Parish leaderseeks pay hike

St. Landry Parish President Bill Fontenot is seeking a raise from $65,000 to $105,000 a year.
The first-term parish president lowered his sight from the $140,000 he said in September the job should be paid.
But he brought in some big guns at the Parish Council meeting Wednesday to back up his move for the 62 percent raise.
Fontenot produced a who’s who of economic development in Acadiana at the meeting to praise his leadership.
If granted, the pay raise would be the first pay increase for the president since the job was created in the Home Rule Charter adopted in 2003.
The ordinance states the sheriff, clerk of court and assessor annual salaries are set by the Legislature at $136,616.43.
The council pointed the way for approving the raise when it voted 7-4 to introduce a motion for the pay raise.
A hearing and final adoption is now scheduled for the Dec. 16 parish council meeting.
Council members Gary Courville, Jimmie Edwards, Timmy Lejeune, Dexter Brown, Hurlin Dupre, Fekisa Miller-Mathews and Jerry Red voted for introducing the pay raise ordinance.
Voting against the pay raise ordinance were Huet Dupre, Alvin Stelly, Pam Gautreau and Wayne Ardoin.
Council member Ronald Buschel was absent and Leon Robinson, chairman, is not required to vote.
In his report to the council, Fontenot stated 100 miles have been paved, 100 more more miles are in the process of being paved and bids are to be sought on a third 100 miles of road paving in February or March.
“That’s a big a part of what was the issue before I arrived here as the president,” he said. “I think we have the solution well in hand, the support of the people and people are complimenting us every day in regard to that. They are complimenting St. Landry Parish Government and the president’s office.”
Fontenot added, “It is about jobs and opportunities and community-building. I want to say that through the authority the Parish Council provided to the president, I have taken the leadership role of hitching the St. Landry Parish wagon of hope and prosperity to several organizations made up of professionals and businesses, government and private interests. I believe this has and is bringing positive results in bringing St. Landry Parish forward.”
Backing Fontenot up in his pay raise bid were Jason El Koubi, One Acadiana executive direcotor, Keven Belanger, Acadiana Planning Commission interim CEO, and Bill Rodier, St. Landry Parish Economic Industrial Development District executive director.
El Koubi said a top site selection consultant visited the region recently and was impressed with investment in road improvement in St. Landry Parish.
“The decision that you all made to invest in your transportation infrastructure here locally, the decisions of this council, the leadership of Bill Fontenot in making that happen was critical. That is a huge piece of making the parish and this region more competitive,” he said.
Belanger said Fontenot is chairman of his commission.
“All of those participating saw the worth of having Mr. Bill be the chairman of that as well and it has proven to be very lucrative and not just to this parish, but to the region,” he said.
Fontenot also is chairman of the Acadiana Regional Alliance.
Rodier said, “ I’m not telling you what people are worth and I’m not telling you what positons are worth. That is not my place. All I’m asking and asking you to consider is that that position is critically important to the growth of this parish. You are critically important to growth of this parish. Let’s keep professionals at the face of the growth of this parish.”
Bob Edmundson of the $400 million Hazelwood Energy Hub project near Port Barre was on hand to talk about the project and state, “you guys are in good hands.”