While preparing for the new fiscal year, the council learned it had not set aside funding for employee retirement benefits. So the council took steps to address the issue by introducing two ordinances aimed at retirement benefits for its full-time employees, as well as full-time police officers.
At Monday’s meeting, July 12, Mayor Joseph “Moochie” Manuel explained 33 percent would be added to the fiscal budget for retirement benefits as he explained why cuts were being made in order to balance the fiscal budget.
“We got to do it, and we’re going to do it,” Manuel said. He explained the chief had been receiving retirement but the council did not know full-time employees and officers also qualified for these benefits.
To its present ordinance, the council approved introducing two ordinances, one for employees and one for police officers, allowing the town to pay retirement benefits to the Municipal Employee Retirement System for eligible employees and to the Municipal Police Employees Retirement System for those meeting those guidelines.
The council approved the introduction of the two ordinances which will take effect once both are approved at the next meeting.
In the area of employees, the council agreed to introduce an ordinance to change its sick leave policy and remove the section on 403B/IRA. The new addition to the sick leave policy will request doctor’s statement or other documented proof from employees who are determined to be abusing the present policy. If found guilty, an employee could lose a full day of sick leave for each day lost and forfeit one day’s pay for each day lost. In the area of the IRA, the new ordinances proposed for retirement benefits will now be used.
An ordinance to increase traffic fines was brought before the council in an attempt to bring fine costs up-to-date with other communities.
Councilman Chris Davis did discuss the number of traffic tickets being written compared to the costs of financing the police department. He said with salaries and expenses such as gas costs, the town paid almost $14,000 last month. Only about $6,000 was made through fines. He said the town could not afford to lose the money, and although he wasn’t asking one department to fund other departments, he wanted to know why it wasn’t possible to bring more revenue in.
Rev. Wallace Bellard III approached the council and said he did not believe the matter should have been discussed in the absence of Police Chief Grady K. Haynes, who is presently dealing with the death of his father. He asked that the issue be brought to a meeting with Haynes present so the public could understand the details surrounding the issue.
In other business, the council:
•Tabled the idea to change Joe Pete Avenue to Nick and Monica Avenue. Faye Skinner Slate asked for the change, but Aaron Brown brought up questions about 9-1-1. He accused the council of not publicizing changes and reported on two incidents where he was affected by an address change. Councilman Romelzy Willis Jr. asked to table the mater until information could be obtained from 9-1-1 about the process of changing existing street names and addresses.
•Introduced an ordinance to change water and sewer taps to $500. Deposits for customers requesting a new meter will be $200 for meter installation which includes $75 for meter deposit and $125 for meter connection fees. These items were discussed at an earlier meeting, and the ordinance is now being amended. The second paragraph in the proposed ordinance also was removed.
•Toney and Carolyn Locks approached the council to inquire if zoning ordinances existed to guide a new RV park in the parish. They learned there was only an ordinance for permanent mobile home structures and not RVs. They also learned the council is the body that proposes zoning ordinances for the town, and if an ordinance was developed for RVs, it would not affect the new park.
•Heard proposals from the town’s finance clerk, Nicole Duplechain, on how the town could utilize some of the American Relief Funds within the guidelines set by the federal government. Oberlin is scheduled to receive $639,844.60, $319,922.30 in the first allotment and $319,922.30 in the second allotment.
