Police Jury Meeting Notes: May 5, 2021

Bossier Parish will remain in the business of picking up certain trash and debris at no charge to homeowners, but parameters will be established to determine what will qualify for removal.

Members of the police jury voted Wednesday to accept recommendations from the Road/Subdivision Regulations Committee approving continued service that began as massive cleanup campaigns following floods in 2015 and 2016, tornadoes and a hurricane.

Committee Chairman Glenn Benton (Dist. 2) said the jury has already spent just over $10,000 this year to dispose of items that have been picked up by the highway department’s crews.

“And that number does not include labor and equipment costs,” Benton said. “We need to extend this service beyond the emergencies because if we don’t, there will be items dumped on abandoned roads all over the parish.”

Figures show 710 tickets for debris removal have been issued this year for removal of waste items including yard debris, trees, furniture and appliances. In 2020, the highway answered more than 2,620 requests for debris removal.

Parish Attorney Patrick Jackson told jury members the pickup of debris was not in the budget, and in order to include the service members needed to do so.

“We need to determine what services we will provide and what items we can and cannot pick up,” he said. “We need to establish policies to get this in the budget as a line item.”

Benton said his committee will meet again prior to the next police jury meeting to establish policies for continuing the service.

Also at Wednesday’s meeting, police jury members:

• Authorized advertising for bids for Official Journal of the Bossier Parish Police Jury for the period of July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022; bids to be received June 2, 2021.
• Approved the selection committee’s recommendation to award professional services for construction and material testing services (Disaster Relief) RFP No. 2020-113.
• Approved the site plan for O’Reilly Auto Parts, located in Section 15, Township 18 North, Range 12 West, Bossier Parish, and amended this agenda item to add the following language: “and the Minor Plat for O’Reilly’s subdivision.” (Located on Highway 80 between Eastwood Baptist Church and Remco Drive.)
• Tabled the issue of  plat of the proposed development of Faith Ranch subdivision, located in Sections 29 and 30, Township 19 North, Range 11 West, Bossier Parish. (Adjacent to Faith Plantation subdivision, Unit Nos. 1 and 2, located off LA Highway 157.)
• Approved the plat of the proposed development of Kingston Plantation subdivision, Unit No. 8, being a resubdivision of Lot 1, Kingston Plantation subdivision, Unit No. 7, located in Section 17, Township 19 North, Range 13 West, Bossier Parish. (Located off Smokehouse Loop in Kingston Plantation subdivision.)
• Approved the plat of the proposed development of The Hills of Eastwood subdivision, located in Section 7, Township 18 North, Range 11 West, Bossier Parish. (Located off LA Highway 80.)
• Accepted report on meeting of the Road/Subdivision Regulations Committee.
• Adopted a resolution approving the holding of an election in Fire Protection District No. 7 of the Parish of Bossier, State of Louisiana, on Saturday, October 9,  to authorize the renewal of a special tax therein.
• Heard an update from Patrick Jackson on proposed House Bill 630.
• Adopted a resolution supporting Branton Tools, LLC, 4605 Macks Drive, Bossier City,  allowing them to receive the local benefits of the Quality Jobs Program.
• Appointed Henry Simons to the Bossier Parish Emergency Medical Services District Board of Commissioners for a two-year term, term to expire June 1, 2023, effective June 1, 2021.
• Approved change order No. 3 for Project No. 2019-126, Johnson-Koran Road Bridge over Foxskin Bayou.
• Approved change order No. 4 for Project No. 2019-126, Johnson-Koran Road Bridge over Foxskin Bayou.
• Approved Amendment No. 2 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.
• Adopted a resolution authorizing the Parish Administrator, or Parish President, to execute any and all applications and/or documents to The United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, in connection with Claim Section 1009 – Lake Bistineau Land Title Stability of the John D. Dingell, Jr., Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act.
• Approved supplemental agreement No. 2 to the Owner-Engineer Agreement between the Bossier Parish Police Jury and Forte & Tablada for providing an alternate design for a quad beam bridge for the Caplis-Sligo Road Bridge over Red Chute Bayou.
• Accepted streets and drainage in Cane’s Landing subdivision, Unit No. 1, into the parish road system for permanent maintenance.