Police Jury Meeting Notes: March 3, 2021

Bossier Parish could be in a position to save big money in maintenance costs on its fleet of vehicles after Police Jury members agreed Wednesday to enter into a fleet management program with Enterprise.

Parish Administrator Bill Altimus said moving from purchasing vehicles for the parish to a lease management program has been under study for some time.

“I asked several jurors to contact their counterparts in other parts of the state to get their feedback,” Altimus said. “We also asked (former treasurer) Joe (Buffington) to look into it and he saw no problem from a financial standpoint.”

Juror Glenn Benton talked with members in St. Martin, St. Charles and Rapides parishes and received positive feedback.

“St. Martin was, I believe, the first in the state and they had nothing but praise,” he reported. “They’ve been in it for five years and had nothing but success.”

Jack “Bump” Skaggs said he spoke with the mayor of Ruston, whose city has been in the management program for three years, and said savings in the city’s maintenance program had been significant.

“He said they were saving sixty to seventy thousand dollars on their maintenance costs and he wouldn’t go back to the original way,” Skaggs said. “I believe our savings would be in the six-figure range if the numbers work out when comparing the size of Ruston and Bossier Parish.”

Vehicles in the fleet management program would include all moving stock except heavy equipment, Altimus said. Under the program, a percentage of the fleet would be replaced each on a program that considered mileage and the age of the vehicle.

Jury members voted unanimously to authorize parish attorney Patrick Jackson to review the contract and to have Altimus sign the necessary documents to execute the agreement.

In other business at Wednesday’s meeting, police jury members:

• Heard Ian Snellgrove and Gene Barattini, Bossier Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, report extensively on the recent winter weather event, and scheduled an after incident report for Monday, March 8.
• Approved the application of Sean Diel, Louisiana Realty & Associates, to the Bossier City-Parish Metropolitan Planning Commission for a zoning amendment to change the zoning classification of Willow Chute Commercial subdivision, Unit No. 4, Lot 1, being 8.39 acres, more or less, from R-A, Residence-Agricultural District, to B-3, General Business District, for future commercial development. (Located on Airline Drive between Landpoint Land Surveying and Storage Master.) Agenda item rescheduled from the cancelled February 17 police jury meeting.
• Approved the plat and site plan of the proposed development of Airline Lagniappe subdivision, Unit No. 1, being a Planned Unit Development and a resubdivision of Lot 1, Willow Chute Commercial subdivision, Unit No. 4, located in Section 21, Township 19 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish, LA. (Located on Airline Drive between Landpoint Land Surveying and Storage Master.) Agenda item rescheduled from the cancelled February 17 police jury meeting.
• Approved the plat of the proposed development of Meadows Hills subdivision, located in Section 14, Township 20 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish. (Located on Butler Hill Road north of Bob White Lane.)
• Approved application of Vaquero Haughton Partners, LLC, to the Bossier City-Parish Metropolitan Planning Commission for a zoning amendment to change the zoning classification of a certain tract of land being 1.25 acres, more or less, located in Section 15, Township 18 North, Range 12 West, Bossier Parish, from R-A, Residence-Agricultural District, to B-3, General Business District, for an O’Reilly’s Auto Parts Store. (Located on Highway 80 between Eastwood Baptist Church and Remco Drive.)
• Approved application of MasTec for ATT, to the Bossier City-Parish Metropolitan Planning Commission for a Conditional Use Approval for a small cell tower located at 2010 Colleen Drive, Bossier City.
• Approved application of Kenneth Lawler, E&L Development, to the Bossier City-Parish Metropolitan Planning Commission for a Conditional Use Approval for a proposed apartment complex on a B-3, General Business District, tract of land being 9.2 acres, more or less, located in Section 14, Township 18 North, Range 12 West, Bossier Parish. (Located on Highway 80 between the East-Central Bossier Parish Fire District No. 1 station and Central Monument Company.)
• Agreed to relocate the voting precinct polling place for Precinct 02-08, from Butler Educational Complex, 541 Detroit Street, Bossier City, to Stonewall Baptist Church, 807 Eatman Street, Bossier City.
• Agreed to change the name of a 0.25-mile portion of Swan Lake Road, not realigned by the bridge replacement project, to Hammack Way, said portion beginning at the realigned portion of Swan Lake Road and ending as a dead-end road, located in Sections 22 and 23, Township 19 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish.
• Established a 30-mile per hour speed limit on Hammack Way, located in Sections 22 and 23, Township 19 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish.
• Approved the plat of the proposed development of Canes Landing commercial subdivision, Unit No. 1, being a commercial subdivision, located in Section 33, Township 19 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish. (Located on Airline Drive across from the Cypress Pointe Apartments.)
• Scheduled a public hearing on April 7 to consider approval of the plat of the proposed development of Wemple subdivision, Unit No. 3, being a resubdivision of Lot 1, Wemple subdivision, Unit No. 2, located in Section 34, Township 19 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish. Agenda item rescheduled from the cancelled February 17 police jury meeting.
• Scheduled a public hearing on April 7 to consider approval of the plat of the proposed development of Willow Trace subdivision, Unit No. 6, being a resubdivision of Lots 10 and 11, Willow Trace subdivision, Unit No. 3, and Lot 1, Willow Trace subdivision, Unit No. 4, located in Section 36, Township 19 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish. Agenda item rescheduled from the cancelled February 17 police jury meeting.
• Scheduled a public hearing on April 7 to consider approval of the plat of the proposed development of The Point at Cypress subdivision, located in Section 12, Township 19 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish. (Located on Cypress Black Bayou Lake at the end of Sommer Circle.) Agenda item rescheduled from the cancelled February 17 police jury meeting.
• Scheduled a public hearing on April 7 to consider approval of the plat of the proposed development of Willow Heights subdivision, Unit No. 3, being a Planned Unit Development, located in Section 20, Township 19 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish.  (Adjacent to Willow Heights Subdivision, Unit Nos. 1 and 2.) Agenda item rescheduled from the cancelled February 17 police jury meeting.
• Scheduled a public hearing on April 7 to consider approval of the Minor Plat for Mathie McGrath/Faith Timber Company, LLC, located in Sections 23 and 24, Township 20 North, Range 12 West, Bossier Parish.  (North of Dry Cypress South subdivision on LA Hwy. 157.)
• Accepted the report of the meeting of Parks and Recreation Committee.
• Adopted a proclamation proclaiming the week of April 5-April 9 as National Community Development Week.
• Adopted a proclamation proclaiming the month of April as Fair Housing Month in Bossier Parish.
• Discussed an Enterprise Fleet Management Program for the Bossier Parish Police Jury.
• Adopted a resolution authorizing the issuance of and approving the forms of certain documents in connection with the issuance of not to exceed $9 million in Louisiana Local Government Environmental Facilities and Community Development Authority Revenue Bonds (Bossier Parish Public Improvement Projects) Series 2021, to be issued on behalf of the Parish of Bossier for the purpose of financing capital projects.
• Approved a request from Sierra Frac Sand, LLC, for a resolution of support of their request to the Corps of Engineers to remove sand and other material from the Red River through dredging and other means.
• Approved a request from Performance Proppants for a resolution of support of their request to the Corps of Engineers to remove sand and other material from the Red River through dredging and other means.
• Approved a proposal of Patricia A. Doane, Code Author, Planner and Cartographer, Neil Erwin Law, a Limited Liability Company, for legal services associated with the future land use map project for Benton-Parish Metropolitan Planning Commission, subject to approval by the Benton-Parish MPC.
• Approved an amendment to the proposal with Beast Engineering, LLC, for field inspection and associated administrative services for Project No. 2019-132, West Linton Road Extension to Fairburn Avenue.
• Approved an amendment to the proposal with Beast Engineering, LLC, for field inspection and associated administrative services for Project No. 2019-126, Johnson-Koran Road Bridge over Foxskin Bayou.
• Approved change order No. 2 for Project No. 2019-126, Johnson-Koran Road Bridge over Foxskin Bayou.
• Approved proposal of Coyle Engineering Co., Inc., for surveying services for Modica Lott Road spur.
• Approved change order No. 1 for Project No. 2020-106, Palmetto Road turn lanes.