Editor’s Note: Oakdale City Judge Luke Abrusley made a request at the February Oakdale City Council meeting to create a Judicial Building Fund by increasing court fees. The council will address the request at its March meeting. He also brought the matter to the police jury as a courtesy. Oakdale’s present courthouse is located at city hall and also used for city meetings. It will soon be renovated to make it handicapped accessible. In doing so, the courtroom will shrink and lose some of its seating area. The fund will allow Abrusley to purchase another area for more courtroom space.
OBERLIN – Oakdale City Judge Luke Abrusley visited the March Allen Parish Police Jury meeting to request a resolution to approve an increase in city court fees. Judge Abrusley’s plan is to establish a Judicial Building Fund to help the court to become more self-sufficient. The fund will pay for any building maintenance or costs directly related to the Oakdale courthouse.
Abrusley is hoping to purchase a new building to be used for a courthouse in the near future. He is attempting to get everything in order to procure a 15-year bond that will help fund this project. Abrusley said, “The courthouse right now is already too small. The City of Oakdale currently has a grant that is helping them make the courthouse ADA accessible. In order to do this they will be cutting about one third of the courthouse seats out. With social distancing protocols and the amount of people we have in court each week, this is just not working.” He went on to tell the jury that his goal as judge is for the court to be self-sustaining and the rise in court costs is just one step in that direction.
The APPJ was overall supportive of this plan and adopted a resolution authorizing the $10 increase in court fees.
A public hearing was held to adopt an ordinance to adopt a portion of Earl Miller Road in road district three into the system. No one from the public was present. The ordinance was adopted. There was also an add on discussing the abandoning of Miller Road in Elton. The land owner adjacent to all sides of the road would like the APPJ to abandon the road. The jury approve to hold a public hearing at next month’s meeting to do so.
Sealed bids were opened for the purchase of a used motor grader for road district three. There was only one bid from Newman Tractor in Verona, Kentucky. It was for a 2016 John Deer with 3,017 hours on it for $120,000. The jury approved for Joel Johnson to purchase it after giving it an inspection. The jury also approved a resolution to authorize the incurring of debt of $86,000 to purchase a back hoe for road district four.
The Prisoner report was read. There were 56 parish inmates, 10 Department of Corrections inmates and 60 federal inmates. The budget for the month was $17,300 and actual expenses were $5,278.25. They are $24,475.43 under budget for the year so far.
The road committee requested:
•To approve a joint service agreement (JSA) with the City of Oakdale for grass cutting, pothole patching and trash pick up for the month of March 2021.
•To approve a JSA with the Town of Oberlin for manpower and equipment to change culverts starting on the corner of Garcille Road to 10th Ave. in the city limits.
•Approve a JSA with the Town of Oberlin for manpower and equipment to clean ditches down Garcille Road and all the way down 9th Ave to Hwy 165 in the city limits.
•Approve a JSA with the Allen Parish School Board for manpower, equipment and material for the following bus turnarounds – 432 Stalsby Road in Oakdale and the end of McMahon Road in Oberlin.
The finance committee requested:
•To approve to pay $4,543.50 to Grundy Land Management LLC for work at the LSU Ag Center.
•Approve to pay $2,511.23 to Golman Equipment for tractor repair for road district two.
•Approve to pay Covington Sales $3,606.54 for repairs to a boom mower for road district one.
Also at the meeting:
•The resignation of Carl Ritter was accepted for Allen Parish Ward Three, Fire District two, Al Ritter was appointed for a five year term.
•Robert Plante was reappointed to the Northwest Allen Water Board for a one year term.
•Greg Strother and Rhonda Beard were appointed to the Rec. District One Board.
•Andrew Willis was hired part time for solid waste and the road crew at $12 per hour.
•Clark Ebarb was hired full time for road district two at $12 per hour.
•A public hearing was called for an election to be held for the renewal of an ad valorem tax for the Allen Parish Library.
•The jury approved for APPJ President Tony Hebert to sign grant documents for the Fairview LCDBG grant for their water system updates.
•The jury approved Steven Derouen and Associates to be the 2020 auditor for the APPJ.
