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St. Mary Parish residents to vote on parish government changes in November
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FRANKLIN - Residents in St. Mary Parish will vote in November's election on several changes to how the parish government operates.
If voters approve the changes, they would affect the parish president's responsibilities, salaries for that office and parish council members, term limits and the number of council members.
"Our old charter was from 1984, and the charter needed significant revisions given that the current functionality of our parish government was not cohesive with how the charter is currently written," said Dr. Gary Wiltz, St. Mary Parish Charter Commission representative.
Right now, parish president is a part-time position in St. Mary Parish. The proposed change to the home rule charter would make the parish president both the chief executive and chief administrator of the parish government and increase the salary from $12,000 to $125,000.
"What was figured as an average of the Mayors and local officials in similar positions," Council member Kristi Prejeant Rink said.
The number of council members and term limits would also change if the vote passes.
The remaining council members would get a $1,500-per-month raise, and the council chair would receive a $1,750 increase. With the salary increases, there would be an adjustment for inflation every 4 years beginning with the next presidential term.
Election day is Nov. 3.
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