Who can authorize spending changes in St. Landry? Council wants state AG's opinion.

St. Landry Parish Council attorney Garrett Duplechain has been instructed to request a state attorney general’s opinion to determine whether the parish president or the council has the authority to approve increased parish government spending for courthouse improvements.

Council members narrowly passed a resolution to request the opinion on Wednesday night after Parish President Jessie Bellard indicated that the price for sealing the exterior bricks and repairing windows for the 82-year-old courthouse building has recently escalated the costs of the entire project to $794,000.

Initially, Bellard had budgeted a council-approved $500,000 in American Rescue Act funding for the courthouse repairs.

In a report to the council earlier this year, Bellard estimated it would cost $394,000 to complete resealing the courthouse bricks which have begun to retain moisture. Then Bellard said the projected price for the project increased about $400,000 when contractors determined after submitting an initial cost estimate bid, that all 278 courthouse windows needed to be reframed and replaced, Bellard said during a Daily World interview in March.

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Several council members questioned Bellard during the Wednesday meeting about whether Bellard or the council should have the power to approve contracts.

Council member Harold Taylor told Bellard that according to the Parish Charter, which has governed St. Landry since 2004, the council must provide final approval for contracts.

The confrontation between Taylor and Bellard about whether the council or the parish president has final authority for contract approval has been an ongoing issue.

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At past meetings, Taylor has questioned why the council has to approve spending for money that Bellard has apparently appropriated for other expenditures.

Bellard told Taylor Wednesday that the parish president has line-item powers under the charter. Bellard said the charter provides parish presidents with the ability to move funding from different budgeted areas without the consent of the council.

Duplechain told Taylor that the council’s powers regarding administrative spending is limited by the total amount of the expenditure.

“It depends whether the amount is a contract for services,” Duplechain told Taylor.

Bellard added that he considers the spending increase for the courthouse to be a decision which does not need council ratification.

“The line-item powers are meant for the parish presidents to decide and that does not require council approval. That’s why there is a parish president who is allowed to make those types of decisions,” Bellard added.

Taylor said the council approved the ARA budget last year that enables parish government to spend $500,000 for the courthouse repairs.

“What is important here is (the Council) did not appropriate the $794,000,” Taylor added.

Bellard said it doesn’t matter what the cost of the project is. The parish president Bellard maintained can move money around within an approved budget to cover the previously undetermined costs of projects like the courthouse.

It is better for parish government to increase the courthouse spending using transfers from ARA money than to dip into revenues from an account the council has established for emergency spending, said Bellard.

Duplechain said the resolution the council passed previously regarding the use of ARA money covers appropriations for roads and infrastructure.

Bellard’s response for courthouse spending didn’t satisfy Taylor.

“I think we need to have (Duplechain) research this a little more and I would like to see an AG’s opinion on it. I would like to see whether (the Council) should approve money that we did not originally appropriate. The Charter says that its (the Council’s) job to approve this type of funding,” said Taylor.

Council members Gil Savoy, Coby Clavier, Jerry Red, Jr., Easton Shelvin, Wayne Ardoin, Taylor, Nancy Carriere and Mildred Thierry agreed to request the AG opinion.

Those voting “no” were Alvin Stelly, Dexter Brown, Timothy LeJeune and Jimmie Edwards.

This article originally appeared on Opelousas Daily World: St. Landry Parish Council, President dispute who has spending power