No more overtime for Marksville police/firemen

City restricts sale of fireworks to six days during the year

Faced with an over-budget payroll this past budget year, the Marksville City Council is tightening the purse strings on overtime -- especially in the Fire and Police Departments.

Marksville Police and Fire chiefs were told there will be no more overtime after the City Council was told at its Sept. 11 meeting that the city paid $165,000 in overtime this past budget year.

Mayor John Lemoine told Police Chief Elster Smith and Fire Chief Jerry Bordelon the city had a “no overtime” policy a few years ago, when Marksville’s financial problems brought it to the brink of being taken over by the state.

City officials averted that and avoided defaulting on its debts or missing a payroll due to budget cuts and implementation of stricter procedures.

Financial strains eased and the policy stopped being imposed.

Council member Clyde Benson reminded the other aldermen that Secretary/ Treasurer Heather Brevelle recently noted the city was over-budget on payroll.

Lemoine told the chiefs that if it appeared overtime was necessary, they should consider hiring another person before relying on overtime.

Lemoine told council members the city needs to develop a plan that would allow for annual or periodic pay raises for employees to reduce turnover and to reward employees for their service.

He noted the $165,000 spent in overtime could have been used for raises.

FIREWORKS COMPROMISE

In another matter, the City Council addressed the issue of fireworks within the city limits with a compromise between those who wanted to ban fireworks in the city limits and those who consider them to be a fun part of the July 4, Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays.

The council decided that fireworks can only be sold and popped inside the city limits on July 3 and 4, Dec. 24 and 25 and Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

In addition, because the change restricts the ability of fireworks vendors to sell their products to six days instead of all-year, the business permit cost for those vendors will be reduced from $200 to $50.

Prior to the change, the occupational license was good for all year, even though fireworks could only be shot on the three holidays.

Several residents had complained that people were buying the fireworks several weeks before the holidays and setting them off, sometimes after midnight and in the early morning hours, even though an existing city ordinance restricted the days and hours fireworks could be used.

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