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State money woes worry jury members
The trickle-down effect of pending state budget cuts for the fiscal year were weighing on the minds of Franklin Parish Police Jury members as they held a special pre-Christmas meeting on budget matters.
"We need to be prepared for what's happening at the state level," Jury President Harvey Guimbellot said of expected state actions on its projected 2009 budget. That budget has been hit with a sharp reduction in revenue, primarily because of a decrease in oil price.
"It might be a good idea for us to automatically cut a part of our budget by 30 percent, just to anticipate state actions," said Juror Jackie Johnson.
Both spoke at a budget meeting Monday morning.
The meeting was a legal requirement which reallocated funds as needed to make the 2008 budget in compliance and set the stage for a more intense 2009 budget meeting next month in regular session.
Concerns for the state budget surfaced last week when a state report forecast a dramatic, $341 million, loss in revenue this year.
Parish Treasurer Sam Wiggins, who assumed her position in early November, told jurors, "The period of March-November had to be reworked in a short period of time."
Jurors concluded they would discuss more fully the possibility of cuts to the state transportation line items which would most likely affect parish road and bridge funding. "That's the most likely place for cuts that would hurt us," say Ray Young.
In another funding related discussion, the Jury discussed advantages of keeping its flood management program rather than contracting the work of measuring, recording and reporting flood events.
"All that has to be kept up to date to be in compliance for federal funds," following floors, Parish Superintendent told the Jury.
The Jury postponed any further discussion until next month at its regular session.
The parish has used the Winnsboro flood management plan as a template for its plan, with the superintendent of each serving as administrator of the plan.
Ray Scott asked jurors to think about the advisability of creating a flood management committee to deal with past and future flood events.
In closing jurors were reminded of the annual employee Christmas party, held Monday night at Browns Landing courtesy of vendors to the parish and the jurors themselves. |
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