The Acadia Parish Police Jury will consider going back to the state Legislature this year in another effort to extend the term of office for its secretary-treasurer.
Along those same lines, when jurors meet Tuesday, Feb. 12, they also will consider a pay raise for the position.
The term of office for the police jury’s treasurer is set statutorily at two years. And since the Acadia position is combined, the secretary-treasurer is limited to a two-year term.
A.J. “Fatty” Broussard currently serves as secretary-treasurer of the police jury. He is in the second of a two-year term.
Last year the jury was able to get a bill through the House of Representatives that would have given the secretary-treasurer a four-year term, the same as that of the jurors.
But, due to budget woes and debates at the state level, the bill was never presented to the Senate for passage and subsequently died.
There was some concern over the wording of the bill last time as to whether jurors would be mandated to appoint for four years or if they could opt for a shorter term.
The new submission adopted Tuesday night by the jury’s Legislative Committee to be considered on Tuesday will read: “The Acadia Parish Police Jury shall appoint the Secretary-Treasurer to a four-year term that coincides with the four-year term of the Police Jurors.”
The subject of a possible raise for the parish secretary-treasurer was first raised in January when it was pointed out that the annual salary for the Acadia Parish position is among the lowest in the state at $50,000.
Jury Vice President and Legislative Committee member Robert Guidry presented a list of salaries from 15 parishes ranging from a high of $113,547 (that being in Bossier Parish and for the position of treasurer, the secretary there is paid $64,729) to a low of $44,000 (Jeff Davis Parish).
Of the 15 parishes Guidry listed, only Jeff Davis had a salary below that of Acadia.
Guidry also pointed out that 11 parish employees, all supervised by Broussard, currently are paid more per year than he is.
At the January meeting is was pointed out that former secretary-treasurers for the police jury also had higher salaries — $68,093 for Katry Martin and $62,982 for Terry Lacombe.
It was in 2012 when the jury hired Richard “Dickie” Latiolais, who said he’d accept the position for $50,000, that the salary was lowered. It has remained at that level since.
During public comments, William “Bill” Nevitt opposed a raise for the secretary-treasurer.
“I remember the budget was tight and the jury had to scramble to balance it, even taking away $25,000 from economic development,” Nevitt said.
He suggested that perhaps the reason salaries were so high in other parishes was that “a lot of these people are well-education, with degrees in accounting, business” and etc.
Nevitt asked Broussard, a former juror, if he had voted in favor of the $50,000 salary when Latiolais was hired.
“I suppose I did,” Brossard said.
“So $50,000 was an okay salary when he was in office?” asked Nevitt.
“That’s what he wanted,” replied Broussard.
In deliberations for this year’s budget, an annual salary of $75,000 was budgeted for the secretary-treasurer.
Guidry moved that the committee recommend raising Broussard’s salary to $60,000.
“That’s at least bring him up to some of the minimum standards out there,” he explained.
The full jury is expected to make a decision on Tuesday.
The full jury will convene at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12, in the third-floor meeting room in the Acadia Parish Courthouse.
The meeting is open to the general public.
