The Town of Mangham has a failure to communicate.
That appeared to be the only thing citizens attending last Thursday’s town council meeting were able to agree upon.
“We don’t have the best communication,” Interim Mayor Charlotte Boone said in reference to Police Chief Perry Fleming. “I hate that, but it is what it is.”
The meeting was called to discuss an $81,000 shortfall in the police department’s budget.
“There have to be cuts to make it through the end of the year,” town auditor Karen Hollis said.
The Mangham Police Department was over budget by $195,590 when the fiscal year ended on June 30, 2024. The town used $227,753 in Meta funds from automated ticketing to pay down the amount, leaving the department to start the next fiscal year with $32,163 to last until June 30, 2025.
From July 1, 2024 through Dec. 30, 2024, the police department’s deficit increased to $268,359. During that period, $154,841.79 was collected from the ticketing cameras.
Boone said this left the police department with a deficit of $81,354.21 at the start of the year with six months left to go.
Much of the issue appears to have occurred due to lack of communication during the transition following former Mayor Anthony Killian leaving office and Boone’s appointment.
“I did overspend my budget,” Fleming said. “When we first began getting money from the Meta tickets, I spoke with Anthony and he said when the money came in, use it to buy what we needed to upgrade our equipment. I thought that meant it was put in the budget, but apparently it wasn’t.”
None of the equipment was frivolous or unnecessary, Fleming said. Many had simply not been upgraded for a lengthy period of time due to lack of funds. Assistant Chief Dakota McKinney added part of the issue was also caused by the time lag government agencies experience between voting to do something and actually doing it.
“We bought the new car before any of this started,” McKinney pointed out. “But the way it works out, the invoice didn’t arrive until much later.”
During this period, Mayor Killian left office and Boone was appointed to fill in until a special election could be held on March 29, 2025. Upon taking office as interim mayor, Boone said she wanted to make sure everything was being done by the book and began educating herself on proper regulations and policies.
“Once it was apparent taxpayer funds were being spent outside of the approved budget, the police department was made aware of the findings,” she said.
Boone also had the town council engage with the town attorney and auditor as well as the legislative auditor. For one thing, Boone noted, McKinney was being paid an exorbitant salary which had not been approved by the town council.
Again, the automated ticketing system seemed to be behind the issue. When the town contracted for the Meta system to ticket people, a salary of $40 an hour was written into the contract for an employee to process the tickets. When this contract expired, the salary was left in place. McKinney said he believes the council approved the salary when it signed the contract. Boone said she believes it was only for the length of the contract, and he should have taken a pay cut when the contract ended or renegotiated the salary with the council.
“All our officers were paid $40 an hour when working the Meta detail,” Fleming said, “but only for the hours they worked on Meta.”
He added McKinney’s regular salary was $17.50 an hour, including $3 state supplemental pay.
“It’s $13 an hour now because he’s working part time here and part time in Madison Parish,” Fleming said. “And since he’s working part time, he’s not getting benefits.”
This has left Mangham with only three officers, Fleming and two part-time officers working 10 hours a week. Fleming believes the budget deficit issue could be settled by limiting the department’s spending to operational needs and using the incoming Meta revenue to pay off the deficit.
“I admit I overspent, but I could have this cleared up by June just doing what we’re already doing,” Fleming said. “I’ve been asking for a budget, but the town hasn’t given me anything.”
Boone has asked Fleming to make immediate cuts to bring the department within its budget.
The town has also moved to make the automated tickets only payable online. Both officials agreed to work together to resolve the issue.
“I’d asked to have a meeting today or Tuesday,” Fleming said Monday morning, “But I haven’t heard back from the council yet. We may have this all worked out this week.”
Discussion of the issue at Thursday’s meeting was complicated by the looming mayoral election in which the chief’s wife, Kristi Fleming, is running against Boone for mayor.
Supporters of both candidates filled the community center turning the meeting into competing campaign rallies, with arguments breaking out about the water department, the way landlords and businesses are being treated and how policy changes are affecting residents and business people, leaving many residents to feel the meeting was less about solving problems than airing grievances.
