The City of Winona Board of Aldermen is still discussing the details of the agreement between Central Mississippi, Incorporated and the City of Winona. CMI is partnering with the Mississippi Department of Health and are offering a program to help residents pay their water bills.
The Winona board has yet to reach a decision.
CMI also works with the Town of Duck Hill in the same program. However, the question remains how CMI would pay for the water bill. If it would be one check for each person. During Tuesday’s discussion, tempers flared between Mayor Aaron Dees, Alderwoman Linda Purnell and Stephanye Peeples with CMI.
The discussion began with Purnell stating that she had been in contact with Congressman Bennie Thompson’s office. The City of Winona has been awarded more than $3 million. Purnell wanted to know if the city can use that money to help pay a resident’s water bill.
Dees told her that the city didn’t have the money, and they didn’t know how they could use the money.
“Well, somebody lied because they told me that we had the money,” Purnell said.
“Well, you can come down and check all of our accounts, it’s not in there,” Dees fired back. Purnell said she was told by Thompson’s office that the money was presented to the state.
“To the state, yes!” Dees said. “But, we don’t have it. You can come down and check it,” he said.
“I’m supposed to have it in front of me,” Purnell said.
“What do you want me to do? Snap my fingers and have it in front of you?” Dees fired back.
“Yep! That’s exactly what I want you to do,” Purnell said.
Purnell began asking how many water bills are mailed out each month and if the city had a permit to do so.
“Postage? Yeah, the city pays postage,” Public Works Director Frank Faulkner said.
She said postage for one was .40 cents, and when the city sends them by first class mail, it was .33 and a half cents.
“So, it’s $1 for 3. So, it would be $1,400 to separate a bill,” she said, stating that when Dees said during an earlier meeting that it would be costly on the city to separate a water bill, it wasn’t true.
Purnell went on to say that when CMI pays the bill, the agency will inform the resident they have to pay their garbage bill.
“So, that it’ll be $20.30 for garbage, if you qualify,” Purnell said. “They know they got to pay the garbage bill; that’s common sense.”
Purnell said the city should do something to help their people. Dees and Attorney Adam Kirk both agreed.
“We’d be crazy not to get that free money. If my water bill needed paying and I needed the help, I’d sure get it,” Kirk said. Alderwoman Sylvia Clark asked Kirk how Duck Hill did their partnership with CMI.
“I don’t know, but I can ask Kay Sizemore. She’s the clerk down there,” he said. Kirk said what the city didn’t want is for a person to go two months, thinking their water bill was paid and it wasn’t.
“But we’re not going to do that,” Peeples said.
“Bottom line, the money needs to be here when it’s due,” Kirk told Peeples. He also said the language in the agreement stated that if a person could pay their bill, the city would hold it and not cut it off.
“We have an ordinance that says if it’s not paid on the due date, we’re going to cut it off,” Kirk said. “We can’t do that. CMI either has to change the language in the agreement or…”
“CMI has done nothing! CMI ain’t dotted not one I or crossed not one T on no dotted line,” Peeples said. “So, don’t put CMI in this. This is an agreement with the Mississippi Department of Health, not CMI.”
“Well, DHS will have to either change the language in the agreement or the city will have to change their ordinance,” Kirk said.
“Okay, for just one city,” Peeples said, putting emphasis on one. “Just the City of Winona. Got it.”
“Can y’all do that?” Clark asked.
“Yeah, the attorney can call and talk to their attorney,” he said.
