An assistant to the building inspector at West Point”s Building Department is pulling down $48,000 each year.
Gail Akins, West Point”s former city accountant and a 25-year city employee, describes her duties at the building department as representing the city on the planning commission, writing permits and letters, and serving as a receptionist for building inspector Mike St. Louis.
City Administrator Randy Jones says Akins” salary is not unusual given her time with the city.
“That”s common for someone with that kind of experience,” Jones said.
An office manager at the Columbus Building Department with 33 years experience makes $32,019 each year. A comparable position in Starkville would also pay $32,000 (not adjusted for cost of living) after 25 years.
Although 50 percent of Akins” salary is drawn from the Water and Light Department”s payroll, Jones says it has not and will not cause water or electric rates to rise. The other 50 percent of Akins” salary is drawn from the general fund.
The Board of Selectmen recently made more than $500,000 in cuts in an effort to balance the city budget. Those cuts included slashing health benefits for all city employees and transferring several employees to the Water and Light Department to relieve the general fund of their salaries. City Accountant Lisa Klutts says the city is in danger of falling behind again if sales revenues continue to come up shorter than projected for the remainder of the fiscal year.
Akins left her position as city accountant in July of 2007 to take a position at East Mississippi Community College as the West Point Campus manager. A source with knowledge of the situation tells The Dispatch that, at the time of Akins” transfer, the city had a deficit of more than $1 million due to improper bookkeeping and another $36,000 had to be spent to correct the deficit.
Ward 5 Selectman Jasper Pittman, who was not on the city board at the time Akins left her job as accountant, says the $1 million deficit allegation is false.
“She didn”t leave the city in that much debt,” he said. “She was overwhelmed by her job duties. A lot of money wasn”t allocated in the right places. It cost the city thousands to fix it, but there wasn”t anything missing.”
The city board voted 3-1, with one abstention, to grant Akins” request for a transfer to EMCC as an executive on loan. Ward 4 Selectman Keith McBrayer, the lone remaining selectman from that board, voted to deny Akins” request.
McBrayer did not return calls seeking comment.
Mayor Scott Ross reportedly brokered the deal with EMCC for the college to pay half of Akins” salary while West Point paid half for a period of 30 months. Dr. Paul Miller, vice president of EMCC”s Golden Triangle campus, says Akins was never an employee of the college and the city paid her entire salary for the duration of her time with EMCC.
Ross declined to comment for this story, deferring all questions to City Attorney Orlando Richmond. Richmond also declined comment, stating he was not at liberty to discuss personnel matters.
Akins, who at the time of her transfer was 30 months short of serving 25 years with the city, allegedly signed a letter agreeing to retire after she completed her 25 years, a claim she denies.
After her time with EMCC expired, Akins was reassigned to the Water and Light Department. Pittman says the board never voted to place Akins with the building department nor received a formal recommendation from Ross to terminate Akins.
Jones offered Akins the job at the building department replacing Dorothy Ryland, who moved to a position at City Hall.
Jason Browne was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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