By Edwin Crayton/Opinion
Two years ago, when I wrote an article congratulating the new board of the Natchitoches Community Improvement Foundation (NCIF), I expected the article to just sort of be a way of wishing them well for taking over after the previous board was shut down. Most of the old board members were replaced because many board members overstayed way past their term limits and had to be removed by a district judge. In that article, I warned the new board to steer clear of certain practices which had tripped up the previous board. I didn’t know if any of these new board members would listen. Apparently, they didn’t because the new NCIF Board seems headed in some negative directions and are making several disturbing and financially costly actions, just as the previous board did and unfortunately, they are even adding some of their own. What’s worse is, if you are a citizen of the City of Natchitoches, you are paying for it all.
The article ran in the Natchitoches Parish Journal on November 28, 2023 and was titled “Dear NCIF Board…” https://natchitochesparishjournal.com/?s=dear+ncif To illustrate what I mean, I’ve lifted excerpts from that article, showing what I said then and what NCIF has done since that time. Some of what I wrote was congratulatory. But the bulk of it took the form of warnings that I felt would help them steer clear of trouble.
I wrote to the new board: “Let the public have input. In the past, at quarterly meetings, NCIF made decisions without allowing the public to comment. This effectively froze out public involvement. That is undemocratic and unfair.”
What the new NCIF board has done since: It’s been two years since they had a meeting in which the public has been allowed to attend. In short, no public meetings for 2 years adds up to no input from citizens living in the City of Natchitoches. We the people are the true owners of the money NCIF manages. In 2023, NCIF said there the judge allowed them to revise the bylaws and that is why there were no public meetings. But that was two years ago. Does it take two years to revise bylaws? And even if so, why not at least have a meeting just to update the public? Honestly, any group that handles funds designated for the public should have public meetings. Imagine the City Council not allowing the public into meetings for 2 years? There’s a bigger problem. I’ve been examining court documents. It seems that while they were not having public meetings, they were also spending money designated for the public— funds meant for all citizens living in the City of Natchitoches. So, in other words, what that boils down to is, they were spending your money without your input.
I wrote to the new board: “It is tempting to believe that the NCIF Board is your boss. Wrong. All of the people who live in the city of Natchitoches are your boss.”
What the new NCIF board has done since:
I wrote that the people are the bosses, because the money that the NCIF Board manages is money rewarded to all citizens living inside the City of Natchitoches. It is money awarded in a settlement after Tennessee Gas was involved in a spill into Sibley Lake. That means this money is legally for you. It’s not their money, it’s yours. Here’s how they are managing your money. Court documents reveal that a CPA’s report shows there are unaccounted for cash withdrawals totaling $22,345.00 and an additional $715.34 in unaccounted for debit card transactions. Yes, that’s a lot of money. The documents say the information was provided by CPA Mark Thomas.
I wrote to the new board: “Respect the orders of the court.”
What the new NCIF has done since:
I was sitting in the courtroom when the board changed from the old one to new one, the judge made it clear that he expected the new board to work together and do things correctly. He was serious. Not sure they were. After it was discovered by the CPA that over $22, 345.000 in withdrawals were unaccounted for, the judge proved he meant what he said. He suspended the NCIF Board from being able to spend any money. He gave the authority over the funds to a special master appointed by the court. The judge took strong action. Seems the public will also have to act in order to ensure that the people of Natchitoches have access as well as the right to determine how these public funds are used and that they are used in accordance with the original intent of the settlement: to benefit the interests and dreams of the people of Natchitoches.
NCIF needs to have public meetings each quarter as it says in the court approved bylaws. Then the people need to show up and participate. After all, it’s your money. You, not they, should decide what it is spent on. The push is on to make that happen. With God’s help, it will. Join that push by demanding your rights to determine how public funds are distributed. To find out when and where, keep reading the Journal or your local newspaper. Show up. Because what you’ve just read is an example of what happens when you are not in the room when people are talking about what to do with your money.
“Let all things be done decently and in order.” -1 Corinthians 14:40
“Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who does nothing because he could do only a little.”
—Edmund Burke
“Democracy is like blowing your nose. You may not do it well, but it’s something you ought to do yourself.”
—G.K. Chesterton
