The Webster Parish Police Jury is now in the process of working on an agreement to change polling places for Precinct 15 from the Pleasant Valley Community House to a church that better suits their needs.
In Monday’s committee meeting, Secretary Treasurer Ronda Carnahan says Pleasant Valley UMC agreed to allow the police jury to use their family life center as a polling place.
“We do have to do the paperwork of getting an agreement with the church,” she said.
In Monday’s regular meeting, the jury approved action to move forward with that agreement.
The church’s family life center has all the amenities and requirements needed to allow voters to cast their ballot, including required specifications with the Americans with Disabilities Act, air conditioning, restroom facilities and more.
The community house has been plagued with issues for several years in that every election cycle, the police jury is having to work on something in the building, whether it be the air conditioning or plumbing.
A decision on what to do with the Pleasant Valley Community House will be made at a later time, she said.
In other election news, Registrar of Voters Melanie Smith approached the police jury about canvassing of voter registration rolls and approve allowed exemptions with less than 300 active registered voters.
She says the 2016 canvass has been completed and some precincts contain less than 300 voters; however, instead of merging these precincts, she wants to consolidate polling places.
“We have eight precincts this year that are under the 300 active registered voters,” she said.
“They are the same precincts we’ve had in past years, and they’re not eligible to merge into larger precincts. We can consolidate them into a larger precinct that’s located at the same polling place.”
Precincts this year include 02B with 20 active registered voters, 10 with 101, 13 with 175, 14 with 289, 17A with 174, 25A with 69, 36 with 201 and 38 with 152.
In other news, the police jury approved:
- Expenses when jurors attended the Louisiana Police Jury Association in Shreveport and expenses when they attended Louisiana Legislative day in Baton Rouge, Thursday, March 31.
- Recreational Funding for the Cullen Museum as follows: District 1, $900; District 2, $1,500; District 3, $2,000; District 8, $500; District 9, $1,500 and District 10, $1,500.
- Board appointment of Allison Berry to the Cullen Fire Protection District No. 6 to replace Katie Mosley, secretary treasurer; appointment of District 8 Juror Nick Cox to the Sparta Groundwater Commission, effective Oct. 15; the reappointment of James Allan Strickland to a two year term, Jim Towns to a one-year term and Jeffrey Williams Lair to the Webster Parish Fire Protection District No. 4; and the reappointment of Beth Walker to a three-year term to Webster Parish FPD No. 1.
- Resolution with regard to the signage grant, and
- Resolution to ratify the action by the Webster Parish Library Board to purchase property for the Springhill Branch of the Webster Parish Library (formerly Walgreens).