Evangeline Police Jury Adopts New Budget December 22, 2020 The Evangeline Parish Police Jury adopted its new 2021 fiscal year budget reflecting a loss of some $330,000 in state revenue sharing funds. In addition the new budget shows a standstill budget of $290,000 to pay the cost of parish inmates outside the parish which is about half of what is costing the parish right now. Secretary Treasurer Donald Bergeron announced to the police jury that the new budget shows cuts in funding to all departments. During the public hearing prior to the start of the special meeting, Evangeline Parish Sheriff Charles R. Guillory asked the police jury to sit down with him along with the District Attorney and Indigent Defender Board to come with a solution over the growing cost of housing inmates. The parish jail cannot house all of the prisoners which now amounts to 138 that are being housed in several area jails and prisons at a cost of $26.39 per prisoner per day. There have been delays due to Covid-19 restrictions in holding court and transporting inmates back to Evangeline Parish for court proceedings. The sheriff said he was elected to bring law and order and fight crime. Since he took office earlier this year, his department has arrested 915 people as compared 559 arrests a year ago. "I am getting the attention of the drug dealers in Evangeline Parish, "said the sheriff. The sheriff is interested in constructing a brand new parish jail to house parish and state inmates. In other action the police jury: --approved a workers compensation quote of $113,118 for the new year and to exclude police jurors from the insurance plan; --approved a cooperative endeavor agreement with the City of Ville Platte to grade Heritage road to the city animal shelter and sewer department; --voted to proceed with the construction of a new Region B Maintenance Yard facility in Mamou at a cost of about $50,000 to be reimbursed by FEMA up to 75 percent of the cost. The maintenance barn was totally destroyed by Hurricane Laura; --approved giving Crooked Creek Park Manager Kim Ortego a $200 a month pay raise.