Statement from Mayor Lumumba on State Auditor’s recent interest in Jackson’s finances:
"The trends seen in the State Auditor’s analysis of Jackson’s audit are nothing new. In fact, these are trends that this administration has long since recognized and continues to address on a daily basis. Though we’ve never seen the State Auditor address the media regarding any other city’s audit, we appreciate that his ‘findings’ mirror what we’ve been saying for years.
The City’s finances were further stretched by the decision to hire Siemens Industry, Inc. That endeavor led directly to a water billing crisis that we are still recovering from. We were able to recoup some of the money from that contract, but as we’ve said before, it’s not enough. The Auditor’s analysis also does not take into account the $600 million in federal funds that Jackson was able to secure to address issues around the city’s water infrastructure.
Saving Jackson residents money while providing valuable services will always be our priority. We’ve aggressively fought against adding more financial strain on our residents even as we’ve watched the city’s expenses increase.
Sanitation is one of our city’s largest expenses which is why we’ve been so insistent on finding ways to keep our costs low. We appreciate the Auditor taking the time to review our finances. Though nothing new was uncovered, we understand that our city has a long way to go before we are financially sound.”
