WPC MEETING MINUTES FROM 2/24/2025

*Notice of Public Meeting*

Washington Parish Council

Regular Meeting

Washington Parish Courthouse

908 Washington Street, Franklinton, Louisiana 70438

Council Chambers

Monday, February 24, 2025 @ 5:30 p.m.

Item No. 1: Call to Order: Council Chairwoman Wagner called the meeting to order.

Item No. 2: Invocation: The Invocation was led by Councilman Branch, who asked for a moment of silence for the passing of Levi Lewis and Arlie O'Bryant.

Item No. 3: Pledge: The Pledge was led by Councilman McMasters.

Item No. 4: Roll Call: Council Chairwoman Wagner asked for roll call. Interim Council Clerk Danielle Folks called the roll. Present were Steven Branch, Reginald McMasters, Carley King, Joe Culpepper, Shawn Rice, Kim Wagner and Clark Harry.

Call for a Motion to Amend the Agenda to Include Item No. 9a: Resolution No. 25-1380.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: I'd like to ask for permission to amend the agenda to add Resolution No. 25-1380, a Resolution Stating that the Washington Parish Government is in Compliance with the Parish Transportation Fund.

Councilman Culpepper: As no one has come forward, I make a motion to amend the agenda to include the addition of Item No. 9a, Resolution No. 25-1380: Adopt a Resolution Stating the Washington Parish Government in in Compliance with the Parish Transportation Fund.

Councilman King: Second.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: We have a motion by Councilman Culpepper and a second by Councilman King.

Roll call of the vote as follows:

YAYS: (7) Branch, McMasters, King, Culpepper, Rice, Wagner, Harry

NAYS: ( )

ABSTAIN: ( )

ABSENCES: ( )

Item No. 5: Approval of Minutes of February 10, 2025, Regular Council meeting.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: The minutes of February 10 from our regular council meeting are attached and were emailed to us for review. Does anyone from the public want to come forward and comment before the Council votes?

Councilman Culpepper: I make a motion to approve the minutes of our February 10 meeting with any corrections necessary.

Councilman Branch: Second.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: We have a motion by Councilman Culpepper and a second by Councilman Branch. Are there any comments from the public before we vote?

Roll Call of the vote as follows:

YAYS: (7) Branch, McMasters, King, Culpepper, Rice, Wagner, Harry

NAYS: ( )

ABSTAIN: ( )

ABSENCES: ( )

Item No. 6: Resolution No. 25-1376: Adopt a Resolution to Appoint Members to Board of Directors of Washington Parish Fire Protection District #3.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: Be it resolved that Shawn Jones and Christopher Nielsen are appointed to the Washington Parish Fire Protection District #3 Board of Directors, to replace Hackley Magee and Tommy Waldrep. The terms for Shawn Jones and Christopher Nielsen are effective immediately and will expire on December 31, 2026. Their resumes are attached. Would anyone from the public like to come forward to comment or is there any public participation before the Council votes?

Councilman McMasters: As no one has come forward, I make a motion to adopt Resolution No. 25-1376.

Councilman Harry: Second.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: We have a motion by Councilman McMasters and a second by Councilman Harry.

Roll call of the vote as follows:

YAYS: (7) Branch, McMasters, King, Culpepper, Rice, Wagner, Harry

NAYS: ( )

ABSTAIN: ( )

ABSENCES: ( )

Item No. 7: Resolution No. 25-1377: Adopt a Resolution to Authorize the Parish President to Enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with the Louisiana State Department of the Treasury.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: Landon Tims with Washington Parish Government can speak on this matter if we need additional information; however, the resolution is for a $75,000 appropriation for the purpose of services rendered to survivors of sexual abuse. Council Chairwoman Wagner then read the resolution in its entirety. Would anyone from the public like to come forward and speak before the Council votes?

Councilman Culpepper: As no one has come forward, I make a motion to adopt Resolution No. 25-1377.

Councilman King: Second.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: We have a motion by Councilman Culpepper and a second by Councilman King.

Roll call of the vote as follows:

YAYS: (7) Branch, McMasters, King, Culpepper, Rice, Wagner, Harry

NAYS: ( )

ABSTAIN: ( )

ABSENCES: ( )

Item No. 8: Resolution No. 25-1378: Adopt an Amendment to Resolution 25-1373, Authorizing the Washington Parish Government to Administer a Grant through the Hazard Mitigation Program.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: The original resolution listed 2 trailer-bound generators, size 18 kw. The generators should have been listed as size 181 kw. This is just a correction for our notes. Would anyone like to come forward to ask any questions?

Councilman Branch: As no one has come forward, I make a motion that we adopt Resolution No. 25-1378.

Councilman McMasters: Second.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: We have a motion by Councilman Branch and a second by Councilman McMasters.

Roll call of the vote as follows:

YAYS: (7) Branch, McMasters, King, Culpepper, Rice, Wagner, Harry

NAYS: ( )

ABSTAIN: ( )

ABSENCES: ( )

Item No. 9: Resolution No. 25-1379: Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the Signing of the Louisiana Compliance Questionnaire for the Audit of the Washington Parish Government for the Year Ending December 31, 2024.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: This is an annual resolution. Donna, would you speak on this matter, please?

Donna Graham: The Louisiana Compliance Questionnaire is one that the Washington Parish Government Administration completes, attesting that all applicable laws and regulations were followed concerning financial reporting. We give the questionnaire to our auditors, and they test our compliance.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: Would anyone like to come forward and ask any questions for public participation, or speak before the Council votes?

Councilman King: As no one has come forward, I make a motion that we adopt Resolution No. 25-1379.

Councilman Branch: Second.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: We have a motion by Councilman King and a second by Councilman Branch.

Roll call of the vote as follows:

YAYS: (7) Branch, McMasters, King, Culpepper, Rice, Wagner, Harry

NAYS: ( )

ABSTAIN: ( )

ABSENCES: ( )

Item No. 9a: Resolution No. 25-1380: Adopt a Resolution Stating the Washington Parish Government is in Compliance with the Parish Transportation Fund.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: This was the motion to amend the agenda earlier that we spoke of. This is attached in our packets. It is a resolution stating that we are in compliance with our Parish Transportation Fund. Can anyone from our administration speak on this matter? Donna?

Donna Graham: The Parish receives parish transportation funds from the state to aid in the maintenance and repairs of our parish roads. It's an amount that we receive every year. In accordance with our audit, the Washington Parish Government must make this attestation that we have complied with the rules and regulations that are attached to the funds, which is then provided to our Auditor, Kushner LaGraize. They verify the funding during our audit.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: Does anyone from the public have any comments or questions before the Council votes?

Councilman Culpepper: As no one has come forward, I make a motion that we adopt Resolution No. 25-1380.

Councilman Rice: Second.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: We have a motion by Councilman Culpepper and a second by Councilman Rice.

Roll call of the vote as follows:

YAYS: (7) Branch, McMasters, King, Culpepper, Rice, Wagner, Harry

NAYS: ( )

ABSTAIN: ( )

ABSENCES: ( )

Public Participation: William Lee from the Hackley community spoke regarding issues with family heir property.

Councilman McMasters: Mr. Lee, I don't want to stop you, but you have to let us know how we can assist you first. We usually only give three (3) minutes to speak for public participation. I want to be fair about the situation. If you want to talk about it, please get on the agenda, in order that you get more time to speak. I suggest you do that in order that you become a part of the meeting, since we only allow a certain amount of time for public participation. Being on the agenda is a protocol that we go through, and you will have all the time you need. Public participation only allows for a certain time frame.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: We just want to be able to answer the questions that pertain to our agenda. Thank you, Mr. Lee.

Sheriff Jason Smith: Sheriff Smith spoke regarding the overcrowding in our jail, specifically in getting DOC prisoners moved. There are currently 217 inmates, 194 of those inmates being housed at WPSO, continuing to be over the maximum capacity allowed. Sheriff Smith spoke about an upcoming meeting with DOC. He also spoke regarding no movement with the Camp Varnado project and moving to the 911 Center, anticipating a move-in date of mid-March.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: Thank you, Sheriff.

Bill Lewis requested information regarding the upcoming Ad Valorem tax and how services were allocated to Washington Parish based on a district level. Mr. Lewis wanted the information to speak to his organization, the Concerned Citizens of Angie.

Councilman McMasters: Is there someone that could help Mr. Lewis with this information? Mrs. Donna, can you help us out with that?

Donna Graham: Of the 4 millages that are up for renewal - the libraries, the health unit, courthouse maintenance and public roads.

Mr. Lewis interrupted to say that particular information was in the newspaper.

Donna Graham: I am trying to explain. None of those would be by district.

Bill Lewis: Those are fixed costs. The discretionary costs are what I am interested in.

Donna Graham: The only millage that would be by district would possibly be road maintenance. Do I understand you to say that you want to know how much is spent on roads by district?

Bill Lewis: Yes.

Donna Graham: Are you speaking of council districts, or wards?

Bill Lewis: Council districts.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: Are you just trying to find out what is going on in your district?

Bill Lewis: I'd like to know what is going on in all districts so I can see how we compare to other districts. It's not 'fixed.' We don't expect it to be the same.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: No district is the same. Several districts get road work, and every district is different. That is why I wanted to address the issue.

Bill Lewis: I want to see what has happened.

Councilman McMasters: I understand where you are coming from. You want a breakdown per district for the work going on, as far as tax dollars go to each district. Is that correct?

Bill Lewis: Right.

Councilman McMasters: You just want a breakdown. If District 6 is my district, and I've had 3 miles of road done or bridgework, you want to know what funding that was?

Bill Lewis: I don't want it to be per work order. I just want it total. It could be 10, 15 or 20 things and it totals over the years to x number of dollars in this district, in general.

Councilman McMasters: I understand what you are saying. As for the Council, you are requesting something that we don't receive that information on. You may have to go to our financial advisor or the parish president. We will have to try to meet your request and from a Council standpoint, try to make sure you get what you are asking for, since it's public information. We do want to assist you as much as we can in getting you what you need. I would suggest that you go back to the parish government and speak with them as to what they can give you.

Bill Lewis: Thank you.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: We've never had that information broken down in that fashion. I understand what you are asking.

Bill Lewis: Is it available on a district level? I come to the meetings, and I get all the information about what is going on, but I don't know what particular district you are speaking of. All I know is that it is parish. It would be nice to know what happened in my district because I don't know all the roads in mine. It would help if I could get a breakdown and try to get a report. Say, in District 4, these are the things we did last month. That would give me information that I can take back and share with my organization.

Councilman McMasters: I believe that you can get what's been worked on. That shouldn't be too big of a problem. As far as a financial breakdown is concerned, that may be something you can look at. If you are talking about initial work, I'm quite sure that they can go back and pull work orders and find out what's been going on in your district. They can give you an update on what's going on in your district.

Donna Graham: Our work orders aren't separated by Council districts. Our Council districts have just actually changed. That happens every 10 years. We can pull this information by ward and give you an approximate, but we don't track this information by Council districts. We have a centralized work system. We don't operate like the Police Jury used to. We're centralized in the parish as a whole.

Councilman Rice: It could be gathered by wards and what your work order is for.

Donna Graham: We don't track by Council district.

Councilman McMasters: Even if you did this by wards, I believe that would give Mr. Lewis what he needs and then he can go to his map and see which ward is in which district. You'll be able to find out what's been going on in each ward.

William Lee interjected: Why isn't this highly traveled road getting fixed, and you have a road over here with minimum traffic, and it's a good road." That's the problem that he's trying to figure out where the money is going.

Councilman McMasters: As Parish Council and Parish Government, we try to put plans together, since everyone's roads cannot get done at the same time. Some roads need more work than others. I have a district that I believe I have been good to represent. For example, Blackjack Road has some spots that need to be fixed, but there are gravel roads that need asphalt. When I go to analyze my district, I make decisions based on the need and what is best for that district. I believe now we're going a little too far, so why don't you see us after the meeting and I promise you I will help you get what you need.

Bill Lewis: We have a side talk, but I want to be in front of the Council and the parish for a list of activities by districts or wards. I'm not necessarily asking per road, but per total activities over a period of time.

Councilman McMasters: You will get it. If I must go up there with you, we will get it.

Bill Lewis: It will help me with my organization before the tax. Thank you.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: Thank you, Mr. Lewis.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: Would anyone else from the public like to come forward and speak to the Council before we close public participation?

Councilman Rice: As no one has come forward, I make a motion to close Public Participation.

Councilman Branch: Second.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: We have a motion by Councilman Rice and a second by Councilman Branch.

Roll call of the vote as follows:

YAYS: (7) Branch, McMasters, King, Culpepper, Rice, Wagner, Harry

NAYS: ( )

ABSTAIN: ( )

ABSENCES: ( )

President's Report: Donna Graham and Danny Knight, Transportation Manager, had no reports.

Alex Sumrall, Director of Public Works: Road Crews picked up 467 bags of trash on 36 roads over the last 2 weeks. They installed 11 signs and 8 road signs. One road had 30 bags of trash, and 37 tires were picked up from the side of the road.

Ryan Seal: I attended the Police Jury Conference in Baton Rouge, along with our Public Works Director and most of the Council. It was a great opportunity to meet people and discuss various positions throughout Louisiana. We all have the same concerns, like broadband in rural areas and jail populations, also drug problems and how to improve infrastructure. It was a great learning experience. We even had the opportunity to hear Governor Landry speak.

This morning, I had the opportunity to read to 2nd graders at Thomas Elementary for Dr. Seuss Week. We read a book about pets, and when you put a couple hundred 2nd graders in a room and ask them about their pets, well they have a lot to tell you, from pet alligators to pet eagles. They're sponges, a wonderful bunch of children and I really enjoy it.

We lost a couple of people in our community this week. Mr. Levi Lewis, brother of Bill Lewis. I am sorry about your loss, sir. Mr. Levi was a passionate advocate. He dedicated his life to educating students in our area. He represented his district with a lot of class with integrity and humbleness. He was a great leader for his area.

Mr. Arlie O'Bryant was 104 years old when he passed. He was a living legend from the Thomas community.

The Washington Parish Government will be closed on Tuesday, March 4 for Mardi Gras. We have a few parades going on - MCCA will ride on Saturday, March 1 at noon. The Krewe of Pepe will ride on Sunday, March 2 at 2 pm and the Krewe of Unity will ride in both parades.

Yesterday at Sunday School I opened my prayer list and for the last 9 months I've had Carley King's family there. I've been praying for Ashley and their babies. This morning, I transferred the prayer for good health these last 9 months to a prayer of praise to God for his providence in delivering 2 healthy babies and for a great home with loving parents who will raise them. Congratulations to the King family.

Council Discussion: Councilman King: I appreciate all the phone calls and texts, as well as prayers for me and my family for two beautiful babies at home. They are healthy and happy and so are we. I appreciate all the thoughts.

Councilman Culpepper: The parades are on Saturday morning, so come out and get a spot. Enjoy the time with your family.

Councilman Harry: I enjoy each one coming out. Y'all come back and see us.

Councilman Branch: I would like to thank everyone for coming out for public participation. I'd like to congratulate Councilman King and their health, and also, I believe Councilman Rice was promoted to captain. Congratulations.

Councilman McMasters: Thank you to all those I've spoken with, and we do like addressing all your concerns. Sometimes it is difficult to address them all, but hopefully we can all come to an understanding and get things done properly. I pray that this all works out for us. I did not know that Mr. Lewis passed, but to Bill, we will work on your situation. Mr. Lee, we will work on that situation as well and try to put it into proper order so that you can express what you need in the time you need. Once again, thank you to everyone for coming out.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: Congratulations again, Carley. Also, please accept my condolences to the Lewis family. I did serve a term with him, and we attended several meetings together. He was very passionate. He had a love for his community and his family, and I enjoyed being around him. He was very educated, and I did learn so much from him. I also want to congratulate Councilman King on his 2 precious babies. Congratulations to Councilman Rice. I am so proud of you. Thank you to the public for coming out tonight and for your participation. We do try our best to answer questions and allow time to speak, but we also must stick with our agenda and follow that to conduct business. Mr. Lewis, again, your brother was always so kind and sweet to me, and I appreciated all his love. Your family is in my prayer, and if there is anything we can do, we will try. We also had a great time at our convention last week and being able to speak with representatives from different parishes and how they do things. It's nice to hear from other people and how they work. A few of us did make it a point to go to the Parks, Tourist and Recreation Committee Meeting. Washington Parish was highlighted for the Bogue Chitto State Park, one of the best parks in Washington Parish, in the state. Alex, Steven and I were honored to hear all the praise and how other parishes are so proud of us for this commendation for two (2) years. We like people to come to our area. The power point was amazing and we're excited to build the park more. Also, thank you to Mr. David for being here and for Mrs. Tony as well. They're always covering us and for our parish administration, our parish president, and the staff. Thank you to Matt for keeping us in line and I hope to see you all for the parade on March 1, as the Krewe of MCCA rolls through the streets of Bogalusa at noon. It's been an honor, and I am grateful for the experience of being a MCCA queen. I have been treated like royalty. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I'm thrilled to be a part of something for our community. Don't forget the Pepe parade on March 2nd at 2 pm. We have a lot of fun at Mardi Gras in our parish, so please come out and support it.

Councilman Branch: Also, I did want to give a shout out to the Pine Lady Raiders, who are kicking off the second round of playoff's tonight at 6 pm. We wish them the best of luck.

Adjourn: Council Chairwoman Wagner: With that, we will ask for a motion to adjourn.

Councilman McMasters: I make a motion that we adjourn this meeting.

Councilman Culpepper: Second.

Council Chairwoman Wagner: At this time, we will adjourn this regularly scheduled meeting of the Washington Parish Council.

Roll call of the vote as follows:

YAYS: (7) Branch, McMasters, King, Culpepper, Rice, Wagner, Harry

NAYS: ( )

ABSTAIN: ( )

ABSENCES: ( )

Order of Voting:

Steven Branch Shawn Rice

Reginald McMasters Kim Wagner

Carley King Clark Harry

Joe Culpepper

The next meeting will be held on Monday, March 10, 2025

In accordance with the American Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance, please contact Danielle Folks, Interim Clerk to the Council, at 985.839.7825, describing the assistance that is necessary.

(All Ordinances, Resolutions, and attachments in their entirety are available at the Office of the Clerk of the Council at 909 Pearl Street, Franklinton, Louisiana or at 985.839.7825, or wpgov.org)

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