The Crowley Fire Department has an interim fire chief.
Terry J. Romero was named to temporarily fill the seat vacated at the beginning of the year by the retirement of long-time Chief Jody Viator.
A native of Rayne, Romero is a Senior Firefighter for the department and has said that he does not plan to test for the chief’s position.
Romero started his firefighting career as a volunteer in 1987. He became a full-time firefighter with the Crowley department in 1995 and was promoted to the rank of captain in 2004.
His appointment by Mayor Tim Monceaux was approved by the city council during a special meeting Thursday night. Romero will serve as interim fire chief until a permanent chief is named.
Also during Thursday’s meeting, a public hearing was held on a proposal to increase sewer user fees for Crowley utility users.
The proposal would increase the base fee for the first 2,000 gallons or less of wastewater discharge from $11 to $15 for users in the utility service area inside the corporate limits. For every 1,000 gallons of discharge over and above 2,000, a fee of $5.50 would be assessed, up from $2.85
For users outside the city’s corporate limits, the base fee for the first 2,000 gallons of discharge would be raised to $22.50 per month with a fee of $8.25 for every 1,000 gallons above and beyond.
The current ordinance does not distinguish users inside and outside the corporate limits.
A number of residents expressed opposition to the proposed increase although user fees in the city have not been raised in 12 years.
Council members voted to table the proposal citing “a lack of information provided” by the mayor.
Monceaux, however, later told the Post-Signal that the council had been provided that information in December.
