By T. Scott Boatright
Lincoln Parish now knows who its new Hospital Service District No. 1 board members are after five people were appointed to that entity during Tuesday’s Lincoln Parish Police Jury August 2026 meeting at the Lincoln Parish Courthouse.
“The Jury’s been aware of what’s going on within our (new) hospital service district (concerning health care concerns within Lincoln Parish) and we now have a board that’s ready to move into place,” said LPPJ President Glenn Scriber. “So, now we’re ready to vote on that board tonight.
“Tonight’s agenda reads our next step is to consider and take action on the initial appointments to the Lincoln Parish Hospital Service District No. 1 Board, including designation of initial staggered terms of service as required by Louisiana Revised Statute 46:1053.”
The LPPJ then unanimously voted on the Lincoln Parish Hospital Service District No. 1 Board.
Appointed to two-year terms expiring Aug. 11, 2028, were LPPJ District 12 Juror Annette Straughter, who chairs the Police Jury’s Health and Welfare Committee, and local attorney, business owner and University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors member Steve Davison.
Appointed to four-year terms expiring Aug. 11, 2030, were Argent CEO Kyle McDonald and local physician Jackie White.
And appointed as the lone six-year term holder on the new Lincoln Parish Hospital Service District No. 1 Board was Guillot & Associates co-founder and senior adviser Jay Guillot.
“No doubt, this is a ‘dream team’ board,” said Scriber. “Each of these individuals have an unequivocal track record of success, and are eager to sacrifice their time on the most important issue facing our parish. I’m proud of each juror. They should be commended on a job well done.”
During last month’s LPPJ meeting, the Police Jury voted to create the Parish Hospital Service District No. 1 Board, with Logan Hunt, chair of the LPPJ’s Economic Development and Long-Range Planning Committee, saying the new hospital service district will help protect, strengthen and improve health care in Lincoln Parish.
“Creating the district gives Lincoln Parish a permanent framework to plan and act on the future of its healthcare system,” Hunt said. “Hospital service districts across Louisiana have tools and authorities provided under state law. Creating this district does not impose any new taxes or fees. Any future public funding proposal would be a separate decision and go through the appropriate public process.”
Following Tuesday’s election process, Guillot spoke of what he feels the new hospital service district will be aiming to accomplish.
“Keep in mind what this does for Lincoln Parish residents, this is really a culmination of the last several years where the residents, the Lincoln Health Foundation, the Police Jury and the city of Ruston funded a health care study,” Guillot said. “That health care study outlined the roadmap of how we get back to a hospital regional healthcare district to where we used to be within the last several decades ago.
“This is the next step in that process in that we have the roadmap, and now we have the public buy-in established with the hospital service district that can now operate as a public hospital district, which gives a lot more leverage to public funds of how you could potentially finance a new facility going forward. Think about this as the next, legit and excellent step to continue down the road of the plan to try and get the community a new facility and a much more quality position in healthcare service.”
Tied to that was passage of a request added to the agenda during the meeting for the LPPJ to hire legal counsel Ben Gaines, a certified health law specialist with the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization and member of the Louisiana Health Law Advisory Commission, to help protect the Police Jury’s interest after the new Hospital Service District No. 1’s creation.
During Tuesday’s meeting, the LPPJ also set a public hearing for 6 p.m. Sept. 8, at the start of next month’s Police Jury meeting, for any questions or concerns about 2026 property taxes.
“That will be to listen to and discuss any public appeals for upcoming property taxes,” said Parish Administrator Courtney Hall. “The assessment list will be open to the public for inspection for 15 days from Aug. 17-Aug. 31. During this period taxpayers should check the values on their property. If there’s a disagreement and a taxpayer wishes to protest the value, the taxpayer must fill out a form called a Witness of Appeal for the Board of Review to set an appearance before the Board of Review.
“The Board of Review will determine if any changes should be made to the assessed value in question. If either the assessor or the taxpayer is not satisfied with the determination of the Board of Review, either may appeal to the Louisiana Tax Commission. The Tax Commission will consider any and all appeals that are timely filed in hearings that are open to the public.”
In other business, the LPPJ also scheduled a public hearing for the Section 8 Housing Assistance Program at 9 a.m. Sept. 15 at the Housing Program Office located at 829 E. Georgia Ave. in Ruston for the purpose of discussing the missions, goals and objectives of the program and also authorized submission of a funding request through the Delta Regional Authority for a 2026 Community Infrastructure Fund relative to a greenspace drainage and renovation project.
The LPPJ also adopted an ordinance revoking Cypress Street, Unit 1, on the 1978 Village of Tremont plat for a road that was never built, turning that property over to Clark and Shannon Hall, who own all of the surrounding property, and adopted an ordinance setting speed limits on streets within the Creeks Edge Subdivision, a residential subdivision located just north of Ruston off U.S. Highway 821, at 25 mph.
Also approved were multiple actions on bids involving the parish Public Works Department, including acceptance of a bid of $251,324 from David Lawler Construction Inc. for a main replacement for the Mt. Zion Water System and acceptance of a $190,000 bid by Insulated Roofing Contractors for roof repairs at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center.
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
