Scott Miller of Argenta News passes along an item about the improper disclosure of what happened to nearly $5 million in stimulus funds by the city of North Little Rock.  The city has not created a public website to show how funds are being spent.  Miller’s FOIA requests to find out more have produced little.  Miller writes: 

As a result I sent in a Freedom of Information request on April 30th to Michael Drake, the person designated by Mayor Hays to coordinate the NLR Stimulus money and projects. You can read a copy of the FOI request here. I recieved the response from Mr. Drake on May 1st which you can read here.   

Advertisement

Unbelievably enough Mr. Drake says he is not in reciept of any documents, letters or letters from the Feds regarding stimuls money. Keep in mind I did not ask just for records in Mr. Drake’s reciept as he words his response. The City has received $4.68 million from the Feds without one scrap of paper from the Feds to document any of it. Mr. Drake and Mayor Hays have both travelled to Washington DC to meet with Federal officials and they don’t even have a meeting agenda or itinerary to show for it…

WOW!!!! $4.68 million dollars and only one internal e-mail and one pie chart. Does anyone really believe this is all the documentation the City has regarding the stimulus money? Is this open and transparent government?

Advertisement

Be a part of something bigger

As a reader of the Arkansas Times, you know we’re dedicated to bringing you tough, determined, and feisty journalism that holds the powerful accountable. For 50 years, we've been fighting the good fight in Little Rock and beyond – with your support, we can do even more. By becoming a subscriber or donating as little as $1 to our efforts, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be helping us hire more writers to expand our coverage and continue to bring important stories to light. With over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, it's clear that our readers value our great journalism. Join us in the fight for truth.

Previous article Sorry funnel cake fans… Next article It’s raining