Avoyelles Police Jury ok’s 2.5% pay raise for employees

Work to wrap up the 2019 budget and prepare to adopt the 2020 budget took center stage at the Avoyelles Police Jury’s Nov. 12 meeting.

One major adjustment for the 2020 budget is a 2.5 percent pay raise for all Police Jury employees.

Police Juror Charles Jones, who is heading the jury’s budget efforts, said the Consumer Price Index showed inflation at 2.1 percent for 2019.

The pay increases will cost $24,216 more in salaries and benefits for 2020. The increase will be spread out over the four operating funds -- General, Road & Bridge, Drainage and Solid Waste.

“It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it shows we care about our employees and the job they do,” Jones said.

He said the raise at least allows employees’ pay to keep pace with inflation.

The Police Jury has attempted to grant annual cost-of-living increases over the past several years.

Jones told jurors that overall the parish is in good financial condition as it nears the end of 2019.

“We are not in crisis,” he said. “We don’t have to worry about them cutting off the lights.”

He said the 2020 budget, to be adopted next month, also looks to be in good shape. “All I can say is that if we had more money, we would be doing more,” Jones said.

CORONER’S BUDGET

A big change in both budgets is in the coroner’s office, where long-time coroner Dr. L.J. Mayeux retired and Dr. James Bordelon was elected without opposition to succeed him.

For this budget year, the Coroner’s Office requested $14,836 more for supplemental pay in the office.

In 2020, the coroner’s budget will increase from about $102,000 to $204,000.

Jones said the Police Jury is mandated by state law to fund the coroner’s office.

He said the parish was fortunate in the past that Mayeux chose not to take a salary and to use his own office as the coroner’s office. His wife, Roseada, also worked as the coroner’s office administrative assistant for a small salary.

Bordelon will accept a salary and benefits. He will also hire a registered nurse to serve as the coroner’s administrative assistant.

The coroner’s office will be located in a building near Bordelon’s private practice near Avoyelles Hospital at a rent of about $1,600 a month.

In another major budget-related decision, The District Attorney’s Office budget for 2020 was also presented and approved. District Attorney Charles Riddle noted that his request for $252,670 is the same as it has been for the 17 years he has been district attorney.

BRIDGE PROJECTS

In other business, the jury indicated it is running out of patience with a few property owners who have refused to grant right of ways for grant-funded bridge replacement projects.

One of the bridges is on Bill Belt Road. Parish Engineer Ron Bordelon said the project has been redesigned to shorten a guard rail so it will not be necessary to relocate a driveway near the bridge.

However, he added, two property owners have refused to grant a right of way.

“We are not in a position to be able to buy right of ways,” Bordelon said.

He said right of ways must be secured by mid-December or the project will have to go back to the design and environmental impact phase because the project is several years old.

The jury instructed Bordelon to present the landowners one more opportunity and, if they still refuse, the jury will cancel the project.

If cancelled, the Police Jury will have spent design costs for nothing, but will be able to use that Off-System Bridge Program money for a future project.

The Police Jury did remove the Katie English Road Bridge, which had been approved for the Off-System Bridge program, because the property owner did not want to grant a right of way to replace the bridge.

The jury also started the process of abandoning the bridge and that part of the road from La. Hwy 1181 to just past the bridge.

A public hearing on abandoning the bridge and section of road was scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Dec. 10.