News

By Luke Britt/Editor A tax renewal for the Farmerville Fire Department that has been renewed every ten years for 40 years will be among the items on the October 14 ballot. The 6 mill property tax, which generates about $222,000 annually for the fire department, has been renewed every 10 years since it was first passed in 1984, which may …

By Luke Britt/Editor The Union Parish Police Jury, in a special meeting on Tuesday, voted to bring back to Union Parish more than $2 million that currently is invested with the Louisiana Asset Management Pool (LAMP). Also on Tuesday, the jury acted on the following: Voted to approve the 2023 Tax Roll as submitted by the parish Tax Assessor. Approved …

By Luke Britt/Editor At its regular monthly meeting Monday the Farmerville Town Council approved the hiring of an Oklahoma engineering firm to install a $350,000 strainer system on the water lines that feed the Foster Farms poultry plant. The Council agreed to hire the PEPM Group of Tulsa, OK to manage the project at the recommendation of Foster Farms, Mayor …

By Luke Britt/Editor For the third year in a row, the Town of Marion has received an unmodified, or clean, audit and during Tuesday’s monthly Town Council meeting the town’s auditor praised the council for maintaining  “financial stability.” After presenting the 2022 audit at Tuesday’s meeting, Jeffrey Maxwell of Maxwell CPA, LLC told the Council that, “I think Marion is …

The federally-funded, $4.8 million watershed project should alleviate much of the flooding that occurs in Farmerville during heavy rains like those shown above from 2020. Planning, approval process will be lengthy, construction won’t begin for more than a year By Luke Britt/Editor The long-awaited Farmerville flood mitigation project first approved by the state in 2018 showed signs of progress this …

By Luke Britt/Editor An increase in assets with only a minimal increase in expenses left Union Parish in a slightly better financial position at the end of 2022 than it was at the end of the 2021, according to the Union Parish Police Jury’s annual audit.  The audit, completed in mid-August, found no major issues with the jury’s financial reports, …

By Luke Britt/Editor A project to replace a pair of failing culverts on Burma Road is turning out to be one of the more difficult projects the Union Parish Police Jury has attempted this year and may well be the parish’s most expensive culvert project ever. After months of trying to locate a contractor willing to undertake the difficult project, …

By Luke Britt/Editor A special tax election, the 2022 financial audit, an expansion of the parish’s heavy hauler ordinance, an emergency road project and repairs to Scotts Hideaway Road were among the items approved by the Union Parish Police Jury during its regular monthly meeting Tuesday. During committee meetings earlier in the day, jurors also discussed the possible hiring of …

Jerome and Avery Wilson brought their son, Hudson, by the UPSO to thank Sheriff Gates for the Friends of UPSO program. The Friends program is designed to minimize the chance of negative interactions between law enforcement officers and people with special needs. By Luke Britt/Editor News reports of developmentally disabled people being harmed by police are always tragic, but for …

Ned White, candidate for state Senate from District 33, speaks to a crowd of a little more than 100 people who turned out for Thurday’s Union Parish Political Forum in which candidates for state senate, sheriff and Police Jury   were given a chance to make their case to voters. By Luke Britt/Editor Covid mandates, gun rights and who should …