The Webster Parish Police Jury has decided to sell 80 acres of property off Dogwood Trail.
In Tuesday’s committee meeting, the jury discussed selling the property as they have no use for it. In April, Jury President Jim Bonsall presented his fellow jurors with an estimate on timber revenue expected to be brought in over a 40-year period of time, and based on today’s costs, it would be roughly $88,000, he said.
“We need to do some work across the street in the former Regions bank building, and it would be a real good start for renovations over there,” he said.
Juror Randy Thomas says it isn’t much benefit to the parish anymore because of the quality of the soil and it’s odd-shaped. Bonsall added the quality of timber is not the quality he thought.
The jury also discussed whether they wanted to keep mineral rights, and under law, Retired Judge Graydon Kitchens says they can keep the mineral rights “perpetually,” or keep it for 10 years.
“Whatever the length of it is, you can reserve the mineral rights,” Kitchens said. “If you sell the property and reserve the mineral rights, it’s automatically 10 years. If we reserve the minerals, and we’re entitled to the perpetual, then we get the perpetual status. If we’re not, then we get it for 10 years.”
They can offer two proposals, one with mineral rights and one without, Secretary Treasurer Ronda Carnahan said. However, they chose to set the minimum bid at $3,500 per acre, for a minimum bid of $280,000 without the mineral rights. They will advertise for bids in the coming days.
During the regular meeting Tuesday, police jurors approved:
- corrections for the appointments for the South Webster Industrial District. They are as follows: Theron Winzer for the City of Minden and the Village of Dixie Inn, whose term will expire Dec. 31, 2017; James Madden, Webster Parish Police Jury appointment, whose term will expire Dec. 31, 2017; and Kent Gibson, with the Minden Economic Development Council, whose term will expire Dec. 31, 2016. Bonsall says these are to stagger term expirations so that not everyone is rolling off SWID at the same time.
- Appointment to Shongaloo Fire Protection District 9: Clay Strange to a three-year term, set to expire December 2018, and Sharyn Stanley, secretary-treasurer, reappointed to a two-year term, set to expire in December 2017.
- Call for a public hearing to consider adopting resolutions ordering and calling an election for Road Districts A and B. This is a tax renewal for parish maintenance of roads, ditches and drainage. There is no increase, Carnahan said.
- Acceptance of the bid from CBI Environmental and Infrastructure to handle the monitoring portion of debris cleanup oversight.
- Advertise for a legal journal for the fiscal year beginning July 1, and ending June 30, 2017.
- Advertise for the 2016 Tax Approval. Carnahan says it will not be necessary to roll forward except ad valorem taxes for inside municipalities to preserve the current tax rate.
The next police jury meeting will be at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, June 7, on the second floor at the Webster Parish Courthouse, located at 410 Main Street. Committee meetings will be at 9 a.m. on the third floor in the police jury office.