ST MARY PARISH COUNCIL

The St. Mary Parish Council agreed to introduce four changes
to the parish's home rule charter, which would give raises,
and create term limits.

The Council wants to raise the salaries of all parish councilmen to
$800 a month, or $,9,600 a year.

The Council would also like to raisethe salary of the at-large parish
councilmen to $1,150 per month, or $13,800 a year.

A second change is to raise the salary of the parish president from
$12,000 a year to $36,000 a year.

The third change would be to create term limits for the St. Mary Parish
Council Seats. A council member who has represented any council
districts for more than two and one-half terms in three consecutive
terms cannot be elected for the succeeding term for any
council district. For example, if someone serves for eight years
representing one individual council seat, and two more for an at-large
council seat, they cannot run again for office. This practice has been
very common on the St. Mary Parish Council for years, in fact, since
the creation of a Parish Council from a Police Jury.

The fourth change would allow the parish to dock any council member's
pay, if he is absent from more than three regular monthly council
meetings, without a valid excuse from the St. Mary Parish President.
The councilman would have their pay cut in half indefinitely.

All of the changes are pegged for a final vote by the council, at its
next meeting on May 26th. That's when you, the public, can
appear before the council at a 5:45 p.m. public hearing, to offer your
input.

Whatever changes the council agrees upon, will be placed before voters
this fall, in November.