Yes! The PSA has finally admitted in its November Board Meeting Minutes that Camden taxpayers have paid them millions of dollars every year, while “There are a lot of problems with the maintenance in the parks and the ability to keep them clean, maintained and in working order.“
Well, “Hellooooo, there!” Have we finally got their attention?
In fact, the PSA admits they don’t even know what it costs to maintain the parks. After 33 years of taking taxpayer money, they have recently bought software that PSA Vice-Chairman Haughn says, “will give the ability to come down to fine dollars and cents of what it is costing to maintain both the passive and neighborhood parks as well as the community parks." Did no one at the PSA know there’s a computer program called Microsoft Excel that was in common use for this purpose years before the PSA was created? The PSA could have hired students from Camden County High who could have written and run the PSA Excel program for far less than the $85.00 AN HOUR the PSA Board just approved to an outside accountant!
Needless to say, the PSA will ask for a whole lot more money next year since they see their management problem as one of how much they spend rather than one of failed oversight, failed management, and failed transparency.
What a clown show. The PSA is no different than a restaurant without a cook, or an airline without pilots, or trash collectors without a route map. The PSA has proven time and again that it cannot keep nets on our broken basketball and tennis courts or keep our playgrounds safe for Camden’s kids. But we’re supposed to believe NEW SOFTWARE WILL SAVE THE DAY!
We’ve seen the consequences for many years. In addition to the unpunished theft of millions of our dollars, we now find that citizens are taxed without the PSA or our city and county governments knowing how much it costs to provide park maintenance and services to citizens.
If the top PSA management and PSA Board members representing the cities and County have no clue what things cost, it is fair to say that the PSA remains a failure of government.
Here’s what Republican Party Chair Rachel Baldwin said way back in 2018, “This is a blemish to our community of folks who need to know that the best practices are utilized in delivering government services that the taxpayer funds.” That's pure, simple common sense.
And Jim Stein, a prominent Camden County lawyer at the time said a grand jury investigation will determine the extent of the financial problems and the role the PSA board members played. Stein questioned how the board members could be responsible for monitoring the day-to-day operations and budget “and not be part of the problem.”
Stein continued, “Those who were the gatekeepers failed to do what their oath of office required and what their responsibility should be. It certainly smacks of malfeasance, misfeasance, and possible violation of oath of office. Violation of oath of office is a(sic) felony. All of that could be the subject of a grand jury.”
Yet elected or appointed officials who received stolen PSA funds have escaped indictment.
And here we are, three days short of 2024, while the PSA Board is still looking for leadership and fumbling its responsibilities to Camden citizens.
It's looking more and more like the Writ of Mandamus was right on target. The enforceable contract between the PSA and the cities and County governments that fund it does not exist. Nine to fifteen years ago they had something that might have met the requirements of Georgia law. But that document no loner exists except in the past tense:
As private retired citizens, Steve and Ben could not afford the necessary litigation costs resulting from Camden County's Board of Commissioners choice to fight against the required contract. In earlier posts, we explained why our governments must comply with the law. The PSA's recent admissions prove St Marys, Kingsland, Woodbine, and Camden County have not protected taxpayers. Commissioners prefer to pay lawyers to continue this mess rather than to solve it.
Since government doesn't want to do the right thing, citizens are now in discussion with State agencies who can force our governments to perform their legal duties. Thirty-three years of failure are enough. The PSA has time and again proven to be a failed organization. Informed voters understand that with a few exceptions, negligent city and County elected officials are the reason why. If we don't start hearing their unified voices for change, every single one of the laggards should lose their next elections.
If you don’t believe the problem continues, the PSA Board announced this week in a front-page headline story that it will make an offer in January to its THIRD “finalist” in the past 90 days for the position of PSA Executive Director.
A candidate, by the way, who apparently has shallow experience in park operations and management, membership, park and recreation budgeting, boat ramps, gymnastics, swimming, football, putt-putt, or football stadium operations.
But we shouldn’t worry – the new software will save the day…..
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