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WZTV FOX 17 - Top Stories
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - It is a billion-dollar utility, but tonight some fear the Nashville Electric Service is wasting money. Metro Council members have tough question sfor NES leaders after a troubling state audit. Several Metro Council members are not happy with NES. They fear that money is being squandered, and managers are not doing a good job. Problems they say ratepayers are paying for. Metro Council members came with a list of questions for Nashville Electric Service.
"When the public sees these findings, it's like it's a big party up there for management," says Councilman Charlie Tygard.
Concerns have heightened ever since a state audit released last month uncovered 14 problems inside the electric utility.
"Hopefully the process we are going through will serve as a lesson, and going forward we won't have this issue come up again," says Council member Phil Claiborne.
The audit revealed a $17 million contract was not competitively bid, and a transformer was leased in exchange for hotel rooms and golf passes.
"At what point in our society can fraudulent actions occur, and someone still maintain their employment?" asks Tygard.
The NES Board Chairman Ron McCabe says the utility has adopted a plan to fix the problems and has already implemented most of it.
"Rest assured that the NES board and management take the findings very seriously, and we are committed to addressing control weaknesses within the company," says McCabe.
Concerned citizen Ken Jakes isn't convinced.
"The philosophy at NES is anything goes, they are not above the law," says Jakes.
Jakes believes it is time for a change in leadership, and is calling for the firing of President Decosta Jenkins.
"I am dedicated, I am committed and I am going to see this through until it gets to the U.S. District Attorney's Office, and I don't think he'll see this public corruption as something to be swept under the carpet," says Jakes.
One step NES has taken is limiting the number of company credit cards. There used to be 160 cards, now NES only has 11. You can find all our WASTE WATCH stories on Fox17.com. Just go to HOT TOPICS and click on WASTE WATCH. You can also submit your ideas for WASTE WATCH stories in that same section.
"When the public sees these findings, it's like it's a big party up there for management," says Councilman Charlie Tygard.
Concerns have heightened ever since a state audit released last month uncovered 14 problems inside the electric utility.
"Hopefully the process we are going through will serve as a lesson, and going forward we won't have this issue come up again," says Council member Phil Claiborne.
The audit revealed a $17 million contract was not competitively bid, and a transformer was leased in exchange for hotel rooms and golf passes.
"At what point in our society can fraudulent actions occur, and someone still maintain their employment?" asks Tygard.
The NES Board Chairman Ron McCabe says the utility has adopted a plan to fix the problems and has already implemented most of it.
"Rest assured that the NES board and management take the findings very seriously, and we are committed to addressing control weaknesses within the company," says McCabe.
Concerned citizen Ken Jakes isn't convinced.
"The philosophy at NES is anything goes, they are not above the law," says Jakes.
Jakes believes it is time for a change in leadership, and is calling for the firing of President Decosta Jenkins.
"I am dedicated, I am committed and I am going to see this through until it gets to the U.S. District Attorney's Office, and I don't think he'll see this public corruption as something to be swept under the carpet," says Jakes.
One step NES has taken is limiting the number of company credit cards. There used to be 160 cards, now NES only has 11. You can find all our WASTE WATCH stories on Fox17.com. Just go to HOT TOPICS and click on WASTE WATCH. You can also submit your ideas for WASTE WATCH stories in that same section.
Tuesday, February 5 2013, 12:04 AM CST
Tennessee News
Faith leaders asked to help members get legal help
June 19, 2013 15:44 GMT
(Eds: APNewsNow. Will be updated.) By TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A group in Tennessee is using faith leaders to connect people in need of legal help with attorneys willing to provide free services.
The faith-based initiative of Tennessee's Access to Justice Commission aims to reach people at a place they already go for help: their churches, mosques and synagogues. Faith leaders then put needy members in touch with participating attorneys.
The Legal Services Corp. estimates that fewer than one in ?ve low-income people in the U.S. get the legal assistance they need.
Various programs exist to bridge this gap, but experts say there's nothing quite like the Tennessee initiative. In part, that's because it recognizes that many people who could use an attorney's help won't seek legal aid because they don't see their problem as a legal one.
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