By Corey Poole
A statement made by Parish Councilman Doug de Graffenreid at the Council meeting Monday, Aug. 15 raised questions of a potential legal quandary in the Parish Government.
He stated, “I rise to confess my legal predicament. I may or may not be in legal jeopardy of misprision of felony and/or malfeasance of public office as I have knowledge of 44,000 pages of uncertified documentation. I am not certain if these 44,000 uncertified pages represent nothing, a waste of taxpayers’ money, normal business practice or a miscreant in our midst. I am asking the members of the press to help me with this matter and to file a freedom of information request to receive the listing of websites and webpages viewed by Parish employees on public time using Parish computers. I hope your investigation will help relieve me of my legal quandary and potential guilt.”
NOTE: The Natchitoches Parish Council has ONE employee, said employee works for and answers to ONLY the Parish Council and NOT to the Parish President.
The Natchitoches Parish Journal will file an information request form to investigate this matter further.
Other agenda items included:
- Introduction of resolution ordering an election to be held in the Parish to authorize the renewal of an ad valorem tax for the Library, Health Unit, General Funds, Highway District 40 and Parish Buildings for March 25, 2017
- Consider authorizing the Parish President to execute a cooperative endeavor agreement with the U.S. Forest Service for Parish participation in the Secure Rural Schools Road Program. The program provides Federal funding for improvement to roads under local jurisdiction that provide access to National Forest land. (See Photos Below)
- Submitting applications for State Capital Outlay projects for consideration in 2016 legislative session
The governor signed HB 2, the capital outlay bill for the 2016-17 fiscal year, on July 11. The bill, now Act 16 of 2016, contains the following local project funds for planning and construction:
- Coco Bed Road: $280,000
- Payne Streets Phase 1: $500,000
- Fish Hatchery Road: $125,000
- Blanchard Road: $280,000
- Old River Bridge: $610,000
- Courthouse Security: $480,000
- OCS: $6,000
- Parish Communications District: $2,800,000
- COA Office: $7,700
- COA Activities Building: $115,900
Parish President Rick Nowlin and Nick Verret met with officials of Facility Planning and Control Aug. 4 to seek a resolution of a road design issue on Coco Bed Road improvements. They reached an agreement that the road will not have to meet State highway width standards. Documentation will be submitted relating to the construction of the road which occurred prior to the adoption of State and local highway design standards.
Yes sir you are wrong. We welcome you to travel Coco Bed from one end to the other at your own risk. The bus driver has to turn around in my yard because the road in unpassable.
I was noticing Coco bed Road was a private road, the section of the road going away from Cloutierville end only went to the farm at on time knows as the Devalle Farm. Crossing hwy 1 going to Cloutierville was blocked, and there were no residents there because the had been taken in by a farm there and only had about a mile out of Cloutierville that had some people living there. Am I wrong and the road is open through that area. If so when I go back into that area I want to go down it from one end to the other.