By T. Scott Boatright
The process of potentially allowing alcohol during events at the Lincoln Parish Library Events Center took another step forward Tuesday as the Lincoln Parish Police Jury approved a motion to discuss a request by the LPL Board of Control during next month’s LPPJ meeting.
But the vote wasn’t unanimous as it went 7-4 in favor of approving the LPL Board’s request to consider amending its Code of Ordinances that currently prohibit the consumption of alcohol on parish property.
That request for a potential ordinance change is being made because the LPL Board feels the library is losing significant potential Events Center revenue because the serving of alcoholic beverages by groups renting out space there is currently not allowed.
During a Public Property and Buildings Committee meeting held before Tuesday’s main LPPJ meeting, Parish Administrator Courtney Hall asked the Jurors if they were comfortable with the proposed LPL Board’s policies that could potentially allow alcohol use at the Events Center if regulations are amended.
“I’m not,” LPPJ Vice President Greg “Big Coach” Williams said.
Williams ended up being one of the four Jurors voting nay in favor of adding a discussion of potentially amending its Code of Ordinances to the agenda of next month’s Police Jury meeting along with fellow jurors with President Glenn Scriber, Karen Ludley and Diane Richards.
Juror Joe Henderson is ill and did not attend the meeting.
During the committee, Lincoln Parish Library Board of Control Events Center Committee Chair Bill Jones, who put together the request, made his pitch to the LPPJ, saying the he had fellow attorney James Buckley, who serves as counsel for the Police Jury, review the proposed new policies and that Buckley said he had no problem with the way the policy changes were worded.
“It’s about substantial revenue,” Jones said. “We researched it. We checked with the city (of Ruston), and we have the benefit of the city’s experience. They’ve been doing it for years at the (Ruston) Civic Center and the Old Historic Library. So, we essentially copied their rules.
“The two essential elements that we have are, No. 1, if you serve alcoholic beverages at the Events Center, you must have licensed security personnel, which would be off-duty Sheriff’s Office personnel or if they’re not available, off-duty city of Ruston officers, and we have rules about the number of those personnel per event attendees. The other really important element is that if you’re going to serve alcoholic beverages at the Events Center, they have to be served by a licensed caterer. Not the 30-minute online course.”
Williams asked Jones if he really thought allowing alcohol to be served at the Events Center would bring in substantial revenue.
“We think so,” Jones said. “We know from the city and Convention and Visitors Bureau, from their own experience, that we lose a number of wedding receptions, we lose a number of business conventions because those are usually after-hours, not calling them “happy hours,” but socializing events.”
When Juror Chris Garriga asked Jones if the number of security personnel proposed for the Events Center was the same as what the city of Ruston uses for such events, Jones said the Library Board’s proposal was more specific.
“We’ve got one (officer) per 100 (attendees),” Jones said. “It’s about the same.”
Garriga also asked if Jones knew how much more revenue could be brought into the library than money per year the facility currently brings in through rentals.
“Are you hoping to double that,?” Garriga asked.
Jones said a projection has not been made yet.
For a brief period, the LPPJ also recessed its main meeting and reconvened as a Board of Review to hear appeals of property taxes for the upcoming year.
The LPPJ breezed through the Board of Review because no appeals of property taxes were made.
“We don’t have any appeals this year, thank the Lord,” said Parish Tax Assessor Billy Mac McBride.
The LPPJ also announced a public meeting to consider ordering and calling an election to authorize renewal of ad valorem taxes for road construction and maintenance.
That meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 14 at the start of that month’s LPPJ meeting.
“The election probably won’t be until April,” Hall said. “But timing-wise we’ve got to get out in front of it. The Secretary of State has all these procedures that need to be done to call the election before the end of the year.”
Also authorized by the Police Jury was assignment of a mineral lease.
“We simply sign an agreement to continue payments we’ve been receiving,” Hall said. “This particular parcel is at Ken’s Landing. It’s about 3 1/2 or 3 3/4 acres, so it’s not a very big parcel. The current agreement is with XTO, and it looks like they’re assigning it to Exxon-Mobile.”
The LPPJ also approved moving the date of its November meeting to Nov. 10, the second Monday of the month, because of the Veteran’s Day holiday on Nov. 11, and announcing an upcoming Board and Commission vacancy for the Lincoln Health Foundation because Jo Tatum’s term expires at the end of the month.
