By: RAYMOND PARTSCH III
Managing Editor
The Turkey Creek Council decided that it didn’t want to expand the borders of the village.
Rhonda Butler was in attendance at Tuesday night’s monthly meeting, hoping that the council would allow a few tracts of her property to be annexed into the village. Butler’s business, Gobble Gully Paintball, is already within in the village’s limits.
Mayor Heather Cloud asked attorney Greg Vidrine what the process would be to have Butler’s property officially annexed. Vidrine explained what paperwork with the Evangeline Parish Tax Assessor and Registrar of Voters would need to be signed and filled out. Vidrine indicated that the process is simple enough and that having a few additional acres would also likely bring in more tax revenue for the village.
Yet, the council overwhelming shot down the annexation. Councilman Kurry Stewart said “Turkey Creek doesn’t need to get any bigger,” while Joey Ducote added “since you had that land for sale I am not voting for it.”
That wasn’t the only thing the council voted down on Tuesday.
Village Engineer Adam Janet recommended to amend ordinance #19-2011 which would make reconnect fees for water-sewer be placed on a tier system. The first reconnect for a defaulted account would be $50 and then $100 and so forth.
Led by Ducote, the council quickly voted that down.
The council also declined to pay $180 towards the cost of the recently completed training by Pine Prairie Police Officer John Estes, who is now certified to provide firearm training to other officers at no additional cost.
Turkey Creek Police Chief Robert G. Leggett though said that his department already has an agreement to receive free training from the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The council then voted no on the item.
The council did without hesitation approve accepting the proposed intergovernmental agreement with 9-1-1, that was needed to be approved if the village wished to have 9-1-1 provide services for dispatching non-emergency calls for the village.
Other items approved were:
• The purchase of a John Deere excavator costing $43,021.42.
• Adoption of Fair Housing Proclamation.