ERIK SANZENBACH / L’Observateur / August 2, 2000

LAPLACE – The ballot box will be a little less crowded this October.

The St. John Parish Council voted to remove its proposed 1/4 cent sales taxfrom the ballot.

Saying he would like to study the issue some more, Job Boucvalt asked the council to withdraw resolution 2000-24 that authorized the parish government to ask voters for an increase of 1/4 cent in the sales tax.

The tax would have gone to funding the court system in the parish. Understate mandate, each parish in Louisiana has to fund its court systems, and with St. John Parish’s shrinking budget, the council put the tax up for a vote.However, several council members were hesitant about the tax, and Boucvalt and others felt that unless the entire council backed the tax there would be little chance of it passing at the polls.

The council passed the resolution unanimously with no discussion.

There are two remaining sales tax proposals on the St. John Parish Octoberballot. Sheriff Wayne L. Jones is asking voters to approve a 1/4 cent salestax increase to help fund salaries for more police officers, and the St. JohnParish School Board is asking for 1/4 sales tax increase to fund salary raises for teachers.

In other council business: Bayou Steel donated $8,223 for four electronic scoreboards at Regala Park in Reserve. Bayou Steel representative Jerry Pitts hopes the donationwill “make St. John Parish a better place to live, work and play.” The council rejected an ordinance from the administration that would amend the four-day, 10-hour work week of some parish workers. Theadministration wanted to adjust the schedule for weeks with holidays, but as one parish worker told the council, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Cleveland Farlough got a resolution passed authorizing the public to know who the parish government has hired, when they were hired and what salary they are earning. The resolution went on to say that the public should alsoknow why parish employees resigned and when.

Farlough said, “Everything should be open to the public.” Parish President, Nickie Monica got the council’s permission to purchase three tractors and three bushhog mowers from the LaFourche Parish Levee District for $31,200.

Director of Public Safety Bertram Madere told the council the St. JohnParish Shelter Committee has finished its inspection of hurricane shelters in the parish. Most of the shelters will be in churches and schools and will beadequate for Category 1 and 2 hurricanes. However, if the storm is a slow-moving Category 3 or Category 4 or 5, all residents of St. John Parish will beordered to evacuate. Madere said there is no shelter in the parish that couldwithstand the force of such storms.

New Code Enforcement Officer Skip Songy said that after touring the parish he’s “seen a lot of things that need attention.” One item that caughtSongy’s attention is the proliferation of illegally-posted garage sale signs.

He wants to advertise in L’Observateur and on Channel 55 about not posting the signs.

“We need to educate the people on ordinances and code,” said Songy.

Monica proclaimed Aug. 1 as the 17th Annual Night Out Against Crime andasked that everyone in the parish participate by turning on their porch lights and getting outside during the evening.

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