Concordia Parish resolution to explore parish president form of government does not pass

VIDALIA, La. — The Concordia Parish Police Jury voted not to adopt a resolution that would explore a new form of government during its Monday meeting.

Resolution No. 9, which was authored by Louisiana House Rep. C. Travis Johnson III, states that the Concordia Parish Police Jury will appoint a committee to conduct a feasibility study regarding the establishment of a Home Rule Charter form of government, with a parish president being the head of government for the entire parish.

Police Juror Cornell Lewis put the question of the resolution on the table and voted not to adopt it during the Police Jury’s Monday meeting.

“The reason being … all (the resolution is) is a request for us to do a feasibility study,” Lewis said. “After doing the research, I feel like we need to not move forward with it.”

When the resolution was put to the vote, all police jurors voted no, so the resolution to study the new form of government did not pass.

Lewis asked to table the item during the Aug. 12 meeting after questions were raised about the cost of the study and, if there is a cost, whether the Police Jury or the state would be responsible for paying it.

As the police jury recently consolidated voting districts last November because of Concordia Parish’s shrinking population, Police Jury President Collin Edwards said after Monday’s meeting, “Now isn’t the time” to look at a new parish government.

“This system is used in some southern parishes that have a lot bigger population than ours, but I don’t think it would help us in Concordia Parish,” Edwards said.

During redistricting, some community members have suggested consolidating the split precincts and reducing the police jury from nine members to five, though no official action has been taken to do so.

During its May 13 meeting, Johnson explained to the Police Jury how he thought the parish might benefit from having a Home Rule Charter form of government and a parish president. He said it would give smaller parish communities such as Sycamore, West Ferriday, Monterey, or Clayton better representation.

“A lot of parishes are moving to this form of government,” Johnson said, adding, “It is very efficient.”

While 38 of the state’s 64 parishes continue to operate with a Police Jury form of government, 26 parishes operate under a form of Home Rule Charter, an option offered to local governments when Louisiana adopted its new constitution in 1974.

Livingston Parish made the transition from a Policy Jury government to a Home Rule Charter style of government that includes an Executive Branch or Parish President and the Legislative Branch or Parish Council.

According to Doretha Cook, a representative from Johnson’s office, “the first order of business within the 1974 Home Rule Charter is that the police jury is to select a committee” that will weigh the pros and cons of the new government system.

This committee would have presented its findings to the police jury so that each member could vote on whether to put the proposal on the ballot. Then, Cook said, the parish citizens would have been able to vote to change to a parish president system.

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