lmao!!!
10/03/2012 at 2:32 pm |
yes he is, he plays the race card when it fits his needs.
10/02/2012 at 5:41 pm |
I like the CTIC’s comment that he has been cooperating with the FA. Did his pants catch on fire after that statement? I read in this initial report that the state is beginning to recognize the incompetence of the CTIC and I wonder: do they have the authority to (a) remove him from office or (b) order a new election? With all of the money that can’t be accounted for, I do believe that soon we will be calling the CTIC “Messy Pants” because he is bound to s*** all over himself real soon. Even an idiot like him ought to be able to see the writing on the wall.
10/02/2012 at 5:58 pm |
I’m hoping they at least have the authority to press charges on a state level.
10/02/2012 at 8:08 pm |
He can’t read. Lol
10/02/2012 at 5:48 pm |
There are no General Fund CD’s left, the last one was cashed in December. No more robbing from the CD accounts the town had built up under the previous “prudent” Mayors. This inept mayor has wiped them out, about a $1,000,000 dollars gone and nothing to show for it. If you still support Leslie you are as dumb as Sam!
Can anyone show me a $1,000,000 of improvement to Jonesboro since Leslie took office? Can you show me $100,000, how about $1,000 of improvement? No! Why not? He’s moving the town forward right, isn’t that the tag line he’s using?
No Police Department, 10 town workers to do the same job Henry Jeter use to do by himself, rusted water tank, town financial records in shambles. Legislative Auditor was just told by Mr. Ryder that there is no way to audit the books so we are going to spend $50-$60,000 for another non-audit, I can tell you for a lot cheaper price Jonesboro is going to the dogs.
Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to fetch old Leslie a CD, but when she got there the cupboard was bare now old Leslie has none!
10/02/2012 at 6:14 pm |
Ill give you a name. Kenshoviyan Jones. She is the one that walked in city hall with a water bill balance of $2500 and walked out with a $0 balance. Last I knew she aint ever had a legal job!
10/02/2012 at 7:37 pm |
These folks that have been getting water free, whether it be one month or 4 years, are thieves and they should be arrested and have to pay what is owed . Their names should be posted in the paper for everyone to see.
10/02/2012 at 8:07 pm |
Wonder why ole Les hasn’t made sure these non functional meters haven’t been fixed. I personally am sick of my high bills! And believe me I have complained!
10/02/2012 at 8:12 pm |
I agree. The payments should be retro to when the “free” water began for those people. Oh my, can you imagine and weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. Yikes!!!
10/02/2012 at 7:41 pm |
What are they going to do about these water bills? I would love to know what ole Les bill is and the four aldermen that don’t want to help anyone!
10/08/2012 at 5:14 pm |
Maybe Renee could give us ol Les’s water bill figures and ascertain whether he paid HIS own water bill(s) or not.
Renee, can you check for us and publish what you find?
10/02/2012 at 8:09 pm |
You have your expectitions set too high .. there is no way in hell thompson can or will ever straighten out the problems jonesboro has..if im not mistaken its going on 6 yrs now with nothing being any better.. and if you want to play race card thats fine.. im sorry that im a white person that can see right from wrong..some of you wont let yourself see it..not only is he killing your town but when you refuse to stand up for what is right you are as much to blame
10/02/2012 at 8:44 pm |
My dear old parents went to pay the water bill recently and was asked to provide a driver’s license since paying with a check.
The account has been maintained for at least fifty years….same house….same owners…..never late and certainly never a bounced check.
Never needed a drivers license before when paying the water bill ….the town employee said it helps to stop bad checks when you show your driver’s license.
So at the TOJ….show your driver’s license to pay the water bill.
My thought was for them to just MAIL the check next time….
To vote, you can not be made to have an ID….anything wrong with this picture????
10/02/2012 at 9:22 pm |
Funny employee mentioned “hot” checks, cause TOJ has written many!
10/03/2012 at 8:28 pm |
They are probably just trying to steal identities now to pay for their crack since they done broke the town
10/05/2012 at 1:35 pm |
Thy WHITE , enough said
10/03/2012 at 6:59 am |
I wonder exactly how showing a Drivers license is supposed to “knock down” on hot checks? It aint like your forging a check. Whether you prove who you are by an ID doesnt change if there is money in the bank. Thats just stupid and shows the level of their rational thinking up at city hall!
10/03/2012 at 7:31 am |
I told my mother that no matter what…DO NOT allow them to draft your checking account to pay the water bill……that is how it was paid for many, many years.
There were several mistakes (like drafting after one account was closed) that took way too long to correct…so she pays in person now and hangs onto the receipt.
SAD SAD SAD
10/03/2012 at 5:55 pm |
I hope Messy went to Baton Rouge again and found out all is not good in Jonesboro.
10/03/2012 at 6:32 pm |
You so funny….Messy was in Baton Rouge yesterday…
10/08/2012 at 5:19 pm |
Yes, and Messy did, indeed, find out all is not well in Jonesboro. Tell us about your trip and what transpired in the meeting in BR. We are awaiting your reply. One, two, three, go! You are on the clock Messy.
10/04/2012 at 12:32 pm |
Did Leslie indict himself saying that racism is the problem, and has been the problem from the beginning? ? Is he admitting because he is , as he says, the first black mayor, and that he has not produced books that could be audited for as long as he has been mayor? Is it racism that caused $300,000 to be unaccounted for? Or that the water deposit fund is $80,000 short? Or that he is paying 12.25% interest on property insurance coverage, or that he is behind in paying property insurance, or that the town is behind in workman’s comp payments, or that free water is being supplied to 200-300 people while others have abnormally high bills, or that he has been paying illegally, part time workers the same benefits as full time workers, or that the town is in a financial mess, or that an expiring tax was not even noticed, or that substantiating documents can’t be produced to back his proposed budget, or that the town water tank needed maintenance 5 years ago, and is still in need, or that the lift stations need attention? ( oh, whew! Out of breath with such a long sentence, but the atrocities just kept rolling out!)
I really fail to see the above has anything to do with racism. It does show, the present mayor seems incapable to manage a town’s business.
10/07/2012 at 8:48 pm |
Lamkin said in his 9-27 letter published in The Jackson Independent that many of the problems in Jonesboro started under the previous Administration and Council. If he is referring to the Essmeier administration, which I assume he is, how about giving them some credit for leaving a million dollars in CD’s that he and the members of the Council the past six years have managed to completely squander. To quote Lamkin, “If you are not moving foward, you are standing still. If you are standing still, you are going backward.” Does he honestly believe the council members of the pst two years, have done anything at all to move Jonesboro forward instead of backward? An yes, abstaining is a vote that allows the other council members to make decisions. Surely he must have some opinion one way or the other.
10/08/2012 at 5:24 pm |
Wasn’t the previous administrator ol’ Les himself? After all, HE was the mayor for the previous 4 yrs. before the current term…… which he has about completed 2 yrs.
So, I take that to be he was, indeed, the former administrator. Did someone just get shot in the foot by their own words?
10/08/2012 at 5:49 am |
Has Old Sam ever voted YES or NO since being in office? All of the votes I’ve seen have him abstaining! The way I see it, his district has not had representation since he got elected. They should recall him. The was I see it an abstention is a yes vote for THE CTIC. Grow a pair Sam!!
10/09/2012 at 2:29 pm |
Think a recall would be a waste of time, as it would take the better part of a year to accomplish even if successful. Also, the new member would be a minority vote anyhow. Best strategy would be to concentrate on the next election, and in addition to trying to persuade Randy Layfield to run for alderman, go all out to elect another alderman at large, which is the “swing” vote on most subjects. That would block many of Thompson’s ridiculous proposals if he is re-elected, and if he isn’t, hopefully somebody will be elected mayor that can try to help us recover from the disaster of the past six years.