Council, president spar over public works directive

The St. Landry Parish Council and Parish President Bill Fontenot sparred over a demand that the the public works director attend every Council meeting.
The confrontation occurred at Wednesday’s meeting and was resolved with a revised motion that newly appointed director Russell Schexnider attend committee meetings when necessary.
Bill Fontenot, parish president, said, “This will be an administrative decision that I will make meeting to meeting depending on the subject and issues that come up and the schedule.”
The issue was put on the agenda by Wayne Ardoin, an Opelousas Council member, who has been at odds with Fontenot over the authority of the Council.
Under the Home Rule Charter, Council members are not to be involved with the day-to-day business of parish government.
The council’s legal counsel, Chad Pitre, said the Council cannot direct the public works director attend its meetings.
Pitre added the Council can take action to show what it wants.
Ardoin said he placed the item on the agenda so the public works director would be available to answer questions about “anything going on as far as public works matters.”
Ken Marks, a Council member from Port Barre, said, “In all due respect, I would like to have the gentleman available particularly when we have committee meetings. That’s when we have a lot of discussions and have a lot of unknowns.”
Marks added, “I’m not sure about our regular meetings. I think we can resolve a lot those issues in our committee meetings.”
Fontenot replied, “You have the benefit of a having a professional sitting in this seat. So, I’m a public works background person for 40 years. Anything that is specific we can handle on the phone. There is nothing he can give you an answer to that I wouldn’t already know the particulars about. If I don’t know, he probably won’t.”
Fontenot retired as a Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development district engineer administrator before being first elected as parish president in 2012.
After the meeting, Fontenot said Council members receive a public works activity report in their meeting packets.
The Council voted 8-3 for a motion by Marks “for him to at least try to administratively attend our committee meetings particularly public work.”
Voting for the motion were Nancy Carriere, Felicia Miller-Matthews, Mildred Thierry, Marks, Alvin Stelly, Ardoin, Timmy LeJeune and Jimmie Edwards.
Voting “No” were Vivian Stelly, Dexter Brown and Coby Clavier.
Council members also approved the 2016 proposed budget without comment. The budget had been presented to the Council in October, but was put on hold pending the fall elections.
The budget includes general fund revenues and expenditures of $5,099,264, which is a 12.58 percent reduction from the previous budget.
In other business, the Council:
— Reappointed Paul Scott to the St. Landry Agricultural Arena Authority.
— Elected Kenneth Vidrine to the Greater Krotz Springs Port Authority.
— Approved beginning the process to sell the Pernie Bailey Building in Port Barre.
— Established a committee to research the purchase of electronic tablets for the Council members to go paperless.
— Introduced an ordinance to move the Ward 6, precinct 10 polling place, from the Amy Fire Station to Highland Elementary in Eunice.
— Adopted an ordinance setting a policy to reimburse Council members’ travel expenses.
— Approved resolutions for planning bridges on Rozena and Billeaux roads.