Evangeline Parish Police Jury Meeting August 5, 2019 Certified Public Accountant Vic Slaven presented good news to the Evangeline Parish Police Jury at their meeting Monday night. His staff has completed the audit of the police jury financial records and announced that he had a "clean" report. The police jury records showed that it ended the 2018 Fiscal Year in the General Fund with a fund balance of $1.6 million dollars in unassigned funds. Slaven announced that the parish was written up for the large number of past due sewer collection fees. However, he said the jury is teaming up with governmental and utility companies in an attempt to collect the delinquent sewer bills. Slaven commended the jury "for doing a fine job. Keep it up." Secretary Treasurer Donald Bergeron announced that a large portion of its budget , some $40,000 a month is going to pay for parish inmates being housed in prisons outside the parish because there is no room in the parish lockup. A building inspector with the Rapides Parish Area Planning Commission announced that 52 new housing projects since the start of the year and eight new homes in the last month. He said our parish is showing good growth. It was reported during their committee meetings that retention pnd application is still being reviewed. The proposed $1.9 million dollar project must show that there was at least $1.9 million dollars in damages were caused by drainage problems. Once the plan is approved, still another study must take place before it is determined how large a piece of property needs to be purchased. In other action the police jury: Received news from State Wildlife Agents that hidden litter cameras in the parish has charged with 31 people. Each of the 31 suspects were charged with littering carrying a fine of $150; Received news from Secretary Treasurer Donald Bergeron that 72 nuisance abandoned properties were adjudicated to the parish by the court because the property owner did not pay the tax the property owed. Received news that sales tax collections in July showed a decrease of $6046 over the same period a year ago. The police jury approved purchasing two Railroad cars to be placed on the McGee road. The jury will purchase and install them the cars for drainage improvements to be reimbursed by the Vidrine Drainage Board.