Gov. John Bel Edwards and the Louisiana Legislature could probably learn a thing or two about building budgetary surpluses from the St. Landry Parish Fire Protection District No. 2—except at least one St. Landry Parish citizens thinks the surplus may be the result of smoke and mirrors and a little voodoo tax millage assessment.
On the other hand, the State Ethics Board appears to be taking its cue from the Attorney General’s office in stonewalling tactics.
The district had a bank balance of more than three times its annual budget at the end of 2016, according to a state AUDIT of the its books. The audit showed nearly $8.4 million in the bank as of Dec. 31, 2016, after expenses of $2.6 million.
And a formal complaint made to the Louisiana State Board of Ethics last May against the district and its secretary-treasurer has produced only a letter of acknowledgement but no results after nine months.
Despite annual revenues of nearly $3.7 million for both 2015 and 2016, the district’s board seemingly felt it could not afford to hire a qualified employee to apply generally accepted accounting principles in recording the districts financial transactions or preparing its financial statements, the audit indicated.
“A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the entity’s financial statements will not be prevented, or detected and corrected on a timely basis,” the audit said. “we identified certain deficiencies in internal control that we consider to be material weaknesses.”
Nor did the board seem to feel it was in a position to hire additional firefighters in order to cut back on more expensive overtime pay. Board members paid themselves nearly $16,600 in 2016 and paid out $1.2 million in salaries. An additional $329,677 was paid in overtime (listed as “extra shifts and call out time”).
Auditors recommended that the board examine the following options and implement policies and procedures in order to reduce excessive payroll expenditures:
- Establish set annual/monthly salaries for management-level positions in order to eliminate overtime paid;
- Hire additional firefighters in order to decrease overtime pay;
- Better utilize volunteer firefighters in an effort to minimize costs.
While Edwards and the legislature might be scratching their heads if they knew of the district’s fiscal wizardry, a closer look at a curious tax millage might clear things up.
It seems that district voters may have once approved a 17.5 mill property tax but the district somehow managed to collect two identical millages of 17.5 mills each until January 2018, when one of the assessments expired.
St. Landry Parish resident and local taxpayer Charles Jagneaux, who filed the complaint with the state ethics board, which has been basically toothless since it was gutted by Bobby Jindal in one of his first acts as governor in 2008, has a theory about that dual tax millage.
“My understanding is that the second millage was passed by calling it a renewal when in fact, it was a second identical millage,” he said. “The board attempted to put the expiring millage on the ballot (for a renewal) this year but the parish council would not let them since there was a multi-million-dollar surplus.”
The ethics complaint was filed against Johnny Ardoin, secretary-treasurer of the district’s board. Ardoin, it turns out, is also a member of the Port Barre TOWN COUNCIL, which would appear to be a case of dual office-holding, illegal under Louisiana law.
As a point of clarification from a reader who is in a position to know, dual office holding falls under (drum roll, please…) the attorney general’s office, not the ethics board so the ethics board would not address that matter,
A second, more serious ethics violation, however, seems to arise from Ardoin’s membership on the fire district board.
The Port Barre Town Council appoints two members of the fire district’s board of commissioners.
That would seem to constitute a built-in conflict of interest for Ardoin. Given his position as a member of the town council, he is in the unique position to appoint himself to the fire district’s board of commissioners.
That ethics complaint, like most complaints to the state ethics board these days, is in all likelihood, a dead-end street, particularly as it regards dual office-holding. But even in cases when ethics fines are assessed, which is seldom, they often are ignored and never collected, thanks again to Bobby Jindal and his ethics reform agenda.
Good Article Tom, If Standby Parish voters would look into a few other Boards within their parish Government they will find similar ethical and illegalities. The lack of accountability in St Landry Parish Government and the City of Opelousas is inconceivable. No Good Business or Industry would dare come here when the politicians line up at their door steps with their hands open!
I wonder if the Ethics Board would do the common sense thing and flip this matter over to the AG’s office, not that it’s likely any action would occur afterwards.
Thanks for this article, seems none of the local news has brought this to parish residents attention which is not surprising I read a lot of things on here you never hear anywhere else. Keep up the good work.
When the culture of any organization mandates that it is more important to protect the reputation of the system and those in power than it is to protect the basic human dignity of individuals who serve that system or who are served by that system you can be certain that the shame is systemic, the money is driving ethics, and the accountability is all but dead!
Would like to share where Port Barre Fire District #2 comes from. Prior to doubling tax millage FD2 was in the red every year with one station, 7 paid firemen and 3 apparatus. The tax was called for and voted by the taxpayers and passed 10-1. Once passed, a gas company came into district in Hazelwood called Bobcat then. Approx 2-3 years after tax election. Since port barre FD2 has hired 17 personnel opened and manned 2 more stations (Waxie and bayou Gerimond). Purchased apparatus, equipment for extrication, first-responder equipment. All dedicated to the people of FD2. Also fire insurance rating went from a class 10 to a class 5 due to the improvements of FD2. In St. Landry parish Port Barre has public relations second to none. Ask anyone. They don’t have ambulance service but they do have first responder which include some EMTs who respond to an elderly person who has fallen in their home or feels weak, also respond to varies alarms. Now to the fire rating that changes regularly, they never know what is needed from rating year to rating year. I think everyone should know the whole story before complaining
They should really check into what Mr. Ardoin, the Mayor and the Town Clerk are doing with the books at City Hall. The proof is there
the town of Port Barre has already been hit previously by State Audits, 1 theft but a year later charges dismissed no evidence, but the State Audit dept doesn’t follow through. Also, the Audit Dept subcontracts these yearly audits out so they have the manpower, but there is no follow through or checkup from the State Office. Then the Audit contractors are locals living in the town their auditing. Conflict??
Also been having yellow town water for about 9 months, raise in prices and residents been complaining. There’s way more in this town and everything is being ignored by the officials, also look more into the parish elected officials and u would stay very busy