Johnny Dollar Despite several requests by The Gazette to the Town of Farmerville – its Mayor and Council Members – no one is talking about the illegal demolition of the Metz Motel.Illegal for failing to follow the town’s ordinances on demolition and removal of blighted property and in the process recovering that cost from the property demolished.Illegal for failure to …

Johnny Dollar A big shout out and thank you to Stephanie Hermann in connection with her tireless efforts to help develop one of her conservation passions – Turtle Bay Landing Launch and Paddle Trail on Lake D’Arbonne! Well done Stephanie and all the others involved, where credit is given on Turtle Bay’s Face Book post, reprinted here:Turtle Bay Landing What …

Johnny Dollar What happens when local government becomes ineffective due to high taxes stifling economic development; inability of elected officials to work together toward common goals; duplicitous and wasteful costs; politicians putting their personal interests, bias and prejudices ahead of the public good – and any number of other reasons?The Louisiana Constitution provides a method for restructuring local government and …

Johnny Dollar Even though a community is overtaxed, sometimes consultants are a necessary expense. Sometimes they are also a waste of money and a racket to rip off taxpayers. For example, if specialized knowledge is needed to determine what to do to a municipal sewage treatment plant to get it into environmental compliance, one would hire a person with expertise …

The mayor and council members voted August 12, 2024, to increase taxes without further voter approval and adopted increased reassessments resulting in increased taxes to town property owners. The estimated amount of tax revenues to be collected in the next year from the increased millage is $285,271.12 and the amount of increase in taxes attributable to the millage increase is …

Last week at its monthly meeting, the Union Parish Police Jury fired its ‘Certified Building Official’ [building inspector], Inspections Unlimited, LLC, owned by Chad Parker and others, although the company had been doing a good job. The firing was without notice to the contractor and with no reason given for the termination, provoking a heated argument among the jurors, some …

Johnny Dollar Wednesday August 7, 2024 Hello to all our readers and thank you – and your ancestors - who have supported the Gazette since 1878. The Gazette is one of the oldest newspapers in America, having served Union Parish for 146 years – yes, 146 years. [https://www.loc.gov/item/sn88064076] Local newspapers are disappearing across America due to technology and increased costs …