Ville Platte Rotary Club welcomes recent guests

September 23,
Meeting
During the September 23, meeting of the Ville Platte Rotary Club, Evangeline Parish Sheriff Eddie Soileau discussed the financial crunch his department is facing after losing $300,000 in state funding. The cut in funds took place when his department failed to comply with certain state rules dealing with state prisoners. Sheriff Soileau said “I did not follow the mandates such as having a nurse and registered dietician on staff.” He added that the state also required that the sheriff’s department have a working suicide prevention program in place.
Soileau noted the state paid the department approximately $25 a day to house and feed state prisoners, as compared to the parish that pays only $3.50 a day for its prisoners’ meals and housing. As a result of the non-compliance, all of the state inmates were removed from the parish jail. Soileau then stated the department could not afford the additional expense necessary to comply with the state mandates. With the loss of this funding, Soileau stated he will have to start cutting expenses by the first of the new year. He wanted to let the parish residents know that these cuts lead to having only two deputies patrolling the entire parish. Soileau added that the department is planning to hold fund raisers, such as raffles and barbecues, in the near future to help purchase needed equipment for his department.
Soileau stated that it costs the department $10,000 per employee to post-certify them However, once the person is trained, they more often than not leave for a better paying job elsewhere. He added that starting next year, all part-time employees will also have to be post-certified.
The sheriff then stressed that big changes are necessary if residents want to continue having good law enforcement in Evangeline Parish.
U.S. Congressman John Fleming also briefly addressed the group about the current military situation in Iraq and Syria. After Fleming’s talk, Rep. Bernard LeBas and Brent Coreil asked him to assist them in funding the four-laning of US 167 between Ville Platte and Opelousas, which will greatly enhance travel and employment and business ventures in the area and encourage able people to work. Fleming noted funding has collapsed and the state faces a huge budget challenge. LeBas said that Louisiana has a lot of advantages but the infrastructure needed to be provided in order to encourage better job opportunities for businesses and individuals.