Alderman Report

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Alderman Report

Report from Chipper McDermott --

Council Meeting 7/18/2006

CONTRACT FOR REPAIRS TO THE PUMP STATION AT ROYAL CIRCLE WAS GIVEN TO R.A. BARKER FOR $14,800.

PUBLIC WORKS RECIEVED A 2003 CHEVY PICK UP FROM HARRISON COUNTY SOIL AND WATER DISTRICT, AND 2 TRUCKS FROM THE CITY OF LONG BEACH, MS.

ADVERTISING WAS PERMITTED FOR A NEW BACKHOE WITH A 4-IN-1 BUCKET AND A NEW TRACTOR MOUNT 60 " SIDE CUTTER TO CUT THE DITCHES AND RIGHT OF WAYS.

THE VILLAGE LAUNDROMAT WILL CLOSE 7/31/2006 DUE TO SECURITY AND OTHER PROBLEMS. THE WASHERS AND DRYERS WILL BE GIVEN TO SALVATION ARMY.

A CHECK FOR $10,000 WAS GIVEN TO THE CITY FROM SAN CARLOS,CALIF.

WE PAID THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT BILL TO HARRISON COUNTY FOR $ 29,901.77. THIS WILL CONTINUE TIL OCTOBER WHEN THE UTILITY AUTHORITY WILL REDUCE OUR MONTHLY ALLOCATION TO ABOUT $12,000 A MONTH.

THE FARMER'S MARKET IN MEMORIAL PARK WAS A COMPLETE SUCESS ON SATURDAY 7/22/2006. THIS EVENT WILL GET BETTER EACH SATURDAY.

THE MAYORAL CANDIDATE FORUM WAS VERY WELL ATTENDED ON FRIDAY 7/21/2006.

THERE IS NO COUNCIL MEETING THE WEEK OF 7/25/2006 AS 2 ALDERMAN WILL BE ATTENDING THE MML CONFERENCE IN TUNICA,MS .

CHIPPER

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COUNCIL MEETING 7/11/2006

The Harbor Appraisals Were Accepted with the City Paying Half of the $4200 Appraisal Cost and the 3 Venders Paying the Other Half. These Leases Should Be Become Official at the 7/25/2006 Meeting.

Gerald Gex Was Appointed as an Assitant Judge Pro Temp since Skip Negerotto Is Living in Hernando, Ms for Now. Judge Gex Will Be Pro Bono When Needed.

The Police Dept Purchased Five “Mph Python III K Band Dual Antenna Radar Units” and One “Mhp Speed Gun.”

The Pass Rotary along with the Naperville Rotary Gave the City a Check for $ 800 to Purchase a Safe for City Hall.

Americorp and the City Approved an Operating Expense of up to $500 for Supplies to Be Used at the Tent Village.

Alderman Hall Asked That We Get the City Engineer to Do an Estimate on What it Would Take to Try and Secure the Randolph Building until Which Time Fema and Other Sources Will Be Available.

Alderman Rizzardi Was out of Town, with All the Other Alderman Present.

CHIPPER

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COUNCIL MEETING 6/27/2006

Ann Kelly Was given approval to start a Farmer's Market in the City Park beginning 7/22/2006 with operations between 8 am to 11 am — for Produce, Flowers, Etc This is the something the City needs now.

The Board Ok'ed getting the Pump Station fixed at Royal Circle for Emergency Repairs.

We honor'ed Grace Necaise for her 28 Years of Service by Presenting Her a Key to the City. She Will Be Missed Greatly.

We approved the Secretary of State’s Proposal for the expansion of our Harbor to the East, this has been long in coming about and will be a Great Asset for the City.

Ashbritton sent a Ckeck for $675 for Stop Signs that were destroyed during the Clean Up.

Cathy Whitlock was replaced on the planning committee by Earl Washington .

We will not have a Council meeting this Week except for Monday 7/3/2006 in order to declare the Mayor Seat Open and the Election being set for 8/8/2006.

CHIPPER

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City Council Meeting 6/20/06

DR D.H. SHORT PRESENTED THE CITY WITH A DUMP TRUCK THAT WAS GIVEN BY THE ROTARY MEMBERS OF CALIFORNIA. THIS WAS A VERY SPECIAL GIFT AND ONE MUCH NEEDED.

WPSCO GOT THE OK FOR SOFTWARE TO BEGIN ISSUING REFUNDS THE COST FOR THE SOFT WARE COST WAS $495.

WE FILED FOR THE MISSISSIPPI SMALL MUNICIPALITIES GRANT FOR $150,000. WE WILL USE THIS MONEY WHEN RECIEVED AS PART OF OUR 5 PERCENT MATCH ON THE $2,600,000 GRANT TO RE DO OUR WATER WELLS AND WATER SYSTEMS. WE ARE FOLLOWING UP ON EVERY GRANT AVAILABLE AND THE PUBLIC WILL BE WELL SATISFIED ONCE THE FIGURES ARE RELEASED. THE SEWER SYSTEM WILL ALSO BE COVERED UNDER THE GRANTS WE HAVE APPLIED FOR.

FOLLOWING THE $2,400,000 POLICE GRANT WE ARE PURSUING A FIRE GRANT UNDER THE USDA. WE RECIEVED $495,000 FROM FEMA FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO OUR BALLFIELDS AFTER THE TENT CITY COMES DOWN.

MARIAH FURZE WAS APPOINTED VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR AND A RESOLUTION REQURING ALL VOLUNTEER GROUPS TO REGISTER WITH THE COORINDATOR WAS ALSO PASSED. MARIAH WILL DO THIS ON A PRO BONO BASIS.

Harbor Expansion News

ON THURSDAY 6/22/2006,THE SECRETARY OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, REP. JIM SIMPSON JR, THE MAYOR OF LONG BEACH, AND I, HAD A PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE HARRISON COUNTY COURTHOUSE TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE SECRETARY OF THE STATE, ERIC CLARK, HAS SIGNED THE PAPERS TO GO AHEAD TO EXPAND THE PASS HARBOR FROM MARKET STREET TO DAVIS AVE. THIS IS FIST STEP NECESSARY TO EXPAND OUR HARBOR THAT HAS BEEN NEEDED AND WANTED FOR NEARLY A 100 YEARS. IT WILL HAVE AN ENORMOUS IMPACT ON PASS CHRISTIAN, BOTH AESTHETICALLY AND FINANCIALLY.

GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING AND WE ARE MOVING FORWARD EVERY DAY.

THE MAYORS ELECTION WILL BE 8/8/2006 WITH MORE IMFO COMING.

CHIPPER

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CITY COUNCIL MEETING 6/13/2006

THE CODE OFFICE HAS GONE BACK TO REQULAR HOURS OF 8AM-4PM

106 ELLIS ST WAS APPROVED FOR REZONING FROM R-2 TO C-3

THE DAY CARE BEHIND THE TENT CITY USING TRAILERS WAS DISCUSSED, THE FEE IS TO COME FROM OTHER SOURCES.

A DECISION ON PERMANET TRAILERS THAT WERE ALREADY IN PLACE BEFORE 8/29/2006 AND THE POSSIBILITY OF ALLOWING FUTURE TRAILERS WAS TABLED TO BE HEARD AT ANOTHER MEETING.

THE CITY BEGAN A LEASE WITH THE PROPERTY AT LAC BLEAU [SIGNATURE LAKE} WHICH WILL BE USED AS A STAGING AREA FOR THE COMPANY, "HOME AGAIN," A NON PROFIT OUTFIT THAT BUILDS MODULAR HOMES WHERE PEOPLE PAY HALF AND THE FOUNDATION PAYS HALF.

THE CITY HIRED MARIAN GUEST AS THE NEW PAYROLL CLERK AT A SALARY OF $24,000. SHE WILL TAKE GRACE NECAISE'S POSITION AS GRACE WILL BE RETIRING AFTER 28 YERS ON 6/30/2006.

THE LAST DAY FOR DEBRIS TO BE MOVED TO THE ROAD IS SET FOR 6/22/2006. HOWEVER,SOME DEBRIS MAY BE DECLARED INELIGIBLE BY THE CORP AND MAY NOT GET PICKED UP.

THE 2 ND ROUND OF CBDG HAS BEGUN AND IS FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE IN THE FLOOD ZONE. APPLICANTS NEED TO FILE AT THE SAME PLACES THAT THE $150,000 GRANTS WERE TAKEN. NO AMOUNT HAS BEEN DETERMINED AND GROSS INCOMES WILL BE A FACTOR, BUT THOSE WHO ARE ELLIGIBLE NEED TO APPLY ASAP.

CHIPPER

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CITY COUNCIL MEETING 6/6/2006

3 ALDERMAN WERE OUT OF TOWN,THEREFORE, WE WERE UNABLE TO CONDUCT OUR MEETING.

WE DID INTRODUCE THE NEW COMPTROLLER, AND THEN ALDERMAN HALL AND I OPENED THE FLOOR FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.

I RELAYED THAT THE REGIONAL POSTAL SUPERVISOR OF BUILDINGS HAD RETURNED MY CALL TO EXPLAIN THE HOLD UP ON OUR POST OFFICE REOPENING. HE STATED THAT THE PRIVATE OWNER WAS UNDER-INSURED, AND THE POST OFFICE WAS WORKING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, FURTHER STATING THAT HE WOULD REPORT BACK TO ME BY 6/30/2006. HE ASSURED ME THAT WE WILL GET OUR POST OFFICE BACK. THIS CALL WAS A RESULT OF A LETTER I SENT CON. GENE TAYLOR WHO INSTIGATED IMMEDIATE ACTION.

THE POLICE DEPT GOT A $2,400,000 GRANT THIS WEEK.

MOST OF THE QUESTIONS WERE ABOUT THE HURRICANE SEASON AND WHAT ACTIONS WOULD BE INSTALLED. THE FIRE CHIEF, WHO ALSO IS THE CIVIC DEFENSE DIRECTOR, WILL ADDRESS THESE ISSUES AT THE 6/13/2006 MEETING.

THE OTHER MOST FREQUENT QUESTION WAS ABOUT WALMART. WE HAVE CONTINUED TO SPEAK WITH THEM AS WELL AS OTHER REPSENTATIVES THAT HAVE CONTACTS WITH THEM AND MANT LOGISTICS ARE STILL BEING CONSIDERED. REGARDLESS, WE FEEL THEY WILL RETURN.

CHIPPER

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CITY COUNCIL MEETING 5/30/2006

The mayor sent a letter that read, "AS YOU KNOW, MY LEAVE OF ABSENCE WILL EXPIRE THURSDAY. PLEASE KNOW THAT AFTER CAREFUL DELIBERATION AND CONSULTATION WITH MY FAMILY AND PHYSCIANS, I HAVE DECIDED TO RETIRE AS MAYOR OF THE CITY OF PASS CHRISTIAN EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2006. THIS DECISION IS PREDICATED UPON THE CONTINUED HEALTH ISSUES WHICH HAVE AFFECTED MY ABILITY TO ATTEND THE BUSINESS OF THE CITY OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS.

THE PROCESS OF OBTAINING MY RETIREMENT WITH PEERS SHALL TAKE UNTIL THE END OF THE MONTH. DURING THIS INTERIM, DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS OF THE CITY SHALL CONTINUE AS BEFORE WITH THE MAYOR PRO TEMPORE PERFORMING THE FUNCTIONS AS MAYOR. ALSO, I WILL ASSIST THE ADMINISTRATION WITH THE TRANSITION DURING THIS TIME.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND CONSIDERATION TO THIS MATTER."

BILLY MCDONALD

On Monday 5/29/2006 the U S Army Corp of Eng. along with the Pass Chamber, Dupont, and many Volunteers put on a wonderful event in the Park to say Good Byes to the Corp and Honor our War Veterans, The Corp will continue to be here until the end of June.

Cynthia Burkett Was Hired to Be the Comptroller Starting 6/8/2006 at a Salary of $38,500 a Year.

Grace Necaise Announced She Is Retiring after 28 Years of Service to the City as Payroll Clerk.

The Contract for Air Condition at the Library was given to Geiger Heating at a Price of $23,679.00.

Skip Barrett gave 2 Pictures to the City from the People of Thailand.

The Meeting Lasted less than an Hour.

CHIPPER

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CITY COUNCIL MEETING 5/23/2006

David Mauffray representing Mississippi Power presented a check to the city for $50,000 to be used for parks and recreational use.

The Corp said they are 97 percent complete and their last day officially is 5/31/2006, but they will be here until FEMA tells them to go. They are planning a big memorial day event in the park on 5/29/2006, and local vendors will be involved. Many of the FEMA people we have grown to know and love from all over the united states are already being rotated out, they will be missed by all of us that have dealt with them daily. Names like Dee, Titus, Bryan, etc, will always be remembered by all of us here.

WPSCO reports that many of the city's systems will need replacing in the near future.

We have agreed on a comptroller and she will begin 6/7/2006.

The Kaboom constructed playground will be named in honor of the late Johnny Hanson, and dedicated at the Memorial Day event on 5/29/2006.

Jerry Forte was given the ok to put { 2} 4 ton ice makers at the Pass harbor which should start getting more activity at the harbor. The PCYC is also moving forward to get a permit to rebuild at their south Market St address.

Ed Macdearmid was appointed to the historical preservation comm.

Robbie Bentz has done an excellent job of getting the baseball season up and running with teams from other cities coming here to play. This has been a great work of accomplishment by Mr. Bentz.

This meeting took 1 hour to complete in a room that is very hot. Alderman Rizzardi was out of town.

I have been in city hall for 5 days now and it has been non stop, but I did not expect a rose garden.

CHIPPER

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COUNCIL MEETING 5/15/2006

THE MAYOR SENT A WRITTEN LETTER AND I QUOTE:

"AS YOU ARE AWARE, I HAVE RECENTLY EXPERIENCED SERIOUS MEDICAL PROBLEMS DUE TO HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE THAT HAVE MADE IT VERY DIFFUCULT FOR ME TO REGULARLY ATTEND MEETINGS AND TO PERFORM MY DAILY DUTIES AS MAYOR. I HAVE BEEN UNDER THE CARE OF MY PHYSICIAN AND I NOW FIND IT NECESSARY TO TAKE A 2 WEEK LEAVE OF ABSENCE, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, TO UNDERGO FURTER MEDICAL TESTS.

I HAVE DECIDED THAT BEGINNING ON THE NEXT PAY CYCLE FOR THIS WEEK I WILL NOT DRAW MY SALARY FOR THE REMAINDER OF MY LEAVE OF ABSENCE. DURING MY LEAVE OF ABSENCE I WILL BE CONSIDERING OTHER OPTIONS CONCERING MY FUTURE.

BEGINNING IMMEDIATELY IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT MAYOR PRO TEM CHIPPER MCDERMOTT WILL BE IN CHARGE AND HANDLING THE DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS OF THE CITY."

SIGNED BILLY MCDONALD.

THE CORP OF ENG GAVE THEIR WEEKLY TALK AND ARE NOW 94 PERCENT COMPLETE.

FEMA TOM HAD OTHER FEMA MEMBERS AT THE MEETING TO EXPLAIN THE RERASONS FOR THE CITY TO LOOK AT ADOPTING THE NEW HEIGHT ELEVATIONS,WHICH WE ARE STILL BEING STUDIED.

THE HARBOR MASTER HAS ASKED FOR DUMPSTERS FOR THE EAST AND WEST SIDES OF THE HARBOR.

KROL ELECTRIC GOT THE BID TO DO THE ELECTRICAL AT THE OLD LIBRARY.

J.C. BURNS WAS HIRED AS AN ECONOMIC AGENT FOR THE CITY ON A PRO BONO BASIS AND WILL WORK WITH THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND VISIONARY COMMITTEES.

THIS MEETING TOOK ONLY AN HOUR AND A HALF TO COMPLETE.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE, I AM EXPERIENCING MANY EMOTIONS. AS AN OLD FRIEND OF THE MAYOR I HOPE THE BEST FOR HIS HEALTH AND WELL BEING. I PROMISE THE PUBLIC THAT I WILL BE AVAIBLE DAILY 8AM TIL 4 PM AND IF HARD WORK WILL GET THE JOB DONE, THEN YOU AND I HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR. MY CELL PHONE IS 228-860-5285 AND I AM AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY DURING THIS PERIOD. THE OTHER ALDERMEN ARE ALSO COMMITTED TO GETTING THIS HUGE TASK AHEAD COMPLETED.

CHIPPER

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Council Meeting 5/9/06

All of the Alderman Were Present and the Mayor Was out Sick.

FEMA Stated That 93 Percent of Debris Is Now Removed and They Are Leaving 5/31/2006

A Rep of FEMA was here and Took Questions about Debris. Several Residents Complained about What Was Declared Ineligible Debris. FEMA Says Only Debris That They Determine Is Eligible Can Be Picked Up, and the Land Had to Have a House on it.

WPSCO Said 2100 Bills Have Been mailed and That this Is Half of Pre Katrina Billing. They also Said No Late Charges Have Been Charged, but Recommend That this Be Looked at Later.

The City Is Now with out a Comptroller Again and the Board Appointed Me to Be in Charge of Interviewing Perspective Applicants. I Am Trying to Get the Resumes to Move Forward.

We Approved Paying People's Bank $ 207,856 Principle and Interest for the Bond Money We Drew down from Walmart.

Alderman Piernas Asked That We Cut the Mayor's Pay at the next Meeting Which Will Be Monday 5/15/2006 6 Pm. Alderman Piernas Asked for a 50 Percent Reduction, the Mayor Has Said His Blood Pressure Is out of Sight, but the Alderman at the Last Meeting Asked for a Doctor's Report. This Is a Situation That Can Not End Good, But something Has to Be Done for the Good of All Involved.

Alderman Hall Had an Executive Session on the City's Attorney's Pay That Was Delayed.

If Anyone Thinks this Is a Fun Job They Should Try Walking in Our Shoes for a Week.

Chipper

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City Council Meeting 5/2/2006

All of the Alderman Were Present and Again the Mayor Was out Sick.

This Makes 6 Absents in the Last 7 Weeks. I Spoke to Him about this Last Week and His Response Was He Is under a Doctor's Care.

Tuesday Was a Long Day as the Alderman Met the Mayor of Charleston, S.C. in Biloxi with the Smart Growth Conference. Later That Evening I Had to Attend a Mayor's Forum in Biloxi in order to show Pass Christian representation and returned to the Pass for Our Weekly Council Meeting. The Gospel Singers Room Is Very Hot. This what we can expect until June When We Start Meeting at the City Library on Heirn Ave, This Will Be for June and July Only.

Dee Flowers with the Us Army Corp Says They Are Now 91 Percent Complete and Will Be Leaving Here 5/31/2006.

Tom Miller with FEMA said Any New Permits for New Building Will Need the New Elevation Forms Dated 2006. He also said that there Will Be a Work Shop for All Citizens at the Coast Coliseum 5/4/2006 from 9:30 to 6 Pm.

Bruce Anthony with WPSCO was out sick So No Report Was Given.

The City Engineer Was given the OK to Prepare a Scope of Work for drainage, road repairs, and Storm Water Repairs for Future Work.

The City approved the Recommendation of the Planning Comm for Charles Murphy from I-1 and R-2 to C2 at the North End of Clark Ave.

4 Items Were Handled in Executive Session, other Wise the Meeting Moved Rather Well.

This Job Has Weekly Mood Swings and I Have to Remind Myself That Tough Times Don't Last Only Tuff People, The Weekly Demands of this Part Time Job Get Larger Every Week So Your Heart Has to Be in the Pass or this Will Eat You Alive. I Disagree with the Alderman frequently, but I never Question their heart.

Chipper

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CITY COUNCIL MEETING 4/26/2006

This Was Once Again a Long and Hard Meeting. The Mayor was out Sick and Alderman Piernas was at an out of Town Meeting. This Situation Has Got to Stop. Without a Designated Leader We Have Everyone Going in Different Directions --- Which Creates More Problems than What Already Exists.

The Real Work of an Alderman Is Done Outside of the City Council Meetings --- Not at the Meeting Itself --- and the Different Agendas from all Involved creates More and More Division.

We Have a City Attorney Who "Out of Town Ceo's,” think he Is the Elected Leader of Our Town.

We Are about as Disfunctional as a Town Can Be and Everybody Outside and Inside of this Town knows it. in my college Economic's Class the Prof. Always said, “If you have Good Management, it will overcome anything else you are lacking. If that Is the case, Then the Proof Is in the Pudding.

I Really Don't Have the Desire to Replay the Meeting but for others Sake Let Me Make this Very Brief.

The Corp of Eng. Said They Are 90 Percent Complete and Swimming Pools Are Still an Item That Need Proof of Ownership on a Signed Form.

The Code Office Will Be Open Monday and Thursday 8am Til 6pm to offer assistance to Citizens.

The Possibility of Accepting the FEMA Advisory Elevations Was Tabled to a Later Date.

The Police Dept Was Given the Ok to Purchase 5 New Vehicles with the Ok for an additional 10 at a Later Date.

The Community Out-Reach Program Is Now in disarray and the Future Ownership and Direction Will Be Decided Later.

The City Vacated a Part of Second Street between Church and Henderson Ave that fronts Trinity Church.

Kaboom Was a Real Success — So the Week Was Not a Complete Loss.

The Sec of State of Mississippi, Eric Clark, flew to the Coast to meet with Rep. Jim Simpson and me on this past Monday 4/24/2006 to Discuss the possibility of our Expanding the Harbor. He did this on a State Holiday on His Own Time and Is Very Interested in Trying to Help Us. We feel if it Is ever Going to Be Possible, this Is our best Chance. Jim Schmidt and Anthony Hall also attended the Meeting.

Note: If you can’t tell Already — the Aftermath might be Worse than the Hurricane.

CHIPPER

PS ---- Blessing of the Fleet --- at Harbor --- This Sunday --- 1 p.m.

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COUNCIL MEETING 4/18/2006

THIS HAS BEEN A VERY ACTIVE WEEK.FIRST THE GOVERNOR AND GENE TAYLOR AS WELL AS THE MAYOR AND A VERY LARGE CROWD WERE ON HAND AND SPOKE TO THE AUDIENCE AND TOOK QUESTIONS. THE ROTARY, DR SHORT, TREY CAMBELL, ETC DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB WITH THIS FORUM. THE GOVERNOR SAID WE ARE NOT FORGETtTEN AND MONEY IS AVAIBLE AND THE CITY WILL MAKE A COMBACK BETTER THAN EVER. GENE TAYLOR GAVE A VERY IMFORMATIVE SPEECH ALSO.

AT THE COUNCIL MEETING LATER THAT DAY ALL THE ALDERMAN WERE THERE, BUT THE MAYOR WAS OUT SICK. THE MEETING WAS LONG, HOT AND NOT VERY PRODUCTIVE, ONE CITIZEN SAID WE WASTED TOO MUCH TIME ON PETTY THINGS AND CONSTANT ARGURING AND HE WAS PROBABLY RIGHT. LT HESS WITH THE USCG, PRESENTED TO US BY CONGRESSMAN TAYLOR, GAVE A OVERVIEW OF THE CLEAN-UP OF THE WATERWAYS AND SAID THIS WAS GOOD TO GO BY 5/1/2006. THE CORP SAYS THEY WILL BE FINISHED BY 5/31/2006 AND THE BIG PARTY IN THE PARK IS DUE FOR 5/29/2006.

WPSCO GAVE THEIR USUALLY REPORT SAYING 26 FIRE HYDRANTS ARE MISSING.

MANY ITEMS WERE TABLED.

HOME DEPOT WANTS TO OPEN A SATELLITE BRANCH ON NORTH STREET TO HAVE AN OFFICE TO TAKE ORDERS AND THEN DELIVER THEM. LOCAL VENDORS HAD CONCERNS AND WE ASKED HOME DEPOT TO TRY AND NOT COMPETE WITH THEM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. THIS BRANCH WILL BE ON NORTH STREET AND TO BE READY SOMETIME AFTER.

MR UPCHURCH OUR TEMP COMPTROLLER IS AT WORK HERE NOW ,THANK GOD.

WEDNESDAY AT 6PM 4/19/2006, WE HAD OUR STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS, HOWEVER THE MAYOR WAS OUT SICK, SO WE THE ALDERMAN TOOK TURNS GIVING OUR OUTLOOK FOR THE FUTURE. WE ALL DID IT A DIFFERNT WAY, I GAVE SOME NEW FIQURES THAT THE PERMIT DEPT HAS ISSUED SHOWING 733 PERMITS FOR A TOTAL OF $202,000. 577OF THESE PERMITS WERE IN THE FLOOD PLAIN AREA AND 156 WERE PERMITS FOR OUT SIDE THE FLOOD PLAIN. THIS WAS THE MOST CORDIAL, INTERSTING, AND FUN MEETING WE MAY HAVE EVER HAD. WE SPOKE OF THE HARD WORK EACH ALDERMAN HAS PLAYED IN THE AFTERMATH AS WELL AS MALCOMB. HOW 3 ALDERMAN LOST EVERTHING AND STILL CONTINUE TO WORK FOR THE PEOPLE EVERY DAY AND THE TIME AND EFFORT WE HAVE ALL SPENT. BUT WHAT WAS MOST SIGNIFICANT WAS THAT ALL OF US STATED THAT THE MAYOR IS REALLY VERY SICK, AND THAT THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE ANYMORE OF DEFIANCE BUT OF SOME ONE WHO NEEDS REAL HELP. WE ALL WANT THIS TO BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF SOMEONE WHO WAS AT ONE TIME A VERY ABLE LEADER. THE AUDIENCE CLAPPED SEVERAL TIMES, BUT WE KNOW THAT TOUGH ISSUES ARE STILL TO BE MADE THAT WILL EFFECT ALL OF US AND THE FUTURE OF THE CITY.

THE KABOOM IS SLATED FOR THIS SATURDAY 4/22/2006.

CAMPUS CRUSADE SAYS THEY HAVE BEEN THROUGH 5000 STUDENTS SINCE THEY BEGAN THEIR WORK HERE.

RON LADNER HAD MR. JOEY DORIGNAC OF DORIGNAC'S GROCERY STORES TALK ABOUT POSSIBLE OPENING OF ONE OF THERE CHAIN STORES. THEY ARE VERY INTERESTED IN THE IDEA. RON IS GOING TO TRY AND SELL THEM ON LAND HE HAS ON HENDERSON AVE NORTH OF NORTH STREET. HE IS ALSO LOOKING AT A STRIP MALL THERE WITH A RESTURANT ETC.

DOLLAR GENERAL WILL REOPEN 4/14/2006 AT THEIR OLD NORTH ST ADDRESS AND MARTIN'S HARDWARE ALSO REOPENED, IT MAYBE BE BABY STEPS, BUT WE ARE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION .

THE ZONNING AND PLANNING COMMITTE WILL MEET TUESDAY 4/25/2006 AT THE CIVIC CENTER ON ESPY AT 6 PM TO DISCUSS HEIGHT ISSUES, THEREFORE THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING HAS BEEN CHANGED TO WEDNESDAY 4/26/2006

THANKS, CHIPPER

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CITY COUNCIL MEETING 4/11/2006

FIRST THE MAYOR WAS OUT SICK AND ALDERMAN HALL WAS OUT OF TOWN AT A FUNERAL,THEREFORE I CHAIRED THE MEETING ALONG WITH ALDERMEN PIERNAS,BANG,AND RIZZARDI.

DEE FLOWERS WITH THE US ARMY CORP OF ENG GAVE HER WEEKLY REPORT,SHE SAID THE DEADLINE FOR ROE'S WAS 2/28/06 BUT PEOPLE COULD GO TO CITY HALL FOR POSSIBLE EXTENDED ACTION.SHE SAID THERE IS STILL DISCUSSION GOING ON ABOUT ELIGIBLE AND INELIGBLE DEBRIS FROM PROPERTY IF A STRUCTURE IS DECLARED INELIGIBLE.THE CORP IS STILL LOOKING TO BE OUT OF HERE BY 5/31/2006.WPSCO GAVE THEIR WEEKLY REPORT STATING THEY HAD ABOUT 5 MAJOR LEAKS THIS PAST WEEKEND AND ELECTRICITY WAS RUN TO ESPY AND SHADOWLAWN,BUT THE SITES HAVE TO BE PUMP OUT AGAIN BEFORE GOING ON LINE.THEY ARE DESPERATE FOR A 3RD METER READER.

FIRE DEPT GOT APPROVAL TO ADD 2 FIREFIGHTERS TO THEIR CALL OUT LIST.THE POLICE DEPT IS ADVERTISING FOR PATROLMEN AND DISPATCHERS.

MALCOMB JONES WAS APPOINTED TEMP. FEMA AGENT TIL A COMPTROLLER IS HIRED.

DEBRIS REMOVAL CAME UP AGAIN AND ASBRITT REP WAS THERE.IT WAS NOT A

CIVIL DISCUSSION MAINLY LEAD BY ME,HOWEVER THIS IS THE LAST TIME I GOING TO BEAT THIS DEAD HORSE WITHOUT SOME HELP.

DAYTON ROBINSON SAID HE IS WAITING ON SOME MONEY FIQURES BEFORE ADVERTISING FOR A CITY PLANNER.

THE PILE OF CONCRETE AT THE EAST HARBOR WILL BE REMOVED BY A PRIVATE CONTRACTOR NEXT WEEK FREE OF CHARGE,AND THE CONCRETE ON THE WEST SIDE WILL BE USED BY BMR FOR FISHING REEFS.

FORMER TEMP CONTROLLER, EDDIE UPCHURCH, IS SUPPOSE TO HANDLE THE COMPTROLLER WORK TIL ONE IS FOUND.

THE SWIMMING POOL ISSUE IS STILL UP IN THE AIR,ANYONE THAT WANTS THEIR'S FILLED NEEDS TO CONTACT CITY HALL BY PHONE 452-3310,TO GET APPROVAL TO FILL,THE ONE'S THAT WE CANNOT REACH AND ARE A HAZARD AND HEALTH PROBLEM WILL BE HANDLED ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS.

EUGENE RUSSELL WAS APPOINTED TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO GO WITH HIS APPT. TO THE ZONING BOARD.

I BROUGHT UP, AND THE CORP AGREED ,TO WRITE CITATIONS TO ANY CONTRACTOR THAT IS ON OUR STREETS MOVING HEAVY EQUIPMENT WITH OUT A LOBOY.

MS IMOGENE FORTENBERRY WAS HIRED TO WRITE GRANTS FOR THE POLICE DEPT THAT COULD GO IN THE MILLIONS.

SOME FYI : THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPT DOESNOT HAVE A DUMP TRUCK WORKING NOW,THERFORE,INSTALLING CULVERTS AND OTHER JOBS THAT REQUIRE MATERIAL HAULED IS DOWN TIL A TRUCK IS UP AND RUNNING.

KABOOM WILL BE HERE 4/22/2006 FOR THEIR ALL DAY INSTALLATION EVENT IN THE PARK.

THE STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS IS SUPPOSE TO BE 4/19/2006 WILL SEE IF THAT TAKES PLACE,AND THE BLESSING OF THE FLEET WILL BE 4/30/2006.

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CITY COUNCIL MEETING 4/4/2006

This was a tough meeting with a lot of bickering by everyone involved. The mayor was present as well as all aldermen. Huey Bang was sworn in before the meeting by Judge Frank Wittmann, so we now have a complete Board of Aldermen.

FEMA Tom reported that trailers and modular homes have to meet the 2003 code standards to get a permit. He also said slab removal would be covered by the "In-Cost-Comp" (ICC) under the Flood insurnace including to help meet the cost of higher elevations for future building construction. He is taking a much needed vacation to France for 10 days and his replacement is Danny Merritt.

Dee Flowers spooke for the Corp and said that Debris removal performance is up to 10,000 cubic yards per day.

WPSCO rreported thhat they have about 660 people that are waiting to decide to return or not. That more and more people are returning every day.

The Board OK'ed sewer service down HOliday Dr which will take some time as was Espy and Shadowlawn that are still waiting on some electrical set-ups.

Chie Dubuisson was given permission to pay overtime to officers that have worked extra duty due to the manpower shortage.

Alderman Piernas asked that the Boys and Girls Club location remain at its present site since Disney Corp. has agreed to $500,000 construction funding. The low elevation will be filled in.

Eugene Russell was appo9inted to the Zoning Board of Adjustments. Ken Austin to the Park Commission, and Muriah Furze to the Temp Housing Committee.

An appointment to the Planning Commission remains unfilled.

The Kent State Volunteers, on their departure, presented a $3000 check to the city as well as donating a heavy duty lawn mower.

Heated discussions took place concerning local contractors who felt that the prime contrators, Ashbritt, was not awarding them enough work. With 60 percent completion, the arguments will not be soon quelled.

Rep. Jim Simpson, Jr. and I are going to Jackaon on April 6 to met with the Sec of State regarding the possibility of expanding our Municipalr harbor to the East. A follow up report will be forthcoming.

Chipper

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CITY COUNCIL MEETING 3/28/2006

THIS WAS A VERY LONG MEETING AS WE HAD CARRY OVERS FROM LAST WEEK'S MEETING AND THE MEETING ROOM IS GETTING VERY WARM AS THE WEATHER GETS HOTTER.

THE MAYOR WAS OUT SICK, BUT ALL THE ALDERMAN WERE THERE. THIS LEFT US WITH 3 VOTING ALDERMAN AS ONCE AGAIN I CHAIRED THE MEETING.

DEE FLOWERS WITH THE US ARMY CORP OF ENG GAVE HER REPORT THAT THEY ARE PLANNING A GOING AWAY PARTY 5/29/2006 {MEMORIAL WEEKEND} IN THE PARK. SHE ALSO SAID THEY ARE ABOUT 77 PERCENT COMPLETE AND ARE WORKING EXTRA CREWS TO FINISH THE CITY BY 5/29/2006.

JIM THOMPSON OF THE SOON TO BE OPEN "DOLLAR GENERAL" STORE SPOKE AND SAID THEY WERE HIRING FOR POSITIONS AT THE SOON TO BE OPEN STORE.

WPSCO GAVE A SHORT TALK ON GENERAL PROGRESS AND GOT APPROVAL TO BUY AND INSTALL A DROP BOX FOR PAYMENTS AT THE 2ND ST LOCATION AND A SAFE FOR BILLING PURPOSES.

THE FIRE DEPT REQUEST FOR A NEW FIRE TRUCK WAS DELAYED WHILE THE FUNDING WAS BEING LOOKED AT. FIRST, A NEW TRUCK WOULD RUN ABOUT $800,000 AND GRANTS AND INSURANCE WAS STILL UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME.

THE NAPERVILLE PROJECTS TO BUILD 20 HOMES WAS LEFT IN THE HANDS OF THE ROTARY CLUB TO DETERMIN AND DECIDE WHO GETS WHAT AS WAS ASK'ED BY THE NAPERVILLE RESPONSE COMMITTEE.

A DECISION ON SWIMMING POOLS THAT ARE A HAZARD WAS DISCUSSED AND RULES TO HANDLE THIS WILL BE SET AT A LATER DATE. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS AND FILLING THEM WITH SAND IS A VERY POSSIBLE OPTION.

A GROUP OF 400 VOLUNTEERS FROM KENT STATE UNIV. ARE IN TOWN CLEANING AND REBUILDING THE GAZEBO AS WELL AS SHOWERS FOR THE VOLUNTEER TENT CITY,

WE GAVE THEM A BANNER THANKING THEM FROM ALL OF US HERE IN PASS CHRISTIAN. ANYONE WHO THINKS THE WORLD IS GOING TO POT SHOULD SEE THESE YOUNG PEOPLE IN ORDER TO APPRECIATE THAT THE FUTURE OF AMERICA IS IN VERY GOOD HANDS.

SEVERAL APPOINTMENTS TO VARIOUS BOARDS WERE TABLED TO SEE IF OTHER NOMINATIONS WERE AVAILABLE.

THE BOARD VOTED TO RE-ADVERTISE FOR THE COMPTROLLER POSITION WITH A SALARY TO BE NEGOTATED. THIS POSTION IS VITAL AND NEEDS TO BE FILLED IMMEDIATELY AT WHATEVER COST IT TAKES FOR THE FUTURE OF THE CITY.

ALDERMAN PIERNAS ASKED AND GOT A DATE SET FOR 4/12/2006 FOR A STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS, THIS WILL TAKE PLACE AT OUR REGULAR MEETING STARTING AT 6 PM. THE MAYOR AND ALDERMAN WILL BE PART OF THE FORMAT.

THE GOVERNOR WILL BE AT THE WEST HARRISON CIVIC CENTER 4/18/2006 ON ESPY AVE TO DISCUSS ANY AND ALL QUESTIONS AS WILL CONGRESSMAN GENE TAYLOR THIS IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AT 1 PM .

THE RUN-OFF FOR WARD 4 IS 3/30/2006

CHIPPPER MCDERMOTT

CITY COUNCIL MEETING 3/21/2006

WE WERE UNABLE TO RUN OUR MEETING TONIGHT AS WE DID NOT HAVE A QUORUM. THE MAYOR WAS OUT SICK AND ALDERMAN HALL WAS OUT ALSO. THEREFORE, BECAUSE I HAD TO CHAIR THE MEETING, WE DID NOT HAVE THE NEEDED MAJORITY TO VOTE ON ANY ISSUES. WE DID PROCEED WITH THE AGENDA COVERING THE ITEMS THAT DID NOT REQUIRE A VOTE.

WE HEARD FROM REV COLBY, PAT NICHOLS, AND DORIS FLETTRICH ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB. THEY SAID DISNEY INC WAS COMMITTED TO HELP REBUILD IT AND WE AGREED TO SUPPORT THE CLUB IN THE FUTURE, THEY WILL HAVE TO DECIDE ON WHERE THEY WILL BUILD, ETC. AND GET WITH US AT A LATER DATE.

WPSCO GAVE THEIR REPORT SAYING THE RUNNING WATER AT THE WATER TOWER ON BAYVIEW IS WAITING ON BELLSOUTH TO GET THE EQUIPMENT THAT CONTROLS THE FLOW AND IS CONTROLLED AT THE EAST END FIRE STATION. THEY ARE ALSO GETTING PRICES FOR A DROP BOX TO BE USED AT THEIR OFFICE ON WEST 2ND STREET TO HELP CUSTOMERS PAY THEIR BILLS.

TOM MILLER REPORTED THAT ICC {IN-COMPLIANCE COST CLAIMS} HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 4 YEARS. THIS IS TO HELP PEOPLE GET THEIR PROPERTY IN COMPLIANCE TO PRE-KATRINA STANDARDS. FORMS CAN BE OBTAINED AT THE PERMIT OFFICE IN THE CITY.

THE GAZEBO IS TO BE REBUILT STARTING NEXT WEEK AT IT'S CURRENT LOCATION.

WE CONCLUDED WITH THE PUBLIC COMMENTARY SEGMENT,

CHIPPER

REMEMBER THE ELECTION FOR WARD 4 IS THURSDAY 3/23/2006

CITY COUNCIL MEETING 3/14/2006

There was a very large audience at tonight's meeting. The mayor and all the alderman were present.

Dee Flowers with the US Corp Community Relations spoke first and again gave their hot line # 601-631-5065,she said if you get a recording to leave your name phone and assigned Ms # and They will call you back. She said they Are Still at 7,200 Cubic yards of Debris removal a Day but Hope to Get to 10,000/day soon.

Fema's Tom Miller Spoke next and issued warnings that the Ocean Temperature is now 6 Degrees Warmer than this time last year. He said 7 Major Storms are forcast for 2006 and suggested that people should look at Getting Flood Insurance That Is Available to Everyone. He estimates about 80 % of Pass Christian did not have Flood Ins or at Least Not Enough. The Estimate for $150,000 of Flood Ins is about $270/year and the Maximum Flood Policy is $250,000. Now. anyone Getting Flood Ins Will Have a 30 Day Wait Before it Goes into effect, he Introduced the New Code and Permit Officer appointed by the Alderman Gene Peralta.

WPSCO reported that they Still Have Major Leaks Between Japonica Ave and Menge Ave. They are about to Get Sewage to South Espy Ave soon.

A Representative for the Contractors for the Bay Bridge stated that they are with Archer Western and said the New Bridge Will Be 150 Feet North of the Present Bridge with a 12 Foot Walking Track. The Presentation Recieved Some Strong Concerns from Residents of Henderson Point which is outside the City. They asked many questions that were not Answered. It was suggested that their project concerns should be heard through the county that represents this area. Two lanes are supposed to be open in 14 months.

Public Works Was Given the Ok to Get a 2004 Chevy Cc7500 Cab Truck That Can Be Converted to Their Use and Needs That Retails for $70,000 and Can Be Bought on State Contract for $40,00 with a Lease Purchase Plan.

The City Received a Check from Walmart for the Police Dept for $875 and Also Received a Check for $5,000 from St Paul's Carnival Assoc.

For Help with Their Mardi Gras Parade.

Once Again the Board Voted to Continue to Meet Weekly.

In the Public Discussion Dayton Robinson responded to a question about a plan by the city and he rightly told the audience that the Planning Commission and the city were waiting on all the different recommendations from Smart Code and the governor's commission to be completed before moving forward. A question was to have the alderman and mayor give their idea of what they thought would be the future vision and we decided that we would at the next meeting. I'm looking forward to this.

In all it was one of the shorter meetings that progress well.

CHIPPER MCDERMOTT

P.S. THE DEBRIS CLEAN UP IS NOW USING WHAT IS CALLED A POLICE ACTION ZONE CLEAN UP WHERE THE PROPERTY CAN BE CLEANED WITHOUT A "ROE" IF THE PROPERTY IS CONSIDERED A HAZARD, THEREFORE ANYONE WITH THE LETTERS POZ ON THERE PROPRTY. NEEDS TO PUT A SIGN UP IF THEY DO NOT WANT THE PROPERTY CLEANED. CHIPPER

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CITY COUNCIL MEETING 3/7/2006

THE FIRST ORDER OF BUINESS WAS ACCEPTING BIDS ON 2 NEW CUSTOM FIRE TRUCKS AND 1 CONVENTIAL TRUCK FOR THE FIRE DEPT.

FEMA'S TOM MILLER DID NOT HAVE ANY INFO AT TONIGHT'S MEETING.

WPSCO THEN DID THEIR WEEKLY REPORT AND SAID WATER IS NOW TO ALL LOCATIONS EXCEPT THE SCENIC DRIVE HWY 90 AREA BETWEEN JAPONICA AND MENGE AVE. THEY GOT APPROVAL FOR SEWAGE DOWN ESPY AND SHADOWLAWN BY THE BOARD THAT HAS BEEN REQUESTED FOR SOMETIME. WPSCO ALSO ASKED PERMISSION TO BEGIN CLOSING OUT THE 1125 TERMINATION REQUEST IMMEDIATELY, WHICH WILL REQUIRE THEY REFUND DEPOSITS --- WHICH WILL RUN ABOUT $48,329.79 MINUS ANY OUTSTANDING $ OWED ON THESE ACCOUNTS. WPSCO ALSO SENT OUT 1243 WATER BILLS WHICH AMOUNTS TO ABOUT $36,535 PLUS LATE CHARGES OF $14,000 FOR A TOTAL BILLING AMOUNT OF ABOUT $51,000 AS OF 2/28/2006

ROBBIE BENTZ, PARKS AND REC. DIRECTOR, GOT APPROVAL ON THE EQUIPMENT AND LOCATION OF THE KABOOM INC PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT THAT WILL GO UP ON 4/22/2006 IN AN ALL DAY VOLUNTEER EVENT THAT WILL BE VERY UPLIFTING TO THE CITY FOLKS.

IT WAS AGREED TO HAVE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR MIKE PAVALISCK GET AN INVENTORY OF MOST NEEDED EQUIPMENT FOR HIS DEPT AT THE NEXT MEETING. HIS DEPARTMENT IS NOW DOWN TO 8 WORKERS, BUT THEIR WORK IS VITAL TO OUR CITY'S HELP AND WELL BEING.

THE BOARD ALSO AGREED TO RENEW THE HARBOR LEASES, WHICH INCLUDE KIMBALL, FORTE, PASS PURCHASING, AND THE PASS BAIT SHOP ON A MONTH TO MONTH BASIS UNTIL 3 APPRASIALS CAN BE OBTAINED AND THEN THEY WILL HAVE THE OPTION OF DOING A 5 YEAR LEASE.

THE US CORP OF ENGINEERS REPORTED THAT THEY ARE REMOVING 7,200 CY OF DEBRIS A DAY AND HAVE REMOVED 892,000 CY SO FAR. THEY HAVE 86 COMMERICAL DEMOS AND REPORT THEY HAVE DEMOLISHED 434 PROPERTIES TO DATE WITH 732 LEFT. THAY SAID THEY COMPLETED 82 BETWEEN 2/28/2006 AND 3/6/2006.

THE BOARD AGREED TO LET THE SENIOR CITIZENS BEGIN THEIR ACTIVITIES IN THE TRAILER LOCATED ON THE OLD FIRE STATION PROPERTY ON 2ND STREET NEXT TO WPSCO'S.

MALCOMB INFORMED THE BOARD AND THE PUBLIC THAT THE CITY HAS RECIEVED $1,000,000 ADVANCE FROM THE CITY'S INSURANCE ON PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND WE HAVE RECEIVED APPROX. $900,000 IN PROPERTY TAXES. THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM HAS RECEIVED APPROX $3,500,000 IN TAXES FROM THE COUNTY TAX COLLECTOR IN SCHOOL TAXES.

AT THE NEXT MEETING, THE BOARD AND MAYOR WILL APPOINT 1 PERSON EACH FOR A COMMITTEE THAT WILL OVERSEE THE NAPERVILLE,IL CATHOLIC DIOCESE CONTRIBUTIONS FUND. THEY HAVE COMMITTED TO REBUILD HOUSES HERE, WHICH IS A LONG TERM COMMITTMENT AND HIGH INVESTMENT STAKE THAT THEY HAVE MADE TO PASS CHRISTIAN AND THEY ARE READY TO GET STARTED.

THE FOURTH WARD ELECTION BALLOT IS COMPLETE, THOSE RUNNING ARE IN ALPHABETICAL

ORDER: 1. HUEY BANG 2.GREG FEDRICO,3,MARIA FURZE,4. JESSIE HEARIN.5.DARYL PEPPER.6 JOHN {DREW} RABALAIS. THIS ELECTION IS SET FOR 3/23/2006.

IN CLOSING I REPORT THAT ALL ALDERMAN AND MAYOR WERE PRESENT AT TONIGHT'S MEETING.

IN MY LAST REPORT I TOOK THE POSITION THAT I WAS RIGHT ON AND ISSUE AND THE OTHER 3 ALDERMAN WERE WRONG, I KNOW BETTER AND HAVE APOLOGIZED TO EACH OF THEM PERSONALLY AS THEY TOOK AN EXCEPTION TO THIS. I DON'T KNOW OF ANY PEOPLE THAT WORK HARDER OR LONGER THAN OUR ALDERMAN. WITH THAT, WE LOOK FORWARD TO TACKLING OTHER PROBLEMS THAT FACE OUR CITY.

CHIPPER McDERMOTT

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CITY COUNCIL MEETING 2/21/2006

FEMA agent TOM MILLER reported that the costs of compliance are caused by changes in the land, drilling, etc. over periods of time. The elevation is determined by the first room level of living space. It is 13.1 feet above sea level and an additional one-foot-above as set by city ordinance established in 1999. (Note by Dan Ellis: When I rebuild on my newly cleaned lot, if before next year, my elevation will have to be a minimum of 14.1 feet above sea level.) As a result of Katrina’s damages, this elevation requirement will remain in effect until new elevation maps are in place — which will take place in about a year when they will be higher as set by federal flood maps. The US government cost for compliance is now up to $30,000 with a $250,000 cap on flood insurance. He said they are trying to increase the grant and have the cap amount removed, but this will take Congress to do so. There are many different grants coming down, the state of Mississippi will soon have applications for up to $150,000 for people who lived outside the flood plain having no flood insurance. This is part of a $ 4 billion Federal grant handled by the state and not FEMA.

WPSCO says they have 958 accounts they have not heard from, WPSCO recommends we close them, some will have deposit refunds and they will need to get addresses on them. They have approximately 1031 active accounts now and 1231 requests.

LESLIE LADNER the comptroller, who is leaving 2/24/2006, gave a financial account of the city. She said the city has received $1,600,000 in insurance money and that the balance-on-hand is $6,000,000. This is the city's budget for a year. However there are some monthly bills on hold which will reduce this amount. We are holding up paying garbage {solid waste} wanting to get a better count of homes rather than pay what we normally paid monthly in the past. Our state revolving funds are also on hold, this is money that the State takes out of taxes paid monthly, such as sales tax, etc.

The new fiscal problem will be next year when the tax assessments are reduced when property owners taxes are adjusted from pre-KATRINA values. It is estimated that we will lose about 45 percent of our property taxes valuation. There is a hiring freeze on, but some departments will have to increase their employee numbers to keep services up to required standards. Leslie stated that another danger is capital outlays which will take approximately $26,000,000 and require up front cash before FEMA will refund on a project worksheet program that they require.

We have applied for loans on a draw-down basis from the Land Bank that will have a 5 year window with the possibility of another 5 year grace period before having to pay them back.

Our city engineer says that water to GOLFVIEW DR. was channeled under Mallini Bayou and would cost too much at this time to restore, therefore water to Golfview Drive has been denied.

The US Mail Service told me that an officer in charge of the PASS PO will be in effect this week and mail to area's that they can deliver will begin next week. Some places will have cluster boxes placed in their neighborhoods.

Additional compensation for the City Attorney acting as CAO/CAA has been resolved. ALDERMAN HALL, RIZZARDI, and PIERNAS voted to pay MALCOLM JONES $20,324.16 overtime on top of the $30,000 that was already voted on for him. (This is in addition to his normal City Attorney income.) I, McDERMOTT voted against the overtime money.

One E-mail I received WANTED TO ALWAYS KNOW IF THE mayor WAS AT THE MEETINGS, he was there tonight. Another email asked for the city hall fax # which is 228-452-5435.

CHIPPER McDERMOTT

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NOTE: The St Paul Mardi Gras parade is set for Sunday 2/26/2006 starting at 12 noon. Parade route will begin at Henderson Ave on Hwy 90 and proceed east on Hwy 90 to Seal Ave and then return back to Henderson west bound on Hwy 90. No parking on the south side of Hwy 90 by the seawall. -----CHIPPER

TOWN MEETING 2/14/2006

Tom MIller FEMA agent said city elevation before KATRINA was 3 to 4 feet too low,and

KATRINA has caused the changes to take place earlier than would have normally occured.

The new flood elevation maps will be out about August for review, which will then become permanent. He said all FEMA money will be tied to FEMA regulations begining now. He said that 460 permits have been completed so far, further explaining that the city currently has 4 different base elevations ranging between 13 feet and 15 feet with a one foot above base elevation.

The US CORP OF ENG. reported they have recieved about 2000 ROE's, and have determined that 1750 of them are good to go. Their {CORP} hot line is 601-631-5065.

They plan on being out of here by 5/31/2006. Hurricane season begins 6/1/2006.

WPSCO reported the disconnects have begun to stablize.

The election for ward 4 alderman seat is now set for Thursday, 3/23/2006. The City Attorney says the justice dept. has to OK a new polling site, therefore the PCI GOLF CLub would not have time to be approved. The cafteria at PCHS will be used. The issue of the 50 required signatures is still not clear as the AG office gave two differing opinions by phone. It was decided that any candidate should get more than 50 signatures with emphasis on getting Ward 4 signatures as best they can & then get the rest from other registered voters in the PASS.

The "Smart Code" people along with the city planners from out of town are here for 4 days to try and get ideas for the future. WALMART is here too to see if they can accomdate new ideas for their store,which is the first time they have agreed to listen to this in their history.

This alderman wants WALMART back any which way.

The isssue of grant programs has not been settled yet. I am going to vote for the home buliders group that will immediately build 10 homes for $100,000 each for fist-time buyers that will have a $25,000 grant on each house resulting in the buyer only paying $75,000. These houses will be on the ground and on the tax roll even while the applicants are trying to qualify.

The city broke ground on it's first VOL built house at no cost 2/13/06 on East 2nd street.

All the alderman, the Mayor, and city attorney were present.

Bourdin A/C will have their temporary office back on their original site of Scenic & Market streets.

The compsensation issue with the City Atty is almost worked out & will be reported on at a later date.

This was one of the worst meetings that I have attended, everybody including myself are on edge and restless.

CHIPPER

P.S. The alderman went to lunch with Donald MOORE on 2/14 when we gave him a plaque for his outstanding years of service. It was noted that DONALD already looks 10 years younger for getting out of all the hassle---CHIPPER

Feb 7th, 2006 Summary of city meeting

Tom Miller FEMA agent discussed new & old requlations calling them facts & fears. He says elevations are different from ward to ward, and that what pertains to one Ward does not pertain to the other. The National Flood Insurance is the driving force. This he said is used as a tracking device. Mr. Miller was asked by me "What was an acceptable elevation certificate, as some people have tried using an old insurance certificate & were turned down saying it was outdated." In the end, he stated that a new certificate would be needed sooner or later.

WPSCO said service terminations were now at 1,172.

Gary Hargrove, Harrison County Coroner, gave a summary of deaths in Pass Christian due to Katrina. The Final Total is 25, with the oldest 84 and the youngest 2 years old. He stated that Louisana has hold of some of our records, therefore, "the missing" are still undetermined.

Susan L. Murray, head of the Salvation Army here, said case work would begin for Pass residents as soon as their computers arrive. A few complaints were expressed by a couple of residents about distribution here. Susan explained that Gulfport & Biloxi Salvation centers have been in operation for 10 years --- and the Pass Operation began after & due to Katrina. The center is open between 10am and 4 pm. Their phone is 228-452-2121.

On Dec 21, 2005 we (the Board of Aldermen) voted to have Bobby Rayburn of Housing and Finance handle our 2006 Home Grants ,which is $25,000 for 10 different people for new homes. However on Jan 31, 2006 we hired John Kelly of REHAB Houses. We have since found out that you cannot use two. At the next meeting we will decide which one to use.

We voted to continue to meet weekly and the audience agreed with that decision.

The Ward 4 (formerly Donald Moore) seat is now vacant and the election will be between March 9 to March 24 with the exact date being set next week. I guess it will be Tuesday March 22, 2006.

The board tabled hiring a Code manager, wanting to get more names,however, I believe the one we had was and is the best<GENE PERALTA JR> THIS JOB WILL PAY UP TO $28,000 Yearly.

The board appointed Walter Ketchings to the Planning Committee.

Supv. Marlin Ladner has helped Robbie Bentz get the park ready for Kaboom Playground construction on Apr 21, 2006. The Park looks better physically already.

Leah WEEMS 228-234-2215 Case supv for Katrina Response will also have old & new info on Grants for home owners at their request.

(Correction:) The report in the Gazebo Gazette dated Feb 3, 2006 in reference to Malcom Jones' salary is wrong. Mr Jones salary as city attorney is $36,000 yearly and has been for years. The board heard from Jones about compensation for his many additional hours put in after Katrina. Both sides agreed on an amount that would be spread over 5 months, however, this money has not been paid yet and will be on the agenda for Feb14 meeting to discuss again.

Mr Peter Thomas of FEMA's "Historical Agency" addressed the Board at my request. He explained about properties that have been put on Historical hold and that he is here to correct any that are incorrect.

Finally, as the meeting ended a resident got up and said this was the most

informative meeting we have had yet. So something is maybe going right----CHIPPER

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January 31st Meeting

From: AtLarge130@cs.com

To: Dan@passchristian.net

Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2006 20:34:15 EST

I will try to follow Donald Moore's report on the city council meetings.

The January 31st meeting was long as all of the aldermen went to Jackson, MS for the Mississippi Municipal Conference, and we feel we did a very good job of netowrking with the power players that control Mississippi's politics and money.

Now for a summary of the meeting:

WPSCO advised that water to Scenic and Highway 90 will begin work next week as Necaise Brothers Construction received the bid. Debris removal will be coordinated by block sectors rather than skipping around as they have in the past. We will have a public hearing on this at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, Feb 9 at the City Hall meeting place on East Second. A deadline for road-side trash has been set for Feb. 15.

DuPont presented a check for $40,000 for the Pass CHristian library.

Tom Miller, our FEMA agent, assigned to the city will begin giving a 10 min. report each week at the beginning of each meeting on any and all new information pertaining to FEMA and our citizens.

KABOOM Playground, Inc. will begin replacing all the playgornd equipement on 4/21/06 in the park free of charge however, they will need some volunteers for this noble cause.

The saddest note was accepting the resignation of Donald Moore as Alderman of ward 4, this is a tremendous loss as not only was he an outstanding alderman but a personal friend of mine. He will be dearly missed. At the next council meeting Feb 7, we will declare the Ward 4 seat vacant and set an election date which will be between 30 to 45 days from that date as set by law. There is rumor that at least 6 people are already going to run. Anyone wanting to run needs to get 50 registered voters signed and turned in on a form that can be picked up at City Hall.

Chipper McDermott

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January 17 Meeting

The city council held its meeting on Tuesday, January 17.

First, let me state that there will be no meeting next Tuesday due to numerous Aldermen attending the Mississippi Municipal League Meeting and Seminars in Jackson for several days. The next regular scheduled meeting will be the following Tuesday.

Secondly, let me report that the Mayor was at the meeting but left probably half way through. After he left the room, Chipper announced that the Mayor was ill and he ran the remainder of the meeting.

Next, for the first time, race was brought up as an issue. Taking a page out of New Orleans, a citizen addressed the Board and asked what we intended to do to bring back the predominantly black population of Wards 2 and 3. The citizen went on about the problems in Wards 2 and 3 (such as drainage) that need to be fixed so that citizens can return. The citizen pointed out that the black population was important to Pass Christian and without it, the city wouldn't be the same.

My thoughts: The entire population of Pass Christian is important. The problems of which this man spoke of in Wards 2 and 3 are not unique to those Wards. Every Ward, whether white or black, deserves the same amount of attention and I think that every effort is being made to bring back the entire city, both black and white.

The topic of debris removal came up once again. The pace is slow. There seems to be some progress clearing property of debris, but the progress of house demolition remains the same. Prior to our meeting last week, the Corp. and their contractors had taken down one house. This week it was reported that they had also taken down one house. They still seemed to be buried in red tape. Honestly, however, I am not sure that firing the Corp. is the best solution but if we do not see an increase in the debris removal, there may be little choice.

The Board also discussed developing a plan for the future of Pass Christian. The discussion went beyond developing a plan for what Pass Christian would look like and instead, we discussed that along with financial issues, personnel issues, the location of municipal buildings, infrastructure, etc. We passed a motion directing the Mayor to begin meeting with department heads to discuss needs and ideas and to lay the groundwork for developing a plan for short-term and long-term goals for the city. I am sure the Mayor will pass this task off to someone else.

The Board also approved the county's plan for a trailer park/temporary FEMA housing at the corner of Pearson and Market Street. The site will hold 48 trailers to provide housing (with preference to Pass Christian residents) on a temporary basis until other living arrangements can be made. The site is private property and was offered for use by the owner.

The Board also accepted the recommendations of the city engineer to award bids for equipment to continue our effort to provide sewer and water service to all areas of Pass Christian. I think that our city engineer and WPSCO should be applauded for their continued efforts to restore sewer and water service. Honestly, this is the most visable progress throughout the city and these folks have worked long and tireless hours to get everyone back on line. Like you and me, they lost much but have trudged on. In my opinion, they cannot be thanked enough.

With respect to water service, the representative of WPSCO advised that they should be ready to issue water bills again in February. You may recall that the last water bill you received was for service prior to Katrina. Your next water bill will reflect usage from a set date (I am sorry, but the date escapes me) forward and all usage/leakage/whatever from the time of Katrina through that date is being written off. Furthermore, if you have requested that your service be suspended permanently, the city will begin issuing a return of deposits provided you have no outstanding balance for prior service.

On a personal note, this will be the last update you will receive from me as Alderman for Ward 4. After much thought and reflection, I am tendering my resignation from the position within the week. It is with much regret that I do so. I have wrestled with the idea of resigning for weeks and after another sleepless night following a long and sometimes contentious meetings, I believe it is best for me, my family and the city if I step down and allow for the appointment or election of another representative for Ward 4.

I have previously talked about the great sense of personal responsibility that I have for this job and to the citizens of Ward 4. I have felt as if a resignation from the seat would be a betrayal of the voters that elected me. Now, however, I feel that continuing on as Alderman of Ward 4 would be an even bigger betrayal as my heart is no longer in this job.

The reality is I am short-timing. As everyone knows, I am going to have to give up this position in a few months anyway when we move into our new home which is outside of Ward 4. In addition to that, I am tired of the sleepless nights. I am tired of the contentious meetings. I am tired of the brow beating from some members of the public and I am tired of dealing with everyone else's problems in addition to my own. I want to think about my own future and the future of my family. Call me selfish, but every hour I spend at a city meeting or talking with a citizen about their problems is an hour less I get to spend with my family and dealing with my own problems.

Prior to Katrina, it was easy to balance family life and public life. Being an Alderman in Pass Christian was truly a part-time job and I could separate what little stress the position created from the rest of my life. Post-Katrina, it is impossible to do. I cannot devote the majority of my time to the recovery of Pass Christian as an Alderman. For this reason, I think that the voters and citizens of Ward 4 in Pass Christian will be better served with a replacement that will either be elected or appointed. I hope everyone understands and I wish everyone the best.

I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of public life in Pass Christian and serving the citizens of Pass Christian.

Thank You,

Donald Moore

Personal Note by Dan Ellis: I wish to applaud Donald Moore for his outstanding services and dedication through his years as alderman. The two groups, the "In-Town Residents" and the "Out-of-Town Evacuees," are greatly indebted to Donald and his family for carrying forth during a most emotional and calamitous five month period of cleaning up and digging out. His presence on the Board of Aldermen provided much calm and purposeful direction.

Speaking for ALL of us, I wish him well in his journey as we remain mindful that Donald continues to live in Pass Christian and will certainly continue to be a contributing Citizen.

As, the Board of Alderman moves forward, I also wish to thank the remaining members for being steadfast in continuing their efforts in behalf of the City, to its residents, and to its property owners. May they persevere in peace and be guided by the grace of God.

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January 10, 2006

A city council meeting was held Tuesday night. First, I must say that the Mayor was absent again. This is two weeks in a row. It aggravates me to no end. Do you know how easy it would be for me to resign and leave this stressful mess behind? That is not going to happen (until I absolutely have to, legally) because I have this gnawing sense of responsibility to the citizens of Ward 4 to represent them the best that I can. I question whether the Mayor feels any sense of responsibility to the citizens since he continues to miss meetings. Anyway, enough of that.

The hot topic at Tuesday's meeting was debris removal. Rather than rehashing that, however, there was an article in yesterday's Sun Herald and I would ask that you link that article. It explains exactly what transpired with the Corp. of Engineers and their general contractor. Both have made pledges to work better, to hire locals and most importantly, get this city cleaned up at a more rapid pace. We will see if they hold true to their promises. (Click Here to Link to News Article)

We also offered nominations to the Board of Directors for the non-profit corporation that the city has set-up to accept donations. We are going to appoint three names out of the five nominees. The Mayor did not put forth a nominee since he was not there. The city has collected over $100,000 in donations from various groups and some of the money has been earmarked for certain things. Other funds have been donated just for the common good of Pass Christian. It is my belief that money should not be given out to individuals (because we have all been affected in one way or the other and obviously there is not enough money to give everyone a substantial amount). Instead, it is my belief, and I have expressed this to many folks, that the money should be used for things that will benefit everyone in Pass Christian, such as parks and recreation, boys and girls clubs, boy scouts, girl scouts, etc.

We are also continuing to move forward with re-establishing sewer and water for everyone in Pass Christian. Again, the beach area (both east and west) are the last folks without both sewer and water service. It is a cost proposition as to whether it will all be reimbursed by FEMA, but we are moving forward anyway. We were also advised that 1,129 residents have requested disconnects of their sewer and water service.

I will keep you posted of further developments.

Thanks, Donald

January 4 Meeting:

The Board of Alderman met on Wednesday, January 4. The meeting was rescheduled from Tuesday to Wednesday due to the New Year's Holiday. Beginning next week, we will be back on our regular schedule of Tuesday night meetings. Of course, that is subject to change and I will do my best to keep you posted on time or date changes.

The Mayor was absent without explanation. (Chipper telephoned after recieving this report to state that the Mayor had called him with illness). Chipper McDermott ran the meeting as Mayor pro temp. We were given a water and sewer update and the Board of Alderman authorized various expenditures to proceed with in providing sewer and water to the remaining residents (along the beachfront) who did not have services. It is unclear whether FEMA will reimburse us for the temporary fix that we authorized or whether they are only willing to pay for a permanent fix (which would be quite some time down the road before it could be completed). Regardless, the Board voted unanimously to proceed to provide all residents with sewer and water. We are hopeful that we will be reimbursed.

We are on the verge of hiring additional help for the permit office. The Mayor and Malcolm Jones interviewed/spoke with two gentlemen to assist in performing inspections/permitting duties and the Board authorized the Mayor to negotiate the salary and immediately hire the help. We also asked that additional help be hired to perform the clerk/secretarial duty to speed up the permitting process.

A FEMA representative is also assisting in the permitting process. He advised that almost 300 permits have been processed and issued. I hope now we can speed up the permitting process but at least, it seems to be running smoother than ever before. The FEMA representative is also engaged in the appeal process for homeowners who are appealing the determination that their home sustained substantial damage which would require them to meet the current minimum flood elevations in effect in the city (this only effects the people who are not at the minimum flood elevation prior to Katrina - grandfathered in from years ago). It sounds as if the FEMA representative is working diligently to help the homeowners.

It was also reported that almost 1,100 people have requested disconnects of their sewer and water service. Less than 10 have requested water hook-ups, so we are looking at about a third of the city's residences seeking disconnect. I am hopeful that regardless of the disconnect, these citizens will return at a later date and request to reinstate service but whether or not that will happen is anyone's guess.

Finally, and most importantly, the Board unanimously expressed its displeasure with the pace of debris removal/clean-up. I think the Board would have voted to fire the Corp. of Engineers at the meeting if the item had been placed on the agenda ahead of time rather than being called up as an addendum or addition to the agenda. We are over four months post-Katrina and while an astounding amount of debris has been removed from the streets and rights of way, the town looks far from clean because of the amount of debris and destroyed houses on private property. While FEMA has authorized the clean-up of private property, the Army Corp. of Engineers appears so bogged down in red tape, inspections, etc., that not one house has been demolished to date. Numerous parcels or properties have been cleared but not nearly as many as should be done at this point. We only have just over two months for clean-up to be paid/reimbursed at 100% by FEMA unless the deadline is extended. But if the city is not cleaned by March 15, the city will start footing a portion of the bill. Like most government agencies, the Corp. is just too slow. The issue will be on the agenda for next Tuesday and I get the feeling that we will probably fire the Corp. and immediately go out for bids and probably hire multiple contractors to perform the debris clean-up and outsource the oversight of the clean-up.

I will keep everyone posted.

Thanks!

Donald

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December 20 meeting:

We had our meeting with the Mayor and the Board of Alderman on Tuesday, December 20th. It was announced (as was indicated in the Sun Herald) that we have drinkable water in Pass Christian. The water actually passed testing on Friday but it did not make the paper until the 20th. Residents may notice an "egg" smell in the water but the water is safe. We have always had high mineral contents in the water that could give that smell but we masked the smell in the past through a chemical system that is not yet functioning. Regardless of the smell (I grew up with that Artesian water in Slidell and know the smell well), the water is drinkable.

The Board also approved several purchases and plans to try to get the sewer and water system restored to the beachfront. I know the beachfront people will be happy to learn that progress is underway to restore sewer and water to all of Pass Christian.

We are also trying to get equipment and a procedure in place for our public works employees to assist in the debris removal process to help speed it along. We are also hopeful that our public works employees with the use of some rented equipment, can begin making drainage improvements, clearing ditches, etc. I noticed in our neighborhood Sunday morning that we had standing water in the streets from the rain Saturday. The ditches and drains are clogged with debris and our public works people are well aware of that. They have just had their hands tied with a lack of equipment (the city lost all of its tractors and equipment in the flood/storm).

The city also voted to move forward with hiring a consultant company with all private funding to develop a plan for implementation of a smart code. I will have more information about that in the future. This group will also work with the Carl small town group to work towards ideas for developing a workable plan for rebuilding Pass Christian so that Pass Christian remains the beautiful town that we all know with improvements.

We also discussed moving forward with streamlining the permit office. We have a temporary fix in place to bring in some local license contractors who are volunteering their services to temporarily run the permit office. We are exploring contracting with a group to staff the permit office possibly for up to a year to speed the permitting process and make it more user friendly for the citizens.

Also, of importance, we discussed the problem that plagues some citizens. People who did not meet the current flood elevations prior to the storm and were grandfathered in prior to Katrina may now have to meet current flood elevations if their home sustained more than 50% damage from Katrina. FEMA did a cursory inspection of many homes and determined the amount of damage sustained. If your home happens to fall into that category and you were determined by FEMA to have sustained more than 50% damage, you can come to the code office and request that your home be inspected by a city inspector who will then make an assessment on the amount of damage to your home. Our inspectors will make a more thorough inspection. Further, if the inspection comes back with the finding that your home sustained more than 50% damage, you are entitled to have a contractor review it yourself and appeal the finding of the city inspector/FEMA. We are working on establishing the exact appeal process but it will come to the Board. Regettably, some folks will have to rebuild their homes to meet the current flood elevations to the damage caused by FEMA. There is just no way around that. However, we want to help the citizens whose home is "borderline".

We also voted to allow individuals to put FEMA trailers in areas where there currently is no sewer service. You will have to have a holding tank put on your trailer for sewage collection and make arrangements to have the sewer tank pumped out. That is currently what is happening with the businesses in War Memorial Park. There is a pump out service that comes around and empties their holding tanks. You must obtain a permit from the code office to ensure that you have water service and to make necessary arrangements for the sewer. This mostly affects citizens on the beachfront where sewer service has not been established. Again, however, we are working to re-establish sewer in those areas although it still could be months before that is done due to the substantial damage to the system in that area.

Finally, there will be no regularly scheduled meeting next Tuesday. We will meet sometime Tuesday just to redeclare our state of emergency (it must be done on a weekly basis), but again, there will be no regular scheduled meeting. We will resume our regular meetings the first week of January at 6 o'clock (whatever the date of that first Tuesday).

Also, as a final note, I would like to point out that the Mayor did take a more active role in the meeting last night. He volunteered to work on resolving the code office issues with a temporary and a permanent fix there. I was glad to see him take an active role and hope he continues to do so.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and holiday season in spite of all that has happened. This holiday season is a great time to be thankful for family and friends and count our blessings for having survived this mess. We can also remember and pray for those who didn't.

Thank you. Donald Moore

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December meetings --- (6th - 15th):

First, let me state that there was no update from last week's meeting because I missed the meeting. My work schedule is becoming increasingly busy and it was impossible for me to make the 4 o'clock meeting on December 6. That was the meeting where the mayor indicated that he intended to veto our unanimous decision to cut his pay and at which he also advised that he had hired legal counsel to challenge our authority to tell him how to do his job. These items were not on the agenda and came up through an addendum. I learned of them after the meeting when I was advised by phone of what he had done.

In any event, at this week's meeting, a motion was made to override the veto of the mayor. To override a veto, four votes are required. Unbelieveably, after unanimously voting to cut the mayor's pay only two weeks before, two Aldermen, Joe Piernas and Chipper McDermott had a change of heart (which still astounds me) and the motion to override the veto failed three to two. The mayor has been vindicated and with no threat of a pay cut and no threat of any kind from the Board of Aldermen, he can continue with business as usual. Pathetic!

I believed Joe and Chipper would justify their votes by saying that they were trying to avoid a controversy that would make the city look bad. It's too late gentlemen; the city already looks bad because the mayor's activities since the day following the storm. We need a leader, one elected by the people, one that answers to the people and one that can devote full time efforts to the recovery of Pass Christian. That is not happening at present and the Board and citizenship are apparently powerless in making it happen. I hope that readers can grasp the disappointment that I am feeling.

Other issues that came up which also boggle my mind are efforts to get the harbor running again. Our harbor was devasted and still has no water or electricity. Temporary repairs have made for the use of some of the piers. In fact, some boats have been berthed in the harbor for the last month under contract with the DMR. Our harbor master, with the help of our city engineer, presented a plan to use some of the piers to allow boats to return. Our commercial fishermen have nowhere to berth their boats along the coast except in the canals and bayous. Despite what appeared to be a feasible plan, Davis' idea was met with much resistance because the harbor still has such a long ways to go. Nonetheless, no one has presented any plan of action or time table to get the harbor back up and running. I say make use of what we have and get the people back in the slips that can be used so that people can return to their livelihood. It is the same idea with getting folks back into Pass Christian and businesses back in town. If we wait til conditions are ideal, then people are not going to return. The same is true with the harbor. Fishermen will find somewhere else to berth their boats, sell their product, etc. If you are against using the harbor, then tell me your plan to get it back in shape and your time table for doing so. I haven't heard that yet. In any event, after much heated discussion, a motion passed to allow Davis' plan to be implemented, three to two.

We also discussed the building permit issue. Lou Rizzardi brought the issue up this time and I was thankful that he did as I told everyone I was tired of being the only one to beat the drum on that issue. A story ran in the Sea Coast Echo on Sunday that Hancock County has issued 1,800 permits since Katrina for people rebuilding their homes. Bay St. Louis also waived fees for the permits. Our permit office reported to us at Tuesday's meeting that we have issued a grand total of 126 permits in the month of November. I am sure that in October we issued less than 50. We have issued a grand total of less than 200 permits since this storm. This is absolutely unacceptable. As you know from the past postings by me, I thought we had a plan in effect that revamped our permitting process, including changing our personnel, all for the benefit of those wanting to rebuild in Pass Christian. It just hasn't happened and I am at a loss to explain why. There appears to be no sense of urgency to fix this very obvious problem.

I missed the sewer and water update (again, due to my work schedule and my inability to make the 4 o'clock meeting on time). For this reason, I requested that the meeting times be changed to after business hours for my own benefit as well as the citizenry who cannot make meeting during the work day. Even this request, unbelieveably, was met with resistance by at least one Aldermen who is retired and doesn't have a job. Again, I was flabbergasted. I told them that if we did not change the meeting times, then I would resign immediately so that someone else could take my place because there is no point in continuing to be Aldermen if I cannot even make the meetings. After much discussion, the meeting time was changed to 6 o'clock and this was met with applause from the audience.

Meetings will continue on a weekly basis on Tuesdays at 6 o'clock.

Sorry to sound as if I am whining but again, I want everyone to understand my anger and frustration over the pace with which Pass Christian's recovery is moving. I am also frustrated that the Board of Aldermen appears to be losing its unity. We are not all on the same page and are not speaking with one voice. This is where leadership comes in. Let me also say that there are many people who are working very hard and they should be commended and applauded. I will do my best to continue to push forward in what I believe to be the right direction but sometimes it's as if the wheels are falling off.

I know that you, as citizens, are probably asking what you can do to help --- I suggest that you attend the meetings, voice your opinions, ask questions and hold your elected officials accountable. Let your opinions and ideas be known. Let the mayor know that you expect him to do his best to help Pass Christian. Let him know that his "business as usual" approach is unsatisfactory.

I appreciate everyone who has stopped me and told me that they read these updates. I appreciate everyone's support.

Sincerely, Donald Moore

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Tues, Nov 28, 2005 meeting:

The Board voted to make no changes to the minimum flood elevation in our existing flood ordinance. We have made a change to some definitions that should make it easier for residents to rebuild. Also, homes that did not meet the current minimum flood elevation prior to Katrina that were previously grand-fathered-in, will have to be raised to meet the current elevations — but, only if they are damaged by more than 50% (prior percentage was 33%). We also voted to allow additions on the homes at the same elevation as long as the addition does not exceed 25% of the value of the home.

Water and sewer update: We were advised that we drinkable water would be available by the beginning of next week. The prior November 30 target date could not be reached due to continued line breakages by debris removal contractors and other unforeseen events. Also, they were still trying to get the chlorinators all up and running.

Of significance, the Board passed a unanimous motion to reduce the Mayor's salary by 10% or $4,800 (his current annual salary is $48,000). The motion basically stated that the Board was not satisfied with his performance and we also said that we would revisit the issue on the 1st of January to see if a further reduction is warranted. We had talked of reducing his pay previously by a more significant amount, but my personal feeling was that would just lead to us having no mayor at all. In other words, if we reduced him by half, $24,000, he would just quit showing up and still collect a paycheck for $24,000. This way, I think we got his attention and he knows that we are serious. We expect him to do more than he is doing now if he expects to continue to be paid. We need a strong mayor right now and Billy McDonald is all we've got. Hopefully, this will be the impetus that he needs.

Thanks!

Donald

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Nov 16

Sometimes, things seem to be progressing so slow, I feel as if I am just banging my head against the wall. We were told last night that 25 building permits had been issued. I think this is completely unacceptable. I understand that the Florida group is still in the process of setting things up and I do understand that Peggy is helping them. We have got to get this moving and I have tried to stress that to everyone involved in the process as much as I can.

We were also informed last night that Wal-Mart plans on opening a pharmacy on their site and will operate out of a tent. I understand that more tent sales are to follow. It is my understanding that Wal-Mart has been operating out of a tent in Waveland and they are preparing to move back into the store. They are then going to move the tent from there to our Wal-Mart. Hopefully, this will happen very soon.

Again, it was reported last night that we hope to have drinkable water by November 30. We are shooting for that date.

St. Paul's Carnival Association does plan on rolling. They asked last night for permission to have a parade on a smaller scale than in times past. We asked them to work with our fire and police chief to come up with what everyone thinks will be a workable and safe parade route. In the past, putting on the parade has cost the city lots of money in overtime labor, etc. We are going to have to make sure the city can afford to do this under the circumstances, but believe me, everyone on the Board thinks that it is the best thing for our city to keep moving forward with a sense of normalcy by continuing traditions. Christmas in the Pass is another fine example and I also understand that the Crewe of Blarney plans on parading for St. Patrick's Day.

Issues still continue to arise regarding debris removal. There has been a hold up by the EPA on house demolition due to possibility of asbestos. That is being worked out. There has also been a delay on the contractors actually entering onto private property and begin to clean up due to issues with right of entry. That is being worked on as diligently as possible. Hopefully, the clean up will continue and we will all see some improvement around town.

Despite what you may hear, local contractors are working. Other contractors are now trying to get in on the act and are complaining. There are other issues about some contractors looking for easier work and not wanting to "get down in the ditches" to clean debris. I think that the Corp. of Engineers and their contractor are doing a very good job. Please bear in mind that the scale of the mess in Pass Christian and the length of time that it is going take to clean it.

Importantly, next week's meeting will be held on Monday night (Nov 21) at 4 p.m. I asked for the meeting to be moved because I plan on taking time off for Thanksgiving and I am leaving with my family Tuesday. I did not want to miss the important meeting where we will be dealing with finalizing the flood ordinance.

Thanks! Donald

Posted on Thu, Nov. 17, 2005

Pass awaits guidelines, and permits are delayed

By JOSHUA NORMAN -- jdnorman@sunherald.com

PASS CHRISTIAN - The road to rebuilding in Pass Christian is a long one.

More than 200 people crowded into the Gospel Singers of America Hall to hear the Board of Alderman

Peggy Johnston, Pass Christian's building code officer, said only 27 permits for repairs have been issued to date in a city that lost at least 80 percent of its residences to Hurricane Katrina's wind and surge. A home can be no more than 50 percent destroyed for such a permit to be issued.

Chief Administrative Officer Malcolm Jones said it was prudent to get the permit process done now instead of having to amend it later.

The issue of rebuilding in Pass Christian is complicated beyond codes and guidelines because so much debris still remains to be removed from public and private property.

The Army Corps of Engineers, which is administering the city's debris removal contract, has not gone onto a single private property to remove debris, nor has it demolished any unsalvageable homes.

The two major roadblocks toward demolishing heavily damaged homes are the Environmental Protection Agency, which requires asbestos inspections, and the Historical Society, which requires that historically significant homes be inspected.

These inspections are not required in all cases, though.

"If your house is a debris pile, this is not a problem," said Jones, which drew a laugh from the crowd. "Debris on the ground is not historically significant, either."

Nov. 8

Our regular Tuesday city meeting was held on November 8. Despite our efforts to limit the meetings to once per week, certain business came up last night that needs to be taken care of as soon as possible and we will have a second recess meeting this week on Thursday, November 10th at 4 p.m.

The subcontractor for the Corp. of Engineers will begin cleaning on private property Friday of this week. Approximately 800 right of entry forms have been completed and are being compiled on a map for the contractor to begin clearing hazardous debris.

Thursday evening, the Board of Aldermen will be presented with the map or list of parcels where right of entry forms have been completed and will devise a plan for the contractor to begin work. It is my hope that subcontractors will be spread evenly throughout town to begin working in each ward. Of course, I understand it makes sense that the contractor would begin work in the area where there is the largest amount or concentration of right of entry forms, but there should be enough equipment and manpower to work all over town.

If you have not completed a right of entry form, you need to do so as soon as possible although we still have not set a deadline for submitting such a form. Forms can be obtained at City Hall on Flietas and Second Street.

Also, our private utility contractor advised that there are numerous RV trailers in town illegally dumping waste. The contractor advised that he has seen numerous trailers parked on lots that are hooked up to sewer cleanouts but the sewer is only going into the sewer line and then being dumped somewhere on the street or in the bayou due to the sewer line not being up and running. Before you hook up an RV trailer, you must obtain a permit from the code enforcement office. This permit requires a site inspection to ensure that you have sewer and water. You must have this permit for both private and FEMA trailers. If you are dumping sewage on the ground or in a system that is not working, you will be asked to stop. If the trailer is not removed, you will be fined. If you are doing this, you are creating a health hazard for everyone in the city.

We also continue to have people piling debris on top of fire hydrants and we are continuing to have contractors knocking over fire hydrants. This has to stop or we will not be able to get potable water as long as we continue to have breaks. The goal of our contractor is to test the water and have it safe for drinking by November 30.

On regular city business, we reappointed Alicia Ellis to the county development commission. We also passed a resolution authorizing the city comptroller to submit request for a loan with the Mississippi Development Bank for up to $10 million.

Finally, we were presented with the planning commission's recommendation regarding flood elevations. Again, as I have stated in the past, all of the Aldermen expressed the desire to not require an elevation increase except possibly with new construction (which would not include building from a slab or pilings that are left following Katrina or additions to homes that were damaged by Katrina). We asked the city attorney to draft an ordinance making the changes that we suggested and that should be ready for a final vote on Tuesday. I think that everyone left the meeting finally believing that we are not going to raise the minimum flood elevation at this time. Of course, bear in mind that in a year and a half to two years, FEMA will mandate an elevation change but at that point, everyone who has built back will be grandfathered in and this will not affect our insurance rates.

Thanks! Donald

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