By Corey Poole
The Parish Council still seemed hard pressed to make decisions on two items tabled from last month’s meeting. The adoption of an ordinance to establish the order of business for meetings and receipt of comments from the public was controversial at Monday night’s meeting, June 19.
Chairman Russell Rachal said the body hasn’t abided by the law in its home rule charter that says it must adopt such an ordinance. However, what members Patsy Ward Hoover and Chris Paige were worried about was limiting the time the public can speak before the Council and determining who has the authority to control situations should they get out of hand.
Hoover asked that the ordinance be amended to change the wording from “The Chair of the Council” shall have the authority to limit the amount of time during the public comment period that each speaker shall be afforded…to “The Council by majority vote.” This amendment was approved and so was the ordinance after further discussion.
The Council took no action on the second item of old business, the scarification of badly deteriorated paved roads in the Parish System. The consensus was that the parish president would include the roads selected for scarification in his annual plan, which he will present to the Council in three months.
Hoover asked that whatever decision is made, efforts will be made through radio and advertising to inform residents as each road is selected for scarification. This will allow residents to have a say in the process. Council member Rodney Bedgood said he’s talked with a few residents in his district who are against the scarification of their road.
Parish President Rick Nowlin brought some good news before the Council. While the state eliminated funding for three Capital Outlay projects in May, Nowlin said the House concurred with the Senate amendments to HB 2 on June 19. The final amended bill contains the following local project funds:
• CoCo Bed Road: $280,000 for design and construction
• Payne Subdivision Streets: $500,000 for design and construction (phase 1)
• Fish Hatchery Road: $125,000 for design
• Blanchard Road: $280,000 for design and construction
• Old River Bridge: $610,000 for design and construction (This is only partial funding and will be held over until next year when the additional money can be acquired.)
• Courthouse Security: $480,000 for design and construction (Additional money will be put into this project, which should total $800,000.)
• OCS: $6,000
The bill also includes funds for the Parish Communications District project, the Council on Aging and the Veterans Park.
In other business, Paige introduced Payne subdivision residents who were anxious to know the status of construction on the bridge that’s currently out. Public Works Director Nick Verret said this is dependent on progress with FEMA on determining eligibility for reimbursement. FEMA has begun site visits to damaged roads in the Parish, but the priority is on the roads that are currently being worked on.
Council member Doug de Graffenried spoke up and asked why something couldn’t be done about the bridge using some of the windfall from the agreement with the Sheriff’s Office that is saving the Parish money.
“I’ve sat on this Council for all these months and for once I’d like to fix something,” he said. Nowlin said they have the opportunity to build a really good bridge and have FEMA pay for the majority of it.
“We’re trying to stretch the money as best we can,” he said.
When it came to money, Hoover and Paige questioned Verret and Nowlin on parish employee salaries. Paige said that if they’re asking people to put up with hard times in the road system, then it would be a good commitment to put some money from the salary of the recently vacated assistant director position at the Highway Department back into the community.
“The point is well taken,” said Nowlin. “We will reassess the job, but we need to get the right person and people that are well qualified don’t come cheap.”
Verret said that if they took all the salaries of the Highway Department and added in the Parish President’s salary, they would be able to overlay 3 miles.
“We’re talking dollars and donuts here,” he said. “I wish everyone could have this perspective. We need millions, not a few thousand here or there.”
Hoover threw out a grenade when she questioned the salaries of the two assistants she claimed Verret has. However, Nowlin said they don’t exist. The assistant director position functions as an operation manager and the next position is an equipment operator.
“We’re treading in stuff we shouldn’t,” said Paige. “Let’s move on to the next item on the agenda. I’m sorry I brought it up.”
Other agenda items included:
• Renewing contract for solid waste bin site in Kisatchie
• Officially accept recommendation of April Wade as the new director for Head Start
• The item to consider renewing the lease agreement with Ernest Self for the Creston Polling Place for $1,000 annually was tabled.
• Adopt an ordinance to adopt millage rates for the 2016 tax year
• Reappoint Vanessa Stanfield to the Natchitoches Parish Children and Youth Planning Board
• Appoint Troy DuwayneGarder to the Natchitoches Fire District 9 Board
• Reappoint Johhny R. Nobles to the Natchitoches Parish Fire District 2 Board
• Appoint Wilbert Lee Wise to the Natchitoches Parish Fire District 2 Board
Campti Field of Dreams Executive Director Donna Isaacs introduced a group of youth to the Council who participated in the museum’s Tobacco Annihilators Program, which has run for the past year. They learned about the impact and ways tobacco companies, that spend around $9.5 million yearly in advertising, target youth in America with deceptive ads to make smoking “cool.” The group holds monthly meetings, visits area stores to examine the tobacco displays and organizes community awareness events like the Tobacco Free Jamboree June 18. They asked the Council for its continued support with smoke-free efforts and events in the Parish.
Little by little, the Parish Council is moving toward functioning like a professional council should. Like Councilman Paige’s (and I’m no flag waiver for Chris) comment in the last council meeting, “We’re treading in stuff we shouldn’t,” “let’s move on” is right on and where the heads of council members should be. Managerial and personnel, and day-to-day operational roles are not council issues (unless there is an extenuating circumstance requiring closed door action, etc), but are tasks best handled by the person Parish residents elected to serve as Parish President and chief executive. Making assumptions and using innuendo as they pertain to staff only demonstrates poor preparation, lack of knowledge and awareness, and becomes misleading information for people who do not have good intentions.
To Councilman Bedgood, I have to ask, why would people in your so called district be against doing anything with roads that could be an improvement – seems like lack of leadership and understanding? Don’t quite understand why using the terminology of scarification of roads, etc. is being used in the first place, as scarification is more relevantly used to describe human skin modification, common with tattooing and scaring of ones anatomy. I guess I would be apposed to “scarification” as the next person would be as this process does not appear to be consistent with repair and upkeep of roads and highways. Good leadership and positive ideas keeps down misunderstanding and is more in line with providing citizens with good information that they can live with and accept. Improvement of road conditions using the resources currently available to Natchitoches Parish is all that any “responsible” leader can talk about and guide citizens in their thinking with. Emotional negativity will never work and should be rejected at all levels.
My greatest hope is for the Natchitoches Parish Council to work toward stronger unity and be more representative of the needs of our citizens throughout the Parish they were elected to serve, not for personal and narrow gains.