Rapides Parish Police Jury

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

ROLL CALL

1. Motion to discuss additional funding for housing, feeding and maintaining inmates housed in the Rapides Parish Jail. (Mr. Smith)
2. Motion to authorize the Treasurer to amend the General Fund Budget to reflect the increase in changes for housing, feeding and maintaining inmates housed in the Rapides Parish Jail. (Mr. Smith)

(UNANIMOUS VOTE TO ADD ITEM AFTER CALL AGENDA POSTED)

ADJOURNMENT

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September 12, 2017

NOTICE OF SPECIAL POLICE JURY MEETING

1. Motion to discuss additional funding for housing, feeding and maintaining inmates housed in the Rapides Parish Jail.
2. Motion to authorize the Treasurer to amend the General Fund Budget to reflect the increase in changes for housing, feeding and maintaining inmates housed in the Rapides Parish Jail.
3. Any other business that may properly come before the Police Jury.

BY ORDER OF THE PRESIDENT

Laurel Smith, Secretary

There were present: Craig Smith, President, Scott Perry, Jr., Vice President, and Police Jurors; Davron “Bubba” Moreau, Joe Bishop, Theodore Fountaine, Jr., Richard Vanderlick, Oliver “Ollie” Overton, Jr., Sean McGlothlin and Richard Billings.

Also present were: Mr. Bruce Kelly, Treasurer; Mr. Dennis Woodward, Public Works Director; Mr. Shane Trapp, Courthouse Building Superintendent; Chief Randy McCain, Fire District No. 2; Mr. Thomas O. Wells, Legal Counsel; Mr. Phillip Terrell, District Attorney and Ms. Laurel Smith, Secretary.

The invocation was given by Mr. Ollie Overton.

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Mr. Richard Vanderlick.

The Police Jury of the Parish of Rapides, State of Louisiana, was duly convened as the governing authority of said Parish by Hon. Craig Smith, President, who welcomed all present and then stated that the Police Jury was ready for the transaction of business.

The President asked if there was any public comment on any agenda item, to which there was no response.

On motion by Mr. Richard Billings, seconded by Mr. Bubba Moreau, to discuss additional funding for housing, feeding and maintaining inmates housed in the Rapides Parish Jail.

Mr. Craig Smith stated we are faced with the overcrowding of the jail and it is the Parishes responsibility to maintain the jail and prisoners. Today we are discussing the housing, feeding, maintaining and additional funding that we may need to pay for additional prisoner care.

Mr. Bruce Kelly, Treasurer, passed out a copy of the General Fund. We are taking money out of budgets and putting it in feeding and maintaining of prisoners. Bottom line, we are taking money out of travel, condemnations, various other line items, Coroner’s Office, Courthouse and Jail Maintenance, Police Jury, parts of General Fund, travel from JP & Constables, transfering that money to feeding and Maintaining of prisoners, increasing those line items by $200,000 and hope that lets us get through the rest of the year.

Mr. Richard Billings stated that the beginning of next year unless something is done, that we will be facing this again.

Mr. Bruce Kelly stated his office is currently working on budgets and worksheets and usually brings everybody in at the end of September or month of October. We meet with every Department Head, every Fire Chief in the Parish and put together next year’s budget. We present the Jury with a preliminary budget in November and the Jury passes a budget in December.

Mr. Craig Smith stated after meeting Monday, September 11th, he met with District Attorney, Phillip Terrell, Sheriff Hilton, Tom Wells and some of the Judges and discussed different issues and they are all working together to come up with a solution so we can work through this all together to see where we can better ourselves.

Mr. Joe Bishop stated he wanted to let the Jurors and the audience, know that this was just for feeding and maintaining the prisoners. This has nothing to do with the jail over population.

Mr. Craig Smith stated that basically they talked about solutions in looking at the different protocol from each entity, to look at how we could better flow and work the system. All entities, between the Judges, the DA Office and Sheriff are all working together.

Questions and answers ensued.

On motion by Mr. Ollie Overton, seconded by Mr. Richard Vanderlick, to authorize the Treasurer to amend the General Fund Budget to reflect the increase in changes for housing, feeding and maintaining inmates housed in the Rapides Parish Jail.

On motion by Mr. Richard Billings, seconded by Mr. Joe Bishop, there being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:51 a.m.