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Silliman Institute wins MAIS AAA football title. Page 1H
THURSDAY
SERVING THE PARISHES OF EAST FELICIANA AND WEST FELICIANA
NOVEMBER 26, 2015 H $1.00
THEADVOCATE.COM
2nd Year, No. 7
Police Jury lays out 2016 budget
Stacy Gill
AROUND THE FELICIANAS
BY JAMES MINTON
East Feliciana
CLINTON — East Feliciana Parish has the lowest property tax rate in Louisiana, a fact that shows up in the parish’s annual budget. The Police Jury expects to collect more than four times the amount of sale tax revenue next year as it receives in property taxes, $3.3 million to $762,700, according to the proposed 2016 budget. The jury will hold a public hearing at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 15 on its 2016 budget, and jurors are expected to adopt the
roughly unchanged spending plan at its 6 p.m. meeting. Wrapping up a Nov. 17 Finance Committee meeting called to go over the budget, Chairman Larry Beauchamp noted that other parish governments are approving budgets of tens of millions of dollars, while East Feliciana’s new budget calls for spending only about $6.1 million. Those include maintaining parish roads, operating the parish health unit, collecting garbage, overseeing build-
Special to The Advocate
SGILL@ THEADVOCATE.COM
Annual Fall Revival planned The Rev. John Thompson and the Greater Hollywood Baptist Church, 9099 Sligo Road, St. Francisville, invite the community to a Fall Revival beginning Monday and lasting until Dec. 4. Service begins each night at 7 p.m. Inspirational music will be featured, and everyone is invited to attend. For information, call Sister Alline Baker, church secretary, at (225) 635-5818.
ing permits and inspections, maintaining the parish jail and supporting the judicial system, District Attorney’s Office, registrar of voters, clerk of court, Council on Aging, local parks and Police Jury administration. The Police Jury expects to spend about $1.6 million for garbage collection service next year, with nearly $1.5 million coming from a dedicated penny sales tax. The parish does not charge monthly fees for garbage collections. The parish’s road and bridge fund, which receives money
from two separate sales taxes, anticipates expenses of $1.6 million in 2016, but no overlay projects are planned in the coming months. The parish health unit will receive about $394,850 from a property tax and about $30,000 in state revenue sharing, which are payments made to offset some of the loss of property tax revenue from homestead exemption. In 2005, voters approved a proposition allowing the jury to use a portion of the health unit fund for general fund expenses after all health unit needs are met, and this year’s
budget includes a $250,000 transfer to the general fund. The general fund, the jury’s largest, expects revenue and expenditures of $2.3 million, with total revenue from property, sales and franchise taxes estimated at $918,000. The jury also receives revenue from property rentals, state revenue sharing, occupational licenses, alcoholic beverage licenses, severance taxes and oil and gas royalties. The largest single expenditure proposed in the general fund budget is $300,000 for operating the parish jail.
Students go
‘Under the Sea’
Blood drive set for Dec. 3
Anvil Attachments is hosting its winter blood drive with United Blood Services from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 3. The UBS blood mobile will be parked in front of Anvil’s facility at 261 La. 19 in Slaughter. This is the eighth year Anvil Attachments has participated in hosting three blood drives annually. Everyone aged 18 and older is encouraged to donate blood to help make a difference, since one unit of blood can save up to three lives. People planning to donate are reminded to eat a healthy lunch and drink plenty of water the day of the drive. Photo identification is required. The staff of United Blood Services will assist you with your donations.
Photos provided by JAMES WOOD
Although they were the only entrant in the family category, Anna and Marcia Roberg were popular with the audience with their costume ‘The Pollution of the Ocean’ during the Recycled Fashion Show at the West Feliciana High School auditorium on Nov. 19.
Middle schooler Emma Kate Temple won the Grandmother’s Buttons Award for costume creativity.
Christmas in the Country
The annual Christmas in the Country festival, planned for Dec. 4-6 in St. Francisville, kicks off at 6 p.m. Friday with the lighting of the town tree by Mayor Billy D’Aquilla. A reception and fireworks will follow. An art walk, bands, choir performances, cooking demonstrations, a wreath and cookbook sale, sing-alongs, vendors selling unique handcrafted and homemade goods in Parker Park and much more will be featured. Special events include Breakfast with St. Nick on Dec. 5, Tour of Homes on Dec. 5 and the town Christmas parade Dec. 6. Activities and events are planned throughout the weekend at local churches, homes, parks and throughout downtown.
ABOVE: Middle school art teacher Rae Lynn Thomas with her costume ‘Ripped Tide.’ LEFT: P r e k i n d e r g a r t e n through first grade division winner Lillian Wood models her costume ‘Starfish.’ RIGHT: High school winner Kelsi Jackson models her coustume ‘More than Shells on the Shore.’
äSee AROUND, page 2G
with recycled fashion BY HOWARD ARCENEAUX Special to The Advocate
ST. FRANCISVILLE — The theme of this year’s Recycled Fashion Show was “Under the Sea� and for the third straight year, West Feliciana students showed what can be done with a little trash and a lot of creativity. The Recycled Fashion Show is an annual educational event intended to inspire students to protect the environment through fun and innovative ways by reusing discarded materials, then make costumes for a runwaystyle fashion show. Entergy’s River Bend Station sponsored the event. All costumes at the Nov. 19 show were original and adapted and repurposed from cardboard, metal, aluminum, plastic, paper cartons, chipboard, various types of paper and paper or plastic bags. Teams were made up of at least one model and up to three other members, and the “ocean and its inhabitants� were the inspiration. “Participation in this fashion show provides a unique opportunity for all students to create original pieces and express not only their creativity, but their individuality,� said talented arts
teacher Kelly Williams-Morantine. “The community was in awe from the diverse sea creatures to the bagpipe-playing Loch Ness Monster.� She said students should be proud of themselves for not only making original outfits, but adapting, reusing and repurposing items to create the one-of-a-kind fashions. At least 75 percent of the costumes were reconstructed and the teams were judged based on how the costumes fit, as well as the choice of colors, textures, style, accessories and use of theme. The categories, number of participants, winners and names of their creations were: PREKINDERGARTEN THROUGH FIRST GRADE: 4 participants, winner Lillian Wood, “Starfish.� SECOND THROUGH FIFTH GRADE: 11 participants, winner Ella Corinne Howle, “Nessie the Loch Ness Monster.� MIDDLE SCHOOL: 23 participants, winner Alice Holland, “Silver Dollar Fish.� FAMILY: 1 group, Anna and Marcia Roberg, “The Pollution of the Ocean.� HIGH SCHOOL: 4 participants, winner Kelsi Jackson, “More than Shells on the Shore.� GRANDMOTHER’S BUTTONS AWARD: winner Emma Kate Temple, “Swimming Under the Sea.� WFHS visual arts teacher Killian Williams said the creativity was impressive this year. “The theme has changed from year to year, but the staple I find is the great ideas of the students and the way they execute them,�
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