Parish Council eases rules for public comments; bond issue will pay for jail improvements

FRANKLIN — The St. Mary Parish Council moved Tuesday to make it easier for citizens to speak at council meetings and to pay for improvements at the parish jail.
The council met a day earlier than its normal second-Wednesday date to accommodate state training for elected officials Wednesday.
Public comment
The council unanimously approved a new ordinance by Councilman J Ina of Franklin to change the rules governing who may speak to the council and when.
The issue arose earlier this year in a council discussion about minority representation on the Registrar of Voters Office staff. Two people at the meeting were denied permission to speak at a meeting because they weren’t on the agenda and the issue wasn’t up for a vote.
Citizens could ask to be placed on the meeting agenda to discuss other issues. But the deadline for getting on the agenda is at noon Friday before the Wednesday night meeting, and the agenda isn’t publicly available until later Friday.
The new ordinance allows people to sign in on meeting night and speak on any topic on that night’s agenda.
Council Chairman Dean Adams of Morgan City praised the new ordinance.
“I think it’s good for the council if people have something to say,” Adams said. “It’s their meeting.”
Legal counsel Eric Duplantis noted that the new ordinance expands access to the agenda beyond what is required under state open meetings law.
The ordinance passed on a 10-0 vote. Councilman James Bennett of Morgan City was absent.
Jail
improvements
The council agreed 10-0 to borrow $1 million against an existing parish sales tax to pay for upgrades at the St. Mary Parish Law Enforcement Center.
The upgrade plans include improvements for the security system and the security cameras. Both those systems are 20 years old, said Chief Administrative Officer Henry C. “Bo” LaGrange.
Minor improvements will be made in the facility’s dorms and showers, LaGrange said.
The work will be financed by a $1 million bond issue. Patterson State Bank will handle the bond issue after submitting the low bid among three on the interest rate for the bonds. PSB submitted a rate of 2.28%.