In Jackson, Mississippi, a lawsuit opened in 2007 has finally been brought to a close. The Jefferson Davis County School District has been ordered to repay over $1 million in sixteenth section land funds that were misused by the district. The lawsuit, filed by the State Auditor in Hinds County Chancery Court in 2007, will ensure that funds in the amounts of $906,885.69 and $500,000 are returned. Part of this money was allotted for asbestos work, but was never used for that purpose.
“Our attorney and special agents working this case determined that $153,114.31 of the over $1 million transferred from the sixteenth section funds in 2004 were allowable expenses leaving the remaining $906,885.69 as an unallowable expense under State Law,” said State Auditor Stacey Pickering. “In addition, we concluded that the $500,000 transferred for the removal of asbestos in 2005 must also be repaid since the school did not spend money for any removal. The State Auditor’s Office issued demands against Jefferson Davis County school board members for these funds in 2007, and I am pleased to finally resolve this case on behalf of the taxpayers of Mississippi.” Asbestos removal is undertaken to protect people from exposure to asbestos fibers. Exposure to asbestos is linked to mesothelioma, a rare cancer that affects only a few thousand people each year. The cancer can lie dormant for decades before symptoms develop.
To date, the district has repaid $781,472. The remaining balance of $625,413.69 is due to the 16th section land account today, October 15th.