Ward 5 Alderman Jeremiah Dumas is celebrating the veto of a motion he endorsed at Tuesday”s meeting of the Starkville Board of Aldermen.

Responding to a motion from Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins to have the city”s Transportation Committee report to another Board of Aldermen subcommittee, the Infrastructure Committee, Dumas offered an amendment which would require any of the board”s 18 standing committee”s to report to the Budget Committee concerning any recommendation which would impact the city”s budget.

“My amendment was basically in response to Roy”s vote. If you”re going to be consistent, let”s toe the line and be consistent,” said Dumas.

Perkins hesitantly seconded Dumas” amendment and the board passed it 4-2 with Ward 4 Alderman Richard Corey and Ward 7 Alderman Henry Vaughn opposing. The amended motion then passed 5-1 with Corey again voting in opposition.

On Wednesday, Ward 2 Alderman and Vice Mayor Sandra Sistrunk, who presided over the meeting while Mayor Parker Wiseman is away on a lobbying trip in Washington, issued a letter expressing her intent to veto the action.

In her letter, Sistrunk stated the new reporting system would “(add) a layer to the procedural flow (which) would greatly increase the time obligations of the Board of Aldermen,” among other cited complications. She points out that almost every subcommittee has “liaisons from the Board of Aldermen and City support staff” whose time requirements would be increased under the new system.”

Responding Wednesday, Perkins referred to Sistrunk”s intended veto as a “waste of time” and “frivolous at best,” but stated he would not attempt to overturn the veto.

“I”m not surprised by this. Knowing how the board operates, I actually expected this,” said Perkins. “The matter is a good governmental action that has substantial merit. (The action) was a way to modify the reporting structure that can save time and resources.”

He took particular issue with a statement in Sistrunk”s letter expressing her belief the board took action “without the requisite forethought as to the implications of the additional layering of the reporting structure.”

“I never present any matter unless I give it forethought. I am a senior member of the board. I”m not going to present anything to the board unless it”s the right thing to do,” said Perkins. “That”s what the (city) staff is there for. They have to give us 100 percent from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. If the vice mayor has such opposition to this she should have expressed that last night to the board.”

Dumas believes Perkins” motion was a method of diluting the suggestions of the citizen Transportation Committee by filtering them through another committee before they reach the Board of Aldermen.

“We know for a fact Roy is not in agreement with the recommendations of the Sidewalk Committee. He voted two weeks ago not to even hear the amendments (to the sidewalk ordinance) from the Transportation Committee,” said Dumas. “I was in complete disagreement of just the Transportation Committee reporting to a subcommittee. It would have been the only one that would have done so. I was hoping Sistrunk was going to veto it. But if this thing was about to happen, then let”s make it consistent.”

Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.