Police Jury will no longer handle bus turnarounds for school board

It was standing room only inside the Evangeline Parish Police Jury Room at the Evangeline Parish Courthouse on Tuesday evening.
More than 70 people were in attendance for the jury’s first meeting of the new year as jury members were sworn into their new terms by Judge Gary Ortego.
The jury quickly got to business as Ryan Ardoin and Ryan Leday Williams were both unanimously reelected as Jury President and Vice President. The jury then voted to make the first Monday of every month their regular meeting day. The committees will meet at 5 p.m. and the regular meeting will be held at 6 p.m. The only months that will not happen will be July and September for the 4th of July and Labor Day holidays.
The jury then quickly went through other agenda items such as the appointment of committees, police jury employees for 2016, fiscal agents, official holiday lists, jail supply list, authorization of payment of bills, approval of minutes from special meeting and hearing on Dec. 28 and discuss the reduction in mileage rates by the IRS from 56 cents to 54 cents per mile.
The meeting though wasn’t all smooth sailing as two items on the agenda caused debate.
The proposed budget for the Evangeline Communications District (911) caused some debate among jury members, in particular the part of the budget that included a three percent pay raise for the district’s four office personnel, including its director. After concern was voiced about the raises, the jury decided to adopt the budget at this time “without the pay raises.”
Public Works Director Chester Granger also caused some debate amongst the jurors with his monthly report. Granger expressed to the jury a major concern he referred to as “miscommunication” with the Evangeline Parish School Board over who is responsible for the maintenance of bus turnarounds.
Granger stated that the situation had become a problem, and he had discussed the issue with District Attorney Trent Brignac, as well as the Louisiana’s Attorney General’s office which stated that the jury should not be involved with doing any repairs or anything with the bus turnarounds since they are by law located on private property. Performing said tasks would be unlawful.
Both District 7 Juror Bryan Vidrine and President Ardoin expressed concern about having to pay and repair the bus turnarounds and recommended to cease dealing with the turnarounds. The jury then voted to “no longer handle bus turnarounds for the school board” which passed.
Section 8 Director Anna Frank also addressed the jury during Tuesday’s meeting. Frank informed the body that “as we speak 112 applicants are currently on the waiting list.”
Frank then went on to ask the jury to adopt three different polices which were: 1) Social Media: Which will allow Frank’s office to terminate a family’s Section 8 housing due to martial status provided by social media sites, including Facebook. 2) Housing Quality Standard Failed Due to Fire of a Rental Unit: Which means if a rental unit suffers a fire in which a family is on Section 9 housing that Frank’s office is allowed to put said family up in a hotel or provide them with a voucher until the rental unit is repaired. 3) New Payment Standard: Which allows Frank’s office adopt a payment standard from 100 to 110 percent, which accounts for the most recent fair market standards.
The jury approved all three measures.
• Other items on the agenda that were unanimously approved were:
• Approving an additional week of paid vacation for full-time police jury employees that had been working for at least one year to up to seven years.
• Holding a public hearing on Feb. 1 at 4:45 p.m. to discuss the Sales Tax and Liquor Permit Ordinance.
• Approve jury member Eric Soileau to attend NACO’s Legislative Conference between Feb. 20-24.
• Approve Chester Granger to attend the LA Vegetation Management Meeting.
• Approve Police Jury Secretary/Treasurer Donald Bergeron to attend the Tax Millage Workshop in Crowley on Feb. 25.
• Reappoint the Cocodrie Lake Fish and Game Commission.
• Appoint Randy Cloud to replace Marcus Aucoin on the Ward 4 Fire Protection District.
• Approve five individuals for the Griffin Hill Cemetery Board.