Mamou council names shooting range for late Joe Deshotel

The Mamou Town Council, during its monthly meeting Wednesday, July 9, voted to rename what had been the Mamou Shooting Range to honor the late Joe Deshotel.
The resolution renaming the shooting range states, in part, “Joe’s service and dedication included working on the creation and upkeep of the Mamou Shooting Range area -- which is used frequently by law enforcement personnel from local and surrounding parishes as well as State agncies.”
The resolution also states “a request has been made from friends and co-workers of Joe Deshotel” to name the shooting range in his honor.
The funeral and burial of Deshotel, who died of natural causes, took place January 15 of this year. He was Ward 3 constable, part-time deputy for the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Department, warrant officer and inmate supervisor for the Town of Mamou and a past member of the Mamou Volunteer Fire Department. He was named Fireman of the Year in 1995 and Policeman of the Year in 2009 and 2010.
He left a wife of 10 years, Vanessa Perron Deshotel, two daughters, Krystal Paige Deshotel and Mollie Beth Deshotel, his parents, Renston J. Deshotel Sr. and Jenny Deshotel, and his two sisters, Leisa and Tiffany Deshotel.
During the council meeting, Councilwoman Leisa Deshotel began reading the resolution before it was passed by the council, and Mayor Ricky Fontenot finished reading it.
Councilman Robin Young told the mayor and council that the day of the meeting, and the day the resolution was read and approved was the late Deshotel’s birthday.
The town’s auditor, Burt Kolder, CPA, reviewed a very positive audit report of the town’s finances for the year ending December 31, 2013.
The 65-page audit report for the town’s $4.6 million 2013 budget is available for public inspection at the town hall and it has been filed by the state.
Kolder said for the first time since he has been auditing the town’s annual budgets, there were no findings of problems that need to be corrected “and the numbers are also very good.”
The auditor said the only debt the town faces is paying off the cancer center at Savoy Medical Center, and that will be paid off in two months.
Kolder said the town had enough surplus to fund operations for half a year, much more than the other Louisiana towns where he audits budgets, and much more than the two months auditors normally recommend a municipality has to cover operations. “You’re in good financial shape and good fiscal shape,” he said.
Mayor Fontenot thanked council members as well as departmental supervisors and all town employees “for stopping wasteful spending.”