VP Council OKs budget for 2016-17

Missing two of its members, the Ville Platte City Council unanimously approved a 2016-2017 operating budget at a special meeting held Thursday morning.
The approved budget only projects slightly over $1 million in income, it includes a capital outlay plan worth nearly $3 million. Dana Quebedeaux, a certified public accountant at John S. Dowling Company, said that most of the money for the improvements will come from federal and state grant money. Most of that grant money is not yet approved, leaving some of the projects up in the air.
One of the projects – $1 million in improvements to the city’s sewage system – was already approved. According to City Engineer Ronnie Landreneau, the work will include installing a tertiary filter system at the waste water treatment plant. The City is under a compliance order to address the effluent (liquid waste or sewage discharged into a river or sea) limits imposed by the EPA.
Mayor Jennifer Vidrine said that some other work would begin “in the very near future, as soon as it dries.” This includes building basketball courts at Northside City Park and picnic pavilions at Hargrove Park.
Vidrine also said that residents should shortly see new street lights, stop signs, and street signs around the city.
Other items are in the capital outlay budget include: splash pads at Northside and Hargrove parks; $1.6 million for a recreational complex; and sidewalks running from James Stephens Montessori to Ville Platte High School. These projects are awaiting approval for grant funding.
The approved budget includes a 20 percent raise for the city marshal and police chief; a five percent raise for fire department employees; a raise to $8/hour for all part-time employees; a raise of .50/hour for full-time police department employees; and a three percent pay raise in salaries for all other employees.
“We’re extremely happy to have an unanimous budget,” Vidrine said of the 4-0 vote. “We’re ecstatic because we will be able to get a lot of things done” around Ville Platte.
Councilmen Mike Perron and Bryant Riggs were not present at the meeting.