Home » Jurors use discretionary funds to give aid in parish

Jurors use discretionary funds to give aid in parish

by Minden Press-Herald

The Webster Parish Police Jury assisted municipalities, fire departments, community centers and non-profits and contributed to road projects with the 2016 discretionary budget.

Each juror may use their discretion to spend up to $2,500, or a cap of $30,000 for the total jury, for projects or causes in the parish needing financial support.

Each expenditure by a juror for their discretionary funds must be voted in favor of by the jury.
Jurors having access to discretionary funds is a long-standing practice.

In 2016 jurors had $23,556 in discretionary spending, less than 1 percent of the jury’s annual operating budget.

Bruce Blanton, District 1, funded the Springhill Fire Department’s new water saw in the amount of $600, the Springhill City Court for $1,000 and the Cullen Museum for $900.

Allen Gilbert, District 2, funded the Cullen Senior Center for TV stands, microwave and refrigerator in the amount of $316, the Springhill Fire Department for a water saw in the amount of $600 and the Cullen Museum in the amount of $1,500.

Daniel Thomas, District 3, gave $2,000 to the Cullen Museum.

Randy Thomas, District 4, gave $80.70 towards road materials.

Bernard Hudson, District 5, funded the Town of Cotton Valley with $1,000 and Dixie Inn Fire District 7 with $750 for an awning for the Highway 80 fire station.

Steve Lemmons, District 7, gave $2,490 to the Dubberly Fire Department for a positive pressure fan and foam pack.

Nick Cox, District 8, funded the Cullen Museum $500, MAR-C Industries $323, Minden Fire Department $296 for life jackets and $1,250 for Sparta groundwater conservation.

Jerri Lee, District 9, funded Fire District 10 with $1,000 for signs and equipment and $1,500 for the Cullen Museum.

Vera Davidson, District 10, funded the Webster Council on Aging $600 for office supplies, the Cotton Valley community center $400 and Cullen Museum with $1,500.

Steve Ramsey, District 11, gave the Village of Heflin $2,500 for the repair of the civic center.

Dustin Moseley, District 12, funded the Town of Doyline’s city park $2,000 and Doyline Fire Department $499 for fire equipment.

Jim Bonsall, District 6, did not spend any discretionary funds.

Treasurer and Secretary Ronda Carnahan said there are times where jurors do not spend their individual discretionary funds.

“It just depends on the needs of the parish and who request assistance,” Carnahan said. “This is a small portion of the budget, but it has gone a long way to make a big difference to many throughout the parish over the years.”

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