Turkey Creek Council talks annexation

TURKEY CREEK - The Turkey Creek Village Council, during the board’s October 21, regular meeting, discussed the annexation into the Turkey Creek limits requested by resident Rhonda Butler and other residents in her area. Mayor Heather Cloud stated the paperwork is underway and will be available at the next meeting in November, along with a detailed visual map of the area to be annexed so citizens will have an idea of the area in question. Cloud added that approval of the annexation will take more than one meeting to approve. The council discussed the required maintenance and asked if maintenance could be excluded from the annexation. The reason, Cloud noted, is that village funds from the sales tax are dedicated to the civic center fund and that does not leave a lot of extra money for maintenance repairs for road upkeep. She said the Evangeline Parish Police Jury has agreed to come in and bring the roads up to the parish standard before annexation is agreed to. The village has done its own research to create and accurate boundary map for visual reference to the area requesting annexation. Attorney Greg Vidrine noted residential records from the tax assessors office and registrar of voters office will be needed to verify property lines. Also, residents will be allowed a heads up before moving forward with the annexation.
The council also discussed the status of sewer system repair in the village. Cloud said Luke Deshotel gave her a list of contacts and found Construction Pro out of Eunice who then submitted a bit and price quote. As Trek, who is currently hired by the village for the project, is unable to leave their current job in Fort Polk, the council voted to accept Construction Pro’s bid, as the work cannot continue to be put off any further.
The council also discussed Police Chief Brad Wilson’s recommendation of hiring a new police officer. Wilson stated Joey Fontenot is post certified and passed the psychological exam. The council agreed, but wanted it to be understood to Fontenot that with Wilson’s term as chief coming to an end in January, if he is hired now, his employment status could change. They also discussed hiring an officer was necessary to help patrol the village and enforce the laws.
In other business, the council:
•Approved payment for Village Clerk Melissa Ferguson’s mileage.
•Approved the minutes of the September 16, regular meeting.
•Approved expenditures for the month of September.
•Approved utility adjustments.
•Heard the financial report from Cloud.