Mayor George Flaggs Jr. appointed committees Monday to discuss changes for 911 and to address a deficiency found in the 2018 audit report.

Flaggs appointed Fire Chief Craig Danczyk, city attorney Nancy Thomas and director of administration Doug Whittington to discuss the proposed changes in funding for Vicksburg-Warren 911 with the county.

The 911 commissioners, which include Flaggs, Danczyk and Police Chief Milton Moore, in September recommended to the Board of Supervisors that the emergency communications system operate on a fixed budget of $46,000 a month for one year.

Flaggs is a proponent of the plan, which he said would allow 911 director Shane Garrard to budget the money as needed for the month and cost the city and the county less.

The county supervisors balked at the plan.

Monday, Flaggs said he organized the city’s 911 committee to remove him from the proposal.

“I think when the messenger gets involved in the message, it’s time for the messenger to get out,” he said. “I think they’re (the board) shooting at me, but they’re not hitting me.”

He said Danczyk, Thomas and Whittington developed the budget plan.

“So rather than me be the factor why we’re not getting anything productive, I remove myself,” he said. “When I find myself to be part of the problem, I find the solution is to remove myself.”

The fixed monthly budget is one of two proposals to improve the 911 communications center.

While the budget proposal is a point of contention, city officials and county officials agree on a plan to give Garrard more freedom to hire dispatchers and manage the 911 communications center. Under that plan, Garrard would be able to determine the number of dispatchers he needs and hire dispatchers without getting approval from the Board of Supervisors.

The management plan was expected to be presented to the supervisors Monday, but was not on the agenda.

Thomas and Whittington are also on the second committee appointed by Flaggs to resolve the lone discrepancy in the city’s 2018 audit report. Other committee members include accounting clerk Anna Booth, court services director Janice Carter, IT director Pam Newton, Municipal Judge Toni Terrett.

Flaggs said the city has removed most of the deficiencies from previous audit reports, adding, “We had a great audit report and we have one left, and one is too many when we’re trying to be fiscally responsible.”

Whittington said the deficiency involves a problem involving communication between the court’s ADSI system, which records payments of fines and fees, and MUNIS, the city’s computerized records system. Presently, the court’s system sends MUNIS a lump sum report of fines and fees collected by court services instead of an itemized report showing what was paid.

The committee will be responsible for developing a system to allow ADSI to send an itemized report to the MUNIS system.

 

By John Surratt

The Vicksburg Post

Mayor George Flaggs Jr. appointed committees Monday to discuss changes for 911 and to address a deficiency found in the 2018 audit report.

Flaggs appointed Fire Chief Craig Danczyk, city attorney Nancy Thomas and director of administration Doug Whittington to discuss the proposed changes in funding for Vicksburg-Warren 911 with the county.

The 911 commissioners, which include Flaggs, Danczyk and Police Chief Milton Moore, in September recommended to the Board of Supervisors that the emergency communications system operate on a fixed budget of $46,000 a month for one year.

Flaggs is a proponent of the plan, which he said would allow 911 director Shane Garrard to budget the money as needed for the month and cost the city and the county less.

The county supervisors balked at the plan.

Monday, Flaggs said he organized the city’s 911 committee to remove him from the proposal.

“I think when the messenger gets involved in the message, it’s time for the messenger to get out,” he said. “I think they’re (the board) shooting at me, but they’re not hitting me.”

He said Danczyk, Thomas and Whittington developed the budget plan.

“So rather than me be the factor why we’re not getting anything productive, I remove myself,” he said. “When I find myself to be part of the problem, I find the solution is to remove myself.”

The fixed monthly budget is one of two proposals to improve the 911 communications center.

While the budget proposal is a point of contention, city officials and county officials agree on a plan to give Garrard more freedom to hire dispatchers and manage the 911 communications center. Under that plan, Garrard would be able to determine the number of dispatchers he needs and hire dispatchers without getting approval from the Board of Supervisors.

The management plan was expected to be presented to the supervisors Monday, but was not on the agenda.

Thomas and Whittington are also on the second committee appointed by Flaggs to resolve the lone discrepancy in the city’s 2018 audit report. Other committee members include accounting clerk Anna Booth, court services director Janice Carter, IT director Pam Newton, Municipal Judge Toni Terrett.

Flaggs said the city has removed most of the deficiencies from previous audit reports, adding, “We had a great audit report and we have one left, and one is too many when we’re trying to be fiscally responsible.”

Whittington said the deficiency involves a problem involving communication between the court’s ADSI system, which records payments of fines and fees, and MUNIS, the city’s computerized records system. Presently, the court’s system sends MUNIS a lump sum report of fines and fees collected by court services instead of an itemized report showing what was paid.

The committee will be responsible for developing a system to allow ADSI to send an itemized report to the MUNIS system.