Rudy Sparks, Atchafalaya At Idlewild Golf Course Commission Member, told the St. Mary Parish Council during Wednesday night’s meeting that a golf management firm would cost taxpayers more than estimated in the various companies’ pitch proposals.

FRANKLIN — The St. Mary Parish Council voted to give itself a raise on Wednesday.

In another matter, a golf course commission member told the council that an outside management firm would cost more than estimates show, and to stop the parish owned Atchafalaya at Idlewild Golf Course from bleeding the council’s general fund budget.

And in another other issue, speakers at a council public hearing on Wednesday chided the council for not being more transparent on issues involving board consolidation of sewage and water districts.

The council members voted to increase their salary from $400 to $800 for its eight single-member districts and $1,200 from $800 for three at-large member districts.

The measure will face voters on Dec. 8 on what it is believed to be a general election ballot for run-off candidates who move forward from the Nov. 6 primary ballot. If voters pass the measures, the pay raises would become effective in 2019.

Additionally, the issue of raising the parish president’s salary to 60 percent of the annual salaries of the St. Mary Parish Sheriff, Assessor and Clerk of Court, roughly a number between $40,000 to $50,000, was voted down by the council.

The St. Mary Parish President has been part-time since the parish Home Rule Charter was created in 1983. The job has paid an annual $15,000.

A comparison of neighboring parishes from the council’s clerk ranks St. Mary Parish at the bottom in paying its parish president: Iberia earns $118,906, St. Martin earns $158,073, Terrebonne ear-ns $126,801, and Lafourche earns $121,872.

Additionally, the salaries of the parish mayor’s are higher than that of parish president: Baldwin $36,336; Franklin $60,000; Patterson $36,000; Berwick $36,000; and Morgan City $63,000.

In another matter, Rudy Sparks, a member of the Atchafayala at Idlewild Golf Course Commission, told the council that an outside management firm would cost the parish more than what they are projecting, to operate the parish 18 parish owned 18 hole golf course, which has been operating in the red since it opened in 2007.

“I believe we have done a yeoman’s job holding this thing together. The economy in this area has taken it on the chin,” Sparks said. “We have a great facility. But it’s a tough place to support a golf course of this caliber because we have 20 miles of marsh to the south of us, and 50 miles of swamp to the north of us. Most golf courses put a pen on a map and draw a 50 mile radius, and say this is our market. We put a pen on a map and our market looks like a bow-tie. And that market gets squeezed pretty tight with all of the competition.”

The board member said he and his fellow members are planning on seeking outside funding for a website upgrade, bring in outside consultants that they feel could better target issues that they are concerned with.

“We’re concerned,” Sparks said. “Extremely concerned. We’re doing everything that we can. But I think you have to look at the bigger picture. We estimate the golf course has a an annual impact to this parish between $5 and $6 million a year.”

In 2017, the golf course fiscal year ended with $771,863 in revenues but $1.179 million in expenses, generating a loss of $407,325. In 2016, the golf course fiscal year ended with $823,000 in revenues and $1.172 million in expenses, leaving a $350,000 deficit.

St. Mary Parish taxpayers paid $4.5 million in 2007 to build the facility.

In another matter, the council held a public hearing on the consolidation of the some of the parish’s water and sewage districts, which have had no action in years, according to Parish President David Hanagriff who is behind the idea.

“If you want people to believe that you’re doing the right thing, you just can’t say the law says I can do it this way, but I’m going to do it this way, and slide it by,” Lee Dragna commented.

Stan Robison, said he wasn’t against the consolidation, but against the way it was being promoted and done.

Robison kept asking the council how much money the consolidation would save, however on one on the council could answer him.

Both Dragna and Robison are members of a parish district board.