Sheriff Mike Stone is asking for the public’s support to help keep our community safe and preserve the quality of life in Lincoln Parish by voting yes on two tax measures in a special election set for April 21, 2012.

The first measure is a renewal of the 7.83 mill property tax currently in effect in Lincoln Parish. This tax presently funds 40 percent of the Sheriff’s Office’s operating budget. Renewal of this millage will cause no changes to taxpayers, as they will continue to pay the same rate as they have for the past 20 years.

The second measure will be for a ¼ cent sales tax, which will help offset the increased expenses incurred by the department in recent years and provide for the future funding needs of the Sheriff’s Office.

“We have been hit hard by increased expenses over the last few years,” Stone said. “As everybody knows, the price of gasoline has almost doubled from the end of 2009 to now and insurance costs have gone through the roof. The cost of training and outfitting our personnel has also increased significantly.”

Meanwhile, while costs have increased, the services provided to the public have also jumped dramatically. Stone pointed to the fact that calls for service to his department have increased from 11,857 in 2000 to 18,171 in 2008 and are projected to rise to 20,400 in 2012.

He said that the department’s expenses have more than doubled, from $2,594,305 in 2000 to a projected $6,795,631 for 2012.

“We have put many cost-cutting measures in place recently to offset these added expenses,” Stone said. “From hiring, pay and training freezes, to reducing our technology budget, we have tried to run the most streamlined operation we can.”

Stone said that Lincoln Parish only has 1 deputy per 719 citizens, which is a much lower per capita rate when compared with other similarly-sized parishes in North Louisiana, such as Webster (1 per 284), Natchitoches (1 per 476), Morehouse (1 per 151), DeSoto (1 per 313), and Bienville (1 per 247).

“When we took office eight years ago, we promised several things,” Stone said. “More patrol and visibility on the street, adding an additional investigator, strengthening our drug interdiction (LPNET) and elderly protection (TRIAD) programs, putting an SRO officer in every school, improving litter abatement and animal control, and adding special patrol deputies (SCAT and CAP).

“We feel we’ve delivered on our promises and have been good stewards of the public’s money, and we ask for your trust that we will continue to do so.”

Two weeks ago the issue was tabled until the town’s legal counsel could be present for the meeting.

The meeting is scheduled for 3:00 PM at the W. Richard Zuber City Hall, 128 Allen Avenue.

See here the document.

The plaintiffs claim in their motion that while the trial court record has been delivered to the 2nd Circuit in Shreveport, the appellants/defendants have yet to designate the type of of appeal they request, and that the deadline for doing so has passed.

The motion asks the the circuit court dismiss the appeal per Uniform Court of Appeal Rule 2-7.4

The court may summarily dismiss untimely or improperly filed motions and pleadings.

Letter: LSU athletic department finances

See here the list of the 24 sponsors for the bill, and the seven house members who have withdrawn that support.

A spokesman for Scalise said that he would have taken that action late last week, but that the U. S. House of Representatives was not in session Thursday and Friday.

Last week, an firestorm of internet protests occurred after Wikipedia, Reddit, and an estimated 7,000 other smaller websites coordinated a service blackout, or posted links and images in protest against SOPA and the Senate bill, the Protect IP Act (PIPA), in an effort to raise awareness of the legislation.

Both the U. S. Senate and the House removed the bills from their calendars.

Several were there to learn about a proposed ordinance regarding alcohol sales and proximity to other establishments.

Bill Foster, pastor of Claiborne United Methodist Church, wanted to learn what the ordinance was about, more than to oppose or support it.

The proposed ordinance would make uniform parish-wide a 300′ buffer between businesses that sell alcohol and any church, library, or school. Some of the incorporated areas have a 300′ buffer, while the parish uses 500′.

The jury unanimously approved the ordinance. See Ordinance 8997 on page six of the agenda.

Also heard from were residents of the Lakeview area off Lincoln Road. Sparks Drive has issues with sinkholes and crumbling pavement, according to the residents.

Shane Smiley (District E) said he would have someone from the public works department survey the street.

Sophie Brice, a resident of Oak Circle in the Town and Country subdivision, spoke about standing water and crumbling pavement on her street. She spoke on behalf of several residents who came to the jury meeting.

Brice said, “Some days we don’t get mail,” because of the standing water.

Parish Engineer Tom Holtzclaw said the issue was drainage, and that those improvements would have to be made before any repaving could be done.

Pat Moore (District F) spoke about illegal dumping of tires in the Thelma Drive area, a continuing problem, she said.

An motion to amend the agenda to allocate funds to address the problem failed to pass.

Wanda Seward spoke to the jury regarding her efforts to save two buildings at G. B. Cooley, a school for the developmentally disabled. Seward asked,” If we don’t save buildings from the past, how are our children to know?”

Seward cited the current lease between the school and the jury that she claimed prevented the buildings from being torn down. Jury attorney Jay Mitchell said he would meet with Seward to discuss the issue.

Pam Barton, reporting for the Safe Routes for Schools project, said she would be filing for a grant for Jack Hayes Elementary.

Several committee chairmanships were announced: Mack Calhoun (District B) was assigned chair of the Public Works Committee, Walt Caldwell (District C) will chair the Finance Committee, and the Personnel Committee will be chaired by Ollibeth Reddix (District D).

Brad Cammack also was unanimously re-elected Treasurer

The V-Vehicle/Next Autoworks refund is about 51% complete, according to Cammack. The goal is to be complete by the end of February, Cammack said.

Accrediting panel probes Southern University actions

The new 1/4 % sales tax would be – in the words of the the 1/12/12 notice – “in perpetuity.” In other words, forever.

Since then, the “Official Journal” for almost all the government entities in Lincoln Parish – the Ruston Daily Leader (RDL) – has not seen fit to write a story about a new tax that would cost taxpayers nearly $2 million, and increase the LPSO budget by about 30%.

It is a conspiracy of silence between government and a newspaper that reaps thousands of dollars from that very government via legal ads. It is a Lincoln parish version of the Mafia’s “Omerta”.

Instead, yesterday the RDL ran a press release from the LPSO announcing a new program – Concentrated Area Policing – and called it a news story. So far, the only place “tax” has been mentioned in the RDL was the 1/12/12 legal notice, in a print size that defies all but the strongest bifocals.

As to whether the LPSO ‘needs’ more money, we point out that readers of our posts already know that the LPSO’s budget has DOUBLED over the past eight years. They have not done without.

LPSO – How Much Money We Talkin’ ‘Bout?
More LPSO Numbers to Contemplate

From the beginning of this newsblog, we have derided the practice of government-paid legal ads to the very newspapers that are supposed to report on how well or poorly public tax dollars are spent.

From our Mission Statement of 6/13/09.

Area print publications sufficiently advocate for government – they are often too comfortable with government and prosper from the antiquated custom of legal advertising in limited circulation paper format. It is welfare for newspapers. State law may require it, but there is no restriction to prevent legal advertising to be simultaneously published on government websites.

Lincoln Parish News Online will attempt to bring balance to news coverage of Lincoln Parish government. News reporting is too important to be left to journalists.

See here the agenda.

These two items could be of importance, depending upon what changes are proposed.

6. Council:
(b) Adopt Resolution amending the Written Rules of Procedure for the Monroe City Council that are currently in effect and further providing with respect thereto. (Amendment to an Ordinance)
(c) Adopt Resolution amending the Written Rules of Procedure for the Monroe City Council that are currently in effect and further providing with respect thereto. (Reintroduction of an Ordinance)