Parish president: Consider limit on debt

FRANKLIN — After two years of budget struggles, Parish President Sam Jones on Wednesday asked the Parish Council to consider limiting the amount of debt on the government’s books.
Some council members are willing to discuss it, even though they said the current debt load hasn’t necessarily been a bad thing for tires and suspensions across the parish.
Also at Wednesday’s Parish Council meeting, members passed two ordinances calling for charter amendment elections on measures designed to make council representation more equitable. But it’s unclear whether those ideas will be rendered moot by a broader series of charter amendments already scheduled for November.
The council also passed two resolutions that will give Baldwin and Patterson quicker access to federal grants already approved for sewage system improvements.
Debt
Jones’ 2-1/2 years as president have been marked by barely balanced budgets, no growth in fund balances, cuts in allocations to nongovernmental service agencies, and debates over the availability of funds raised by a 3/10th-cent sales tax.
In his campaign, Jones warned of budget troubles ahead and criticized the parish’s debt.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Chief Administrative Officer Paul Governale said the budget shows about $36 million in income with $27 million in debt.
The debt load includes a $20 million bond issue during the administration of former President David Hanagriff. The bond issue raised money for repairs on roads across the parish.
“Spending 100 percent of the money we’ve got and having to borrow more money isn’t working …,” Jones said. “At some point we need to control our borrowing.”
He proposed limiting debt to 21% of income, with another 4% in case of emergencies. It’s not something to do right away, he said.
“Go home,” Jones said. “Think about it. Talk about it.”
Councilman Rodney Olander of Franklin said he’s willing to consider the idea. “At the same time, we still need to try to get a grip on our roads,” Olander said. “They’re just in really bad shape.”
Councilman the Rev. Craig Mathews of Jeanerette agreed.
“We had to reconstruct parish roads from east to west …,” Mathews said. “I don’t apologize for that.”
Ordinances
The council passed two ordinances introduced by J Ina of Franklin by 9-1 votes.
Ina has regularly pointed to the racial makeup of the parish and the council. The parish’s population is 30% Black, he said again Wednesday, but only he and Mathews represent Black majority districts for the 11-member council.
His remedy is to change the way three districts choose council members.
Currently, the council has eight traditional single-member districts. The other three districts divide the parish into thirds. Members are elected from those three at-large districts by parishwide votes.
If voters approve, Ina’s amendment would limit voting in each at-large district to residents of that district. That would make District 9, which covers the western parish, a Black majority.
Ina, Mathews, Olander, Patrick Hebert of Berwick, Mark Duhon of Amelia, James Davis and Dean Adams of Morgan City, Chair Gwendolyn Hidalgo and David Hill of Bayou Vista voted for the ordinance. Vice Chair Dr. Kristi Prejeant Rink of Centerville voted no. Rink currently represents District 9.
Ina’s second ordinance would let voters decide whether to allow any council member to serve as either chair or vice chair. The home rule charter currently limits the leaderships position to members from the three at-large districts.
Adams, who said he believes the measure has been voted down in the past, was the only no vote.
No date for the election was discussed, but it would be after parish voters decide Nov. 3 whether to enact a package of proposals developed by a Charter Review Commission.
One of those proposals would eliminate the three at-large districts.
Also Wednesday:
•The council passed separate resolutions authorizing “the Parish President of St. Mary to execute a Water and Waste System Grant with the United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Utilities Service” for Baldwin and Patterson.
Patterson has been approved for a $1.25 million grant and Baldwin a $250,000 grant for sewage system improvements. The resolution is needed to give the municipalities access to the funds.
•The council passed another resolution calling for a tax election in Recreation District No. 4, which serves the Patterson area.
The ballot proposal would levy a new property tax of 2.2 mills on the district’s property owners. The tax would raise $121,000 per year for the district.
•The council passed a resolution supporting Hebert’s bid to become third vice president on the Executive Board of the Police Jury Association of Louisiana.