New Parish Council begins to put its stamp on operations

The six new St. Landry Parish Council members began to assert themselves at their second regular meeting.
The council rejected an ordinance that would have directed members to have their expense reports approved by the parish president.
The ordinance was holdover from the previous council.
Harold Taylor, chairman, said before the vote that the ordinance represented a violation of the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branch of the home rule charter government.
A replacement ordinance was on the agenda and goes to committee. The ordinance outlines amounts and procedures for reimbursement.
Parish President Bill Fontenot presented the resumes of Russell Schexnider for public works director and Novella Richard Moore for finance director. Schexnider would replace Tim Marks as public works director while Moore is a reappointment.
Councilman Timmy Lejeune began the process of denying the appointments by moving to table them until council members could question Schexnider, who was not present at the meeting Wednesday in Opelousas.
Fontenot said, “By tabling the matter you are just keeping me from getting moving on some things I need to get moving.”
Fontenot said he heard many council members ask for a change. “I need to let people know my change is supported. You are not helping me make progress here.”
Taylor pointed out the president appoints and the council approves.
The council deserves an opportunity to meet appointees it is directed to vote on, Councilman Ken Marks said.
Fontenot said, “We with all due respect you do know me and this doesn’t speak highly of what you think of my selection.”
Marks replied, “Mr. president, in all due respect, it has nothing to do with your selection. It has everything to do with the process.”
Fontenot countered, “The process is what you make it. So, I’m good.”
Marks ended with, “I would feel more comfortable knowing the person.”
Among Fontenot’s request were two resolutions to allow him to use state Department of Transportation Development grant funds at the parish airport. At the urging of Taylor, both were sent to committee as the proper procedure for dealing with resolutions over Fontenot’s objections.
A resolution to relocate a voting Precinct 10 in Ward 6 from the Ami Fire Station in Eunice to Highland Elementary was referred to committee.
Taylor maintained resolutions must be read like ordinances then brought to the council.
But earlier, a resolution to authorize Washington State Bank as the parish fiscal agent was approved at Wednesday’s meeting.
Councilman Wayne Ardoin withdrew his proposal for the Parish Council to have three official journals. Ardoin said there can be only one official journal, which is the Daily World.
The council approved printing minutes that include only the motions and votes instead of verbatim accounts of meetings.
Ardoin said the shortened minutes should be published in The Eunice News in addition to the official journal, but could also be published in the Eunice News at the discretion of the parish president.
The publication question was referred to committee.
Several appointments were on the council’s agenda.
Eunice resident Anthony Baltakis lost his bid for reappointment to the St. Landry Parish Economic Development District Board of Directors to Lena Charles of Opelousas. The lone vote cast for Baltakis was by Councilman Jimmie Edwards of Eunice.
New Eunice council member Coby Calvier voted for Charles. After the meeting, Calvier said Charles had contacted him for his vote and he had “feedback from other people” on the vote.
In January, Baltakis was re-elected vice chairman of the economic board.
Baltakis is a history professor at Louisiana State University Eunice.
Charles is a retired Bell South project manager and was president of the Southern Development Foundation.
Charley Andrepont and John Brown were appointed to the Fire District 6 board.
Seven appointments were made to the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. They are John Slaughter, Mary Doucet, Virginia LeCompte, Kelly Pitre, Tommy Dejean, Catherine Yvonne Lognion Normand and Wilbert Giron.
Eunice resident Jane Ardoin had applied for reappointment and Cynthia Soileau, also of Eunice, lost her bid for appointment.
The parish president also introduced an annual budget for this year.
Fontenot’s “items of note” with the budget included:
— Combines revenues of the General and Special Revenue funds, excluding federal and state grants, are projected to decrease $1.5 million. The decrease is reflected in Road and Bridge maintenance fund ($500,0000) and the Sales Tax fund ($1 million).
Combines expenditures of the General and Special Revenue funds, excluding federal and state grants, are also budgeted to decreased $1.5 million. The decrease is reflected in the Road and Bridge Maintenance fund ($500,000) and the Sales Tax fund ($1 million).