The Opelousas Police Department is on the verge of losing its 6 percent share of its split of the Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino money.
The Council’s Administrative-Finance Committee voted to bring the Opelousas Police split to the full Council on Oct. 17.
Councilman Harold Taylor, who joined the committee, said the split amounts to about $159,000.
When Opelousas officials informed the Council earlier this year they were closing their city jail, they said operating the jail cost them about $300,000 a year.
Voting to start the procedure to change its ordinance splitting the racino money were Taylor, Easton Shelvin, Coby Clavier and Timmy Lejeune.
Counciilman Jerry Red voted against the change.
The committee also voted to send a question about retirement benefits to the full Council.
The issue is to ask legislators to look into placing new hires in the Social Security system rather in the state retirement program.
Garret Duplechain, Council attorney, said the state law mandates the employees be in the state retirement system and only the Legislature can authorize a change even though the parish is under a home rule charter.
The meeting Wednesday in Opelousas had a decided tilt toward finances as the Parish Council awaits a budget from Parish President Bill Fontenot.
Asked by Wayne Ardoin, committee chairman, Fontenot said he is not ready to hold a special meeting on the budget.
One of the current issues is that the cost to house parish prisoners out of the parish has risen from $80,000 a year to an estimated $400,000 Fontenot said.
“We want to review the past years and identify why we have that large increase that just all of sudden started in the middle of the fiscal year for us,” he said.
Council member Timmy Lejeune asked Fontenot if the budget for 2019 is $800,000 short.
Councilman Ken Marks said the general fund budget is $816,031 short.
The budget shortfall is something Fontenot disputes citing how dollars are moved out of the general fund budget, which is where the shortfall occurs. Fontenot said some of those moved funds are still available to the general fund.
In the Public Works Committee meeting, there was a reminder that the Council is looking to enhance its revenues.
School Superintendent Patrick Jenkins asked the Council to keep negotiating on a lease property used by the Head Start program.
The property at 910 W. Martin Luther King Drive in Opelousas has been leased for $60 a year.
The proposal from the Council is for a lease of $1,125 a month.
Duplechain said the amount was arrived at in an appraisal.
