Avoyelles Police Jury to towns: Pay up or else

Parish says municipalities owe for past three years of autopsy costs

The Good Book says we should forgive a debt as we would wish our debt to be forgiven. At its Jan. 12 meeting, the Avoyelles Parish Police Jury skipped that verse and went straight to "pay to all what is owed to them."

In this case, what is owed to the Police Jury is reimbursement for the cost of autopsies of the deceased within the municipalities' corporate limits over the past three years -- a combined total of $26,559 from four municipalities and $4,100 from the Louisiana Department of Corrections.

The Police Jury adopted a resolution in December to require payment for 2020 autopsies but to "forgive" autopsy costs prior to that time. Several jurors reconsidered that move over the holidays and had intended to rescind their generosity.

Marksville Mayor John Lemoine and aldermen Frank Havard and Mike Gremillion convinced any doubters why the "forgiveness" was a bad idea.

The city officials addressed the jury, pointing out that if past years' autopsy costs were going to be forgiven for those municipalities who didn't pay, then would the Police Jury be reimbursing Marksville -- and any other municipality -- for autopsy costs that they did pay?

Short answer: No.

In addition to rescinding the December resolution, the jury adopted a new one stating the parish is seeking collection from municipalities "for arrearage owed for autopsies and transportation fees" and instructing the district attorney "to proceed with filing suit to recover monies owed."

Bunkie, the second-largest municipality in the parish, owes the most -- $17,763. Simmesport owes $4,266, Hessmer owes $2,405 and Mansura owes $2,125. The Department of Corrections owes $4,100 for inmate autopsies over the past three years, according to the jury's accounting of the debts.

Marksville, Cottonport, Moreauville, Evergreen and Plaucheville have apparently paid for any autopsies of their citizens or had no autopsies within their corporate limits.

OFFICERS RE-ELECTED

The meeting began with the unanimous re-election of Kirby Roy as president and John Earles as vice president.

Unlike the School Board, the Police Jury allows its officers to serve as many consecutive terms as they -- with a majority of the other jurors -- are willing to.

"Nobody really enjoys this job," Roy said. "It's a lot of hard work, but it is a challenge. That's why I like it."

One issue attracted a lot of discussion, but no decision. That issue deals with ambulance service in the parish.

Acadian Ambulance has contended that it has an exclusive contract with the Sheriff's Office to provide ambulance service in the parish. Other ambulance providers contend that does not include municipalities.
Currently, the prevailing thought is that the sheriff's contract applies to municipalities unless they specifically adopt an ordinance allowing a different company to operate within the city limits.

The suit is still pending in court to obtain a definitive decision. Acadian Ambulance has noted the exclusive contract issue has been litigated and upheld in other parishes.

During the meeting, APSO representative Ryan Quebedeaux said Sheriff David Dauzat is working on a rotation plan that would allow multiple ambulance services to operate in the parish. At this time, that would be Acadian, MedExpress and St. Landry EMS.

The sheriff hopes to hold a meeting with all parties in the near future.

Attorney Alissa Piazza Tassin, representing MedExpress, asked the jury to approve a business permit for her client and to rescind a July 14, 2009 resolution that gave the sheriff the authority to contract for ambulance services in Avoyelles Parish.

After hearing of the sheriff's plans to address the ambulance issue -- and due to the matter still pending in court -- police jurors took no action.

ELEVATOR REPAIRS

The Police Jury then turned its attention to a problem near-and-dear to their hearts -- the condition of the courthouse elevator.

Jurors approved repurposing $150,000 in state capital improvement funds from renovating the courthouse's vacant 4th Floor to repairing the elevator. The jury also committed $75,000 of local funds to the project. Pan American Engineers was selected to oversee the project.

The project will overhaul everything about the elevator except its car. It will also include $9,000 to install an alarm in the elevator, to comply with State Fire Marshal codes. The alarm will ring directly to the 911 Center.

Roy said he hopes work begins within the next month.

The elevator has broken down several times over the past few months. It is the only way for handicapped and elderly citizens to get to the agencies on the second floor and the courtrooms on the third floor. Without the elevator, the only access to the upper floors is by stairs.

CLOSED MEETING

Jurors held a closed session to discuss the lawsuit involving the Bayou Estates subdivision road. A "Town Hall" meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Jan. 26 in the LSU AgCenter to discuss the issue and "get everyone on the same page," Roy said.

No decision can be made on the matter until a judge rules on whether the road in question is a private road, which state law would prohibit the Police Jury from working on, or a parish road which would require the Police Jury to maintain.

Roy said the subdivision is in his election district, and he would like to help the residents on the road, but if the Police Jury decided to accept the road into the parish system in its present condition "it would open a can of worms. There are 13 to 15 other subdivisions in the parish with similar roads.

It would cost at least $22,000 in materials to make the road passable. That estimate does not include costs of labor and equipment "and certainly does not include any profit should it be done by a private contractor," Roy noted.

OTHER BUSINESS

In other business, the Police Jury:

-- Accepted Little River Bridge and E. Bryant Road Bridge as complete.

-- Approved the Health Unit contract with Executone for $8,937.73, to be paid with Health Unit funds.

-- Approved Road District 2 projects totaling $630,000, to be paid out of road district tax proceeds.

-- Approved moving the Veterans Affairs Office from the Council on Aging Senior Center in Marksville to the LSU AgCenter in Mansura.

-- Scheduled a public hearing for a parishwide road use ordinance for heavy-haulers for 4:30 p.m. Feb. 9 at the LSU AgCenter.

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