St. Mary Parish Council to consider budget requests

Published 7:30 am Wednesday, December 13, 2017

FRANKLIN — The St. Mary Parish Council will consider several recommendations from the advisory budget and finance committee at tonight’s meeting.

The committee considered several budgetary requests that the council will vote to implement in the 2018 budget. Those include a $10,000 allocation to the Save Our Children Mentoring Program from the General Fund, $5,000 in repairs to the Teche Theater from the Sales Tax Fund, $10,000 from the Sales Tax Fund for an academic program at Franklin Senior High School and $2,000 from the Sales Tax Fund for a health and wellness fair.

The committee also recommended denying $30,000 to be allocated to the Community of Friends Inc. for a vehicle. Finally, there was a recommendation from the committee that Irish Bend Road from the “S” curve to Oaklawn Bridge and also BelleView Lane be added to the 2018 Five Year Capital Outlay ordinance in separate sections.

In addition, the council will consider two new budget allocations for parish fire departments. One request is an allocation of $2,500 to the Baldwin Volunteer Fire Department for fuel, which will be taken from the Sales Tax Fund.

Councilman Craig Mathews is also requesting another $2,500 from the Sales Tax Fund to Fire Protection District No. 11 for emergency repairs to a fire truck that was not previously budgeted for the 2018 budget.

The meeting takes place 6 p.m. tonight at the St. Mary Parish Courthouse.