Jury adopts $32.6M budget

With very little fanfare, the Acadia Parish Police Jury adopted a $32.6 million operating budget for 2015 Tuesday night.

The budget does not include pay raises for parish employees. It does, however, reinstate the $100,000 line item for economic development.

That item had originally been reduced to $25,000 when the budget was being formulated. But after a contingency from OneAcadia and members of area chambers of commerce addressed the jury voicing their concern, a thorough scouring of the budget uncovered the necessary funding.

The 2015 budget estimates $33.2 million in revenue and $32.6 million in expenses, leaving a fund balance of just over $500,000.

The parish’s General Fund — the main operating fund for the day-to-day business of the parish — shows $8,830,086 in estimated revenue and $8,825,590 in projected expenses over the course of the next year, leaving a fund balance there of just $4,496.

All other revenues for the parish are “dedicated,” meaning that they can be used only for the purpose for which they were collected — Health Unit, parish roads, mosquito control, solid waste, etc.

Jurors also voted, with A.J. “Fatty” Broussard opposing, to go ahead with the planned designation of a bicycle route in the parish.

The ordinance was originally adopted contingent upon participation by the state Department of Transportation and Development. But DOTD said it would not participate.

Jury Vice President Robert Guidry, however, said he felt like the route would help boost tourism in the parish and wanted to see the jury go ahead with the plan.

The parish will erect 34 signs along the route, including only six on parish-maintained roadway.

In other action, jurors:

• Appointed Ralph Lacombe to the Iota Fire Protection District to fill the unexpired term of Arlen Pousson.

• Reappointed Michael Richard to Fire  Protection District No. 5.

• Reappointed Larry Cassard, Daniel Nugier and Greg Richard to Fire Protection District No. 11.

• Reappointed Larry Regan to the Resource Conservation and Development District.

• Reappointed Cheryl Boudreaux and Charlotte Jeffers to the Acadia Parish Tourist Commission.

• Reappointed Sheriff Wayne Melancon, John Dubose and Ralph Lacombe to the Acadia Parish Communications District.

• Authorized the president to sign and submit LAGAP grant applications for:

- the Morse Village Hall in the amount of $75,000;

- the Bayou des Cannes Water District in the amount of $30,000; 

- Fire Protection District No. 5 in the amount of $10,000; and

- Fire Protection District No. 6 in the amount of $15,000.

• Declared the Slope Failure Remediation Project at the Acadia Parish Landfill “substantially complete.”