Police Jury meeting clarification

By: NICKOLAS FONTENOT
Staff Reporter

Within the article published by the Gazette on June 11, 2015, a mistake was made concerning Jurors Kenny Burgess and Bryan Vidrine. The discussion the jurors were having was concerning which newspaper should be voted as the official newspaper. Burgess made a motion to make both the Basile Weekly and the Ville Platte Gazette the official journal, which Vidrine opposed. Vidrine stated that, “We should not have to pay for both publications to be the “official” journal for Evangeline Parish and continue to pay to have Police Jury minutes published in both papers.” Bryan was the only juror to vote no to this proposal.
Within only a few minutes, the Attorney for the Police Jury Marcus Fontenot recommended the motion to the floor and that “there could be several legal problems associated with having two official newspapers.” After hearing Fontenot’s comments, a motion was made by Burgess to retract the previous motion and call on a new vote to keep the Ville Platte Gazette as the official journal; however, we will continue to publish minutes in the Basile Weekly.
This motion was carried unanimously.