Last night’s meeting of the Lincoln Parish Fire Protection District No. 1 was for the most part routine, though there was an active discussion of when/if the district should rejoin participation of the Lincoln Parish Geographical Information System Commission (GIS).
Since the beginning of the year, the LPFD has not paid its monthly dues to the GIS consortium (made up of seven local governmental agencies), due to budget constraints. LPFD’s yearly tab for the service is $20 thousand.
Board Chair Richard Aillet said that the service provided by GIS was valuable, and that the LPFD was an original signatory to the cooperative endeavor agreement that created the agency. He wanted the board to pay what was in arrears, and stay current with the payments.
Said Aillet, “They (GIS) would allow us to resume our normal payments that we had been making, and then take an additional twelve months or so to catch up on the amounts that we had passed over.”
Board member Richard Durrett agreed, saying that information provided by GIS was of high value for the LPFD.
However, Layne Parnell cautioned that until there was a clearer picture of finances for the balance of the year, and a good idea of 2014 finances, the board shouldn’t spend the money.
Said Parnell, “There’s just a lot of unknowns out there.”
Finance Committee Chair Bart Dugdale agreed, saying, “I’ve always erred to the side of conservatism.”
After a bit more discussion, Durrett made a motion to resume payments, but it failed to gain a second.
In other business, the board hired Shreveport law firm Cook Yancey King & Galloway to “advise and represent the board relating to civil service and other general labor matters.”
The firm’s retainer was capped at $5 thousand, with any increases subject to prior board approval.
District Chief Danny Cross reported that a dozen or so potential volunteers are expected for a Thursday night orientation session. Classes for those who sign up would begin Monday.
The district has recently been advertising on radio and in the print media for volunteers.
Cross also reported on a recent grant writing session he and Secretary Summer Parnell had recently attended.
The next board meeting is set for Tuesday, October 15, 6:00 PM.
Lincoln Parish News Online 
09/18/2013 at 9:02 pm |
Should multiple unit apartment buildings be fire taxed per unit or as one building? And,who’s responsible for taxing it correctly?
09/19/2013 at 7:41 am |
My guess: per building, not per apartment.
$72 per building which is intended for human habitation.
09/19/2013 at 10:59 am |
Over the last ten years there has been a ‘planning revolution’ across the US. Your commercial, industrial, and multi-residential land was rezoned to ‘mixed use.’ Nearly everything that got approvals for development was designed the same way: ground floor retail with two stories of residential above. Mixed use. Very hard to finance for construction, and very hard to manage since it has to have a high density of people in order to justify the retail. A lot of it is empty and most of the ground floor retail is empty too. High bankruptcy rate.
So what? Most of your towns provided funding and/or infrastructure development for these private projects. They used Redevelopment Agency funds. Your money. Specifically, your property taxes. Notice how there’s very little money in your General Funds now, and most of that is going to pay Police and Fire? Your street lights are off, your parks are shaggy, your roads are pot-holed, your hospitals are closing. The money that should be used for these things is diverted into the Redevelopment Agency. It’s the only agency in government that can float a bond without a vote of the people. And they did that, and now you’re paying off those bonds for the next 45 years with your property taxes. Did you know that? And by the way, even if Redevelopment is ended, as in California, they still have to pay off existing debt–for 30 to 45 years.
So, what does this have to do with Agenda 21?
Redevelopment is a tool used to further the Agenda 21 vision of remaking America’s cities. With redevelopment, cities have the right to take property by eminent domain—against the will of the property owner, and give it or sell it to a private developer. By declaring an area of town ‘blighted’ (and in some cities over 90% of the city area has been declared blighted) the property taxes in that area can be diverted away from the General Fund. This constriction of available funds is impoverishing the cities, forcing them to offer less and less services, and reducing your standard of living. They’ll be telling you that it’s better, however, since they’ve put in nice street lights and colored paving. The money gets redirected into the Redevelopment Agency and handed out to favored developers building low income housing and mixed use. Smart Growth. Cities have had thousands of condos built in the redevelopment areas and are telling you that you are terrible for wanting your own yard, for wanting privacy, for not wanting to be dictated to by a Condo Homeowner’s Association Board, for being anti-social, for not going along to get along, for not moving into a cramped apartment downtown where they can use your property taxes for paying off that huge bond debt. But it’s not working, and you don’t want to move in there. So they have to make you. Read on.
Human habitation, as it is referred to now, is restricted to lands within the Urban Growth Boundaries of the city. Only certain building designs are permitted. Rural property is more and more restricted in what uses can be on it. Although counties say that they support agricultural uses, eating locally produced food, farmer’s markets, etc, in fact there are so many regulations restricting water and land use (there are scenic corridors, inland rural corridors, baylands corridors, area plans, specific plans, redevelopment plans, huge fees, fines) that farmers are losing their lands altogether. County roads are not being paved. The push is for people to get off of the land, become more dependent, come into the cities. To get out of the suburbs and into the cities. Out of their private homes and into condos. Out of their private cars and onto their bikes.
Bikes. What does that have to do with it? I like to ride my bike and so do you. So what? Bicycle advocacy groups are very powerful now. Advocacy. A fancy word for lobbying, influencing, and maybe strong-arming the public and politicians. What’s the conection with bike groups? National groups such as Complete Streets, Thunderhead Alliance, and others, have training programs teaching their members how to pressure for redevelopment, and training candidates for office. It’s not just about bike lanes, it’s about remaking cities and rural areas to the ‘sustainable model’. High density urban development without parking for cars is the goal. This means that whole towns need to be demolished and rebuilt in the image of sustainable development. Bike groups are being used as the ‘shock troops’ for this plan.
What plan? We’re losing our homes since this recession/depression began, and many of us could never afford those homes to begin with. We got cheap money, used whatever we had to squeak into those homes, and now some of us lost them. We were lured, indebted, and sunk. Whole neighborhoods are empty in some places. Some are being bulldozed. Cities cannot afford to extend services outside of their core areas. Slowly, people will not be able to afford single family homes. Will not be able to afford private cars. Will be more dependent. More restricted. More easily watched and monitored.
This plan is a whole life plan. It involves the educational system, the energy market, the transportation system, the governmental system, the health care system, food production, and more. The plan is to restrict your choices, limit your funds, narrow your freedoms, and take away your voice. One of the ways is by using the Delphi Technique to ‘manufacture consensus.’ Another is to infiltrate community groups or actually start neighborhood associations with hand-picked ‘leaders’. Another is to groom and train future candidates for local offices. Another is to sponsor non-governmental groups that go into schools and train children. Another is to offer federal and private grants and funding for city programs that further the agenda. Another is to educate a new generation of land use planners to require New Urbanism. Another is to convert factories to other uses, introduce energy measures that penalize manufacturing, and set energy consumption goals to pre-1985 levels. Another is to allow unregulated immigration in order to lower standards of living and drain local resources.
09/20/2013 at 8:39 am |
That’s the biggest load of conspiricy theory I have ever heard. Sounds a lot like what Chris Witt is preaching out of his pulpit down at South Parkway church.
09/21/2013 at 10:00 pm |
If you think it’s a conspiricy theory, why are you sitting in his church? All you have to do is take a little time, do a little research. If you can’t see it, either you don’t want to, or your for it. My guess is , your for it.
09/22/2013 at 1:15 pm |
I bet you think President Obama is a great President , and voted for him both times. You probably believe he is really trying to help the poor, and middle class.
09/22/2013 at 7:57 pm |
Yeah, And you probably believe in “man made global warming” or the NEW term “man made climate change” . Talk about ‘load of conspiracy theory” !
09/22/2013 at 8:02 pm |
I bet you voted for AL too! What was that he said in yr. 2007 about the artic cap would be gone by 2013? http://search.yahoo.com/r/_ylt=A0oGdVPOkj9S3AoAhTxXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzdHQwamNsBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMgRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA1NNRTExN18x/SIG=14be45ttu/EXP=1379926862/**http%3a//www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2415191/Global-cooling-Arctic-ice-caps-grows-60-global-warming-predictions.html
09/23/2013 at 8:37 am |
So according to the Agenda 21 they eventually want all people to live in Metropolitan areas. Do you actually think that Ruston will be one of the Metro areas? I have sat in his church once and realized quickly that the cult was not the place for me. No pulpit is the place to push anyone’s politacal agenda. I also have never agreed with or voted for Obama or any other Democrat for that matter. I am conservative through and through. I just dont buy into every little stroy that someone tells me about the govermnent taking over my life. I know that the good Lord is in control no matter what happens. And when the time comes no matter what is happening on this crazy world I have a much better place to look forward too.
09/23/2013 at 12:27 pm |
Well, I apologize for accusing you of being a Liberal. However I have done enough research myself to know that Agenda 21 is real. Ruston 21 has a website of it’s own , it is Ruston21.org. , you can look for yourself (don’t take my word for it) This is a long term Agenda that is slowly taking place right before our eye’s, Ruston 21 look’s good at first glance, but the Devil is in the detail’s, because of the stipulation’s that come with it’s implementation . It is mostly funded by HUD grant’s and other Government money’s. That’s why the mayor and aldermen are for it. It specifically states that it recommends high density living, with limited auto use and walkability , and bicycle use. Now I have no problem with people living like that, if they so choose ! But I don’t think the government should fund it. This is all about Government control of all property, and all people! And it’s not just in the USA, it’s global. I promise you , it’s not a conspiracy theory. Please take some time and research this a little . Once again , sorry for calling you Obama supporter!
09/24/2013 at 8:32 am |
See you are spreading the wrong website. The website you mentioin is a site that is not owned by the city of Ruston. That website is owned and operated by Chris Witt to spread his theory as fact. If you want to read the actual Ruston 21 plans please visit the actual Ruston 21 website at http://www.ruston.org/Ruston21/. Available at this website is the actual Ruston 21 comprehensive plan and the ordinances adopted by the city council. The only thing it has in common with the UN Agenda 21 is the 21 which stands for the 21 century.
09/24/2013 at 9:20 am |
That website is the one I intended post. I have read the comprehensive plan thoroughly, I have also read the UN Agenda 21 document. If you can’t see that they absolutely compare, then evidently your not paying attention. Chris Witt is not the only person trying to inform people of this Tyrannical Government overreach . Hundred’s of city’s nationwide are currently trying to push this thing out. It is people like you that will be to blame ,when your kid’s or grandkid’s are deprived of the very freedom’s that you have enjoyed!