At Tuesday’s McComb city board meeting, Mayor Zach Patterson discusses the terminating of the hotel/motel tax, the former CFO’s request for a hearing, and alienation by the police chief and his department.
Near the end of the meeting, Tasha Dillon, director of the Community Relations and Tourism department gave her monthly report. At that time, Patterson voiced his concerns over city administrator Quordiniah Lockley and Dillon plan to meet with area representatives in a attempt to resurrect the hotel/motel tax. Patterson said, “The hotel/motel tax is dead. It was killed by the initiative of David Myers and Sam Mims in concert. This issue is a political issue...Representative David Myers created this mess, in my opinion. He made that political mess. And, if he falls back in it, so be it.”
Patterson told the board that Dillon and Lockley are employees of the city and could not be sent by the city board to lobby for any political activities. “I’m here to tell you and I’m warning you: it’s inappropriate for employees to participate in partisan political activity. If I have to take any action to stop such, I will.” Patterson insisted that the city of McComb should not have to split the tax funds with anyone or any organization. Myers and Mims had introduced a bill last year to renew the tax, calling for a 60-40 split with the Pike County Economic Development District.
That attempt was questioned by several leaders and spokespersons from the African American community. At least one other group has made a request to the city board to receive a split of the tax revenues if the tax is renewed.
Former city CFO Mary Adams announced to the audience that Lockley, who fired her on December 30th, had wrote a letter denying her request for a post-termination hearing before the city board. Lockley said that the letter she was referring to did not deny her a hearing. He said that she was only denied a place on the meeting’s agenda, since the docket for the meeting had already been completed and submitted to selectmen. Patterson asked that all requests to be put on the agenda be honored if possible.
Patterson also expressed his concerned that the city’s police department and, mainly, the Police Chief Greg Martin are side stepping him. The mayor said that he had received the titles for two Dodge Chargers authorized by the board for the police department with grant paperwork he had signed. However, the owner’s signature had been signed by Deputy Chief Scott McKenzie and Patterson’s signature was requested as a co-owner. He said that there was no point for him to sign the titles if the police department can sign for their own vehicles. “Those things that I don’t supervise, I can’t take responsibility for.”
Patterson lost his supervisory powers when four selectmen presented and approved controversial and possibly illegal amendments to the city charter last year stripping the mayor of his powers.
Patterson informed the board that the police chief does not report to him. He said the chief does not talk to him and does not inform him of any actions that are ongoing in his department. “I’m not invited anywhere there. I find out what goes on in your police department only through two ways: reading the newspaper and when citizens complain to me about how they’re treated by your police department,” Patterson said.
