Jurors re-elect officers; sprint through agenda

CROWLEY- Election of officers highlights an otherwise routine meeting of the Acadia Parish Police Jury here Tuesday night.
And even that was routine with David Savoy re-elected for his third term as president and Robert Guidry re-elected for his third term as vice president. Both were elected by without opposition.
Though Tuesday night’s meeting was fairly quick — right at 30 minutes — and, for the most part, uneventful, the stage was set for possible conflict in February.
Jurors introduced an ordinance that, if ultimately adopted, would permit Air Evac Lifeteam to operate its Opelousas-based helicopter ambulance in the parish by removing the requirement that ambulance services have offices and “ground units” stationed in the parish.
When first brought to the jury’s Legislative Committee in December, the proposal was opposed by personnel from Acadian Ambulance, who contended that the company has operated in the parish for 30 years and has “always met all the qualifications.”
A public hearing is required before the jury can vote on the proposed ordinance. That hearing will likely be held prior to the Feb. 14 meeting.
Jurors also approved an adjusted fee schedule for the leasing of hangars at LeGros Memorial Airport in Estherwood.
The graduated fee schedule is based on square footage of the hangars with an increase every 500 square feet.
In conjunction with the new schedule, jurors amended the current lease with Gene Lejeune, retroactive to March 16, 2016. Lejeune had been paying more than other tenants with similar hangar space.
In other business, the jury:
•-authorized advertisement to receive bids for a new grappler truck for collection of bulk waste across the parish;
•-authorized the lease of a 2017 John Deere grader and the purchase of a 2017 John Deere rubber-tire excavator for the Road Department;
•-authorized Mader engineering to move forward with plans to excavate and open a new disposal cell at the Acadia Parish Landfill in Egan;
•-approved the 2017 Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with District Attorney Keith Stutes pertaining to pay for his parish staff (the D.A. will “make up” the 10 percent pay cut adopted by the jury for the 2017 budget);
•-reappointed Charles Bellard and Michael Cormier to Fire Protection District #1;
•-reappointed Guy Cuccio, Jeffery Murrell and Blaine LaCombe to Fire Protection District #2;
•-reappointed Richard Rupert, Stephen Miller and Robert Fontenot to Fire Protection District #4;
•-reappointed Pat Kirsch to Fire Protection District #6;
•-reappointed Jackie Prejean and Charles Terro to Fire Protection District #7;
•-reappointed Stephanie Romero, Melvin Leger and Gerald Sonnier to Fire Protection District #8;
•-reappointed Allen “Noochie” Credeur Jr. to Fire Protection District #9;
•-reappointed Dale Thibodeaux and Keith Henry to Mermentau River Harbor & Terminal District;
•-reappointed Darlene Guidry to Acadia Parish Convention & Visitors Commission;
•-reappointed Claire Jackson, Roger Boudreaux and Mike Williams, M.D., to Acadia-St. Landry Hospital Service District; and
•-appointed Reese Guillot to the Sixth Ward & Crowley Drainage District Board to fill the unexpired term of J.C. Webb.