Ouachita Burn Ban Enacted

A parish-wide ban was placed on the open-air burning of

“any trash, garbage, leaves, limbs and branches, or debris of any kind”

by the Ouachita Parish Police Jury (OPPJ) at a special called meeting of the body at noon today.

The temporary ordinance can be terminated by the police jury president upon the written recommendation of the parish fire chief. Violation carries a fine of $500 or a jail term of thirty days.

Ouachita Parish Fire Chief Pat Hemphill said the State Fire Marshall had already enacted a statewide burn ban, and that

“this (ordinance) just makes it easier for us to enforce here in Ouachita parish. In the interests of safety we really need to be patient and wait ’till conditions improve before burning,”

he added.

In other business, the jury canvassed the returns and declared the results of last Saturday’s tax elections on road lighting districts, and adopted a revenue ordinance to levy the service charges pursuant to the propositions.