St. Landry Parish Government

The St. Landry Parish Council approved its 2019 budget that Parish President Bill Fontenot said is balanced.
“I use this term a lot. We are still operating on a poor boy budget, but we do the best we can to be efficient...” Fontenot said at the meeting Wednesday where the budget was approved.
Parish government operated in 2018 with a reduction of 17 people, mostly in public works, he said.
Accounting office changes are allowing closer monitoring of finances, he said.

The lights were literally out when the St. Landry Parish Council’s Administrative-Finance Committee began its discussion of the parish budget.
Which may have been fortunate because the committee was told the budget, which is to be prepared by Parish President Bill Fontenot, has not been completed.
A hail storm passing through Opelousas Wednesay pelted the Old City Market building and eventually the lights went out.
With cell phones illuminating the room, Amanda Cain, finance director, said the parish president will present the budget.

Beset by budget woes, some members of the St. Landry Parish Council want to take a second look at how the money from Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino is split.
The parish receives about $2.7 million before it is divided across 11 entities.
The so-called racino money came up as the Parish Council’s Administrative and Finance Committee met Wednesday in Opelousas to hear an often stated story of parish government revenues falling behind ever expanding needs.