Parish president proposes pay raise

The St. Landry Parish Government’s president should be paid $140,000 a year and current president Bill Fontenot is placing that change for a vote on the council’s October agenda.
The president’s salary of $65,000 established when the parish home rule charter was adopted in 2003.
Fontenot announced the salary proposal at Wednesday’s parish council public works committee meeting.
“The reason I wanted it to be known tonight is so that the press can put it out there,” he said.
“I would certainly feel better making it known before qualifying so in case someone is wanting to run for president and the pay is keeping them from running,” he said.
“I feel that the person may be considering running for president is looking at the pay and may be discounting running for president because the pay is too low for this type of job,” he said.
Fontenot said after serving four years and working in government for 38 years, “I say it is well below par for what it ought to be paid.”
Fontenot said he will run for re-election.
“If I’m elected as president I’m going to serve no matter what the pay,” he said.
Bringing the pay issue up is a responsibility of the president to look to the future, he said.
When the charter was adopted the president’s salary was about the same as other parishwide elected officials, but is now half as much as those officials are paid, he said.
Fontenot said he expects criticism for the move.
“The average person doesn’t want any government official to get a raise no mater how good he is,” he said. “I have been in government 40 some years. I’ve never seen a public person, legislator, public official or public workers be granted a raise and people not criticize. Yeah, there will be criticism.”
Fontenot pointed out the parish president’s responsibilities include administration of an 800-mile road system and parish programs such as Community Action Agency and health care.
Fontenot spearheaded a successful election to pass a 2 percent sales tax in rural areas to pay for the Smooth Ride Home Program.
Contact Harlan Kirgan at harlan.kirgan@eunicetoday.com.