Following a statewide burn ban going into effect, the Allen Parish Police Jury, at its meeting on Monday, August 7, issued a parish wide burn ban.
Jacob LaCour, with Fire District #4, told the jurors the state fire marshal “highly recommended the parishes go ahead and continue doing what they were going to do” even though the state ban was put into place.
The state ban, according to LaCour, could be lifted once areas of the state receive the necessary amount of rainfall. However, the parish ban is indefinite and will continue as long as the current dry conditions persist in the parish.
LaCour also told the jury he will work with Parish Administrator Jacob Dillehay on drafting an ordinance to enforce burn bans as civil actions.
Earlier in the meeting, State Representative Dewith Carrier defended the state legislature’s decision to bust the cap during the latest regular session. He shared the reasoning was the state has a $2 billion surplus even after paying down the state’s debt and putting funds in the state’s rainy day fund over the past two years.
Of the additional state funds that were spent, $5.3 million were allocated to Allen Parish as capital outlay funds for road and bridge projects. Also, $400 thousand in appropriation money was allocated to the parish in conjunction with the Town of Kinder to replace a bridge on Park Bridge Road.
“The next four years are going to be good for Allen Parish,” said Representative Carrier, “because, I think, we’re gonna keep having surpluses. Everything looks to be really good.”
Later in the meeting, the police jury adopted a resolution authorizing the president to enter into a cooperative endeavor agreement with the district attorney’s office for opioid litigation funds. District Attorney Joe Green said the funds will be remitted to his office for the purposes of opioid abatement. Twenty-one thousand dollars of the litigation funds will also go to the health unit for opioid abatement.
Dillehay said the district attorney’s office “is set up to spend the money as it has to be spent. We’ll let Joe and them focus on that, and we’ll focus on roads and bridges.
The jury also heard from Philip Johnson about current conditions on Paul Brown Road. The jury, after discussing the issue, called for a public hearing to abandon the south portion of the road.
In other business, the jury:
•Approved to pay Iowa Farm Equipment $2,045 for bullet and teeth for 3 pt grinder for parish road fund.
•Approved to pay Iowa Farm Equipment $2,065 for bullet and teeth for Ward 1 and Ward 4 at a cost of $1,032.50 for each ward.
•Approved to pay OTS Production Support Services $21,177.52 for mail services for redistricting and canvassing for the Registrar of Voters.
•Approved to pay Southern Tire Mart $5,266.73 for tractor tires for Road District 3.
•Approved to pay Oakdale Motors $2,230 for a tractor seat for RD5.
•Approved to pay LED Outfitters $3,389.88 for light bars for the new trucks to be split between the road districts and the parish road fund at $567.98 each.
•Approved a joint service agreement with the City of Oakdale for grass cutting, pothole patching, and trash pick up for the month of August 2023.
•Approved a joint service agreement with the Town of Kinder to replace Park Road Bridge.
•Approved the minutes for the regular meeting on July 10, and the special meeting on July 19, where a resolution was adopted for the Allen Parish Police Jury to join the Attorney General of Louisiana in litigation against FEMA to challenge Risk Rating 2.0.
•Heard an update from Kimberly Caldarera on behalf of Allen Parish Hospital.
•Voted to advertise to request proposals for a vegetation management contract and for a Request for Quote for engineer for the airport for a five-year period.
•Approved a special event permit for the Festival Fete Du Void at the Hardwood Mill Restaurant in Oakdale for September 28, through October 1.
•Authorized to enter into a master service agreement with Meyer and Associates for the 2023 Capital Outlay Improvements Project and 2023 Capital Outlay Bridge Improvement Project.
•Hired Dickie Sonnier part time in Solid Waste contingent upon meeting hiring requirements.
•Authorized the president to accept the donation of right-of-way on Powell Road for the purpose of reconstructing an unsafe roadway curve just south of Powell Road/CC Bel Road intersection.
The next police jury meeting will be on Tuesday, September 5, because of the Labor Day holiday.
