Ruston City Council Tomorrow

Ruston’s City Council will meet Monday, April 1, 2019, 5:30 PM, Ruston City Hall, 401 North Trenton.

Here’s the agenda.

Very Small Change in Sumlin Case

Yesterday afternoon’s hearing on former Louisiana State Representative William Sumlin’s 3 1/2 year-old case of indecent behavior with juvenile(s) saw a slight change from the other many times the issue was delayed.

Sumlin’s attorney, Monroe’s LaValle Salomon said he was withdrawing a motion to strike that he had filed early in the case. He added that there were several other motions pending that needed resolution, and that once again he was requesting a delay.

Chief Felony Prosecutor Lewis Jones had no objection to the delay, and Division B Judge Tommy Rogers granted the request.

We will be at the next hearing to report what happens in the people’s Third Judicial District Court at 1:30 PM, June 25, 2019.

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Audit: LSU Prof paid for no Work

LSU faculty member was paid over $400K over 3 years without working, according to state audit
By Will Sentell – The (Baton Rouge) Advocate

A member of the faculty for the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine knowingly accepted over $400,000 in salary and benefits without doing the work over 38 months, Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera said Monday.

Management of the school also failed to take sufficient action to address the lack of work, Purpera said.

School leaders did not dispute the gist of the report.

“We agree with the finding that the faculty member knowingly failed to perform his duties for LSU for a significant period of time,” Joel D. Baines, dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine, said in a written response.

“When asked to provide documentation to demonstrate fulfilling his duties to LSU since he submitted the last grant proposal in February, 2015 the faculty member was unable to provide any documentation,” according to Purpera’s report.

He was directed to appear at the school for the fall, 2018 semester and perform his duties but had not done so as of Sept. 29 of last year.

The faculty member was still employed by LSU as of Jan. 24 of this year.

Louisiana Legislative Auditor – LSU Audit

Solar Energy Plant to Locate in Simsboro

If other Lincoln Parish taxing authorities follow the Lincoln Parish Police Jury’s action, a 50-acre array of electricity generating solar panels will be constructed near Simsboro, at the intersection of LA Hwy 150 and LA Hwy 563.

Joule Energy, LLC, a New Orleans based designer of solar and LED lighting systems, plans to install over 18 thousand individual panel modules that would generate about 4.5 megawatts of power. That power would be sold to local utilities.

At last night’s meeting, Joule was seeking an industrial tax exemption that would exempt the company from 80% of local property taxes.

Robert Schmidt, Joule’s President, said that without the exemption, the facility couldn’t be built. He noted that even with the exemption, the company would pay about $14 thousand annually in property tax.

The acreage is now pastureland, which only pays about $200 to $500 annually.

“It would be a significant increase in the revenue – tax receipts,” Schmidt said.

The jury unanimously approved the exemption.

Schmidt said he would be asking other Lincoln Parish tax authorities for the same exemption.

Prior to the jury meeting, the Personnel/Benefits Committee was set to meet, but was unable to muster a quorum.

Lincoln Parish Police Jury Meets Tuesday

The Lincoln Parish Police Jury will meet Tuesday, March 12, Lincoln Parish Court House, third floor. Here are the agendas

Personnel/Benefits Committee – 6:30 PM
agenda

Police Jury – 7:00 PM
agenda

2019-2020 School Calendar Adopted

With little discussion, the Lincoln Parish School Board adopted the district’s 2019-2020 calendar at last night’s meeting.

Assistant Superintendent Lisa Bastion said the calendar is similar to that of last year.

Said she, “There’s 170 1/2 instructional days. There’s 8 professional development days for teachers. We’re incorporating a fall break, around Columbus Day in October.”

Superintendent Mike Milstead said advertising and interviews for principals at I. A. Lewis and Ruston High School will be scheduled soon.

Business Manager George Murphy reported that the May salary supplement checks would be distributed on May 24.

Teachers and other certified employees will receive $5825, and non-certified employees will receive $2,913.

See here the memo.

Pearce Has Questions on new City Borrowing

Ruston’s Ward Four Alderman Jim Pearce last night had some perceptive questions regarding the city’s next bundle of money to be borrowed and spent on phase II of the sports complex on South Farmerville Street.

His questions came at Monday night’s meeting of the board.

City Treasurer Laura Hartt said that if the council approved the $20 million bond issue, half the money would be borrowed on April 1 of this near, just four weeks away.

Pearce wondered why the hurry to borrow the money when plans have yet to be drawn up, nor has a detailed budget for the project been figured.

“We’re going to borrow the $10 million on April 1. I know we’ve hired an architect, but I don’t know if we’ve had any bills yet. I don’t know when we’re projecting to actually have some bills, but yet we’re going to borrow $10 million,” said Pearce.

“I’d rather see we get plans, we get an estimate. We don’t really know, because we don’t have anything drawn,” he added.

Mayor Ronny Walker said that they were following the advice of the city’s financial team, bond attorney Wes Shafto and financial advisor Lucius McGehee.

Shafto’s law firm is handling the bond sale, and McGehee’s firm, Argent Financial, is the paying agent, according to Hartt. She noted the interest rate is 3.075%.

Pearce also inquired about repayment of the loan, and it was revealed that the first month’s take from the restaurant/hotel sales tax was about $126 thousand. That translates into $1.5 million/year in tax revenue.

Pearce asked would that be enough for the yearly bond payment, and Hartt said it would not, as the payment required would be $2.5 million to $2.8 million.

Said Pearce, “So the new restaurant/hotel tax is not sufficient to pay the bonds, the $20 million?”

Replied Hartt, “Not as of January 1. But the hope is when the sports complex is in full operation, the hotels are full, and we have lots of visitors to the restaurants, it will cover that bond payment.”

During the debate late last year, the administration claimed there was enough extra money in the 2016 3/4 cent sales tax to make up any shortfall. However, any money diverted from that tax to pay the shortfall is money that won’t be available for other Moving Ruston Forward projects.

The final vote on the bond ordinance was 3-1, with Pearce voting no. Seigman was absent.

The council also amended the restaurant/hotel sales tax district ordinance, to include several new establishments and deleting closed businesses.

See here the document.

School Board Tomorrow

The Lincoln Parish School Board will meet tomorrow (Tuesday, 3/5), 6:00 PM, Central Office, 410 South Farmerville Street.

Here’s the agenda.

Ruston Sports Complex Spending – $27 Million & Counting

As of Wednesday, February 27, 2019, about $27 million has been spent to date on the sports complex under construction on South Farmerville Street. The amount represents only what has been paid out, and does not include any money already committed for future payment, or any new spending not yet contracted.

Lincoln Parish News Online reviewed over 170 individual invoices associated with the project, along with the accompanying payment vouchers.

Here are some of the more significant expenditures.

The project’s prime contractor, Womack & Sons Construction Group, has been paid about 60% of its $35 million contract with the city.

Womack’s January invoice lists $20,792,408.19 in payments and $14,303,949.45 remaining to be paid on the total contract amount of $35,096,357.64.

See here the document.

Assuming Womack is paid in full, that indicates the project’s total cost will be at least $41.3 million.

The costs include $2.1 million in property purchases. Also, Weyerhaeuser Company was paid slightly over $1 million for wetland mitigation credits.

Yeager, Watson & Associates, the project architect, has been paid $1.18 million.

About $1.22 million has been paid to several companies for engineering, surveying, or testing:

American Testing Lab, LLC – $152,504.25
Neel-Schaffer, Inc. – $515,569.60
Pan-American Engineers, LLC – $220,856.73
Riley Company of LA, Inc. – $326,701.95

About $229 thousand has been spent on electrical equipment.

About $221 thousand has been spent on computers, software, and fiber-optic equipment.

Recently, $111 thousand was spent to purchase restaurant and food service equipment.

As the project progresses, we will periodically update this report.

Ruston City Council Monday

Ruston’s Board of Aldermen will meet Monday, March 4, 5:30 PM, Ruston City Hall, 401 North Trenton, first floor courtroom.

Here’s the agenda.