BOBBY ARDOIN Editor/Consulting Writer
Parish government is being asked to provide shared expenses associated with the construction of a Clerk of Court Records Annex building that is undergoing renovation on West Landry Street in Opelousas.
Attorney Jennifer Ardoin, who represented Clerk of Court Charles Jagneaux during a St. Landry Parish Council Finance Committee meeting Wednesday night indicated that total costs for the project are now expected to reach $1.125 million.
Ardoin suggested an agreement which would divide the project costs between the parish and Clerk of Court at approximately $300,000 over a two-year period, as well as other expenses such as records security, furniture and upkeep beginning in 2024.
St. Landry Clerk of Court Charles Jagneaux did not attend the Committee meeting.
Ardoin reminded the Committee that a state statute requires the parish to provide annual expenses for the Clerk of Court.
Ardoin said the parish is currently providing $100,000 in annual expenses in order to operate the Clerk of Court. Records security is a primary responsibility for the Clerk of Court, Ardoin said.
A parish Courthouse renovation project completed in 2023, necessitated the removal of records from the St. Landry Parish Courthouse, Ardoin told the Council.
The Clerk of Court records, which contain original ancestry information dating back 200 years, were transported to the West Landry annex facility in order to make room for the Courthouse project, Ardoin said.
Ardoin added that the completion of the annex facility is needed to provide a place that will protect all parish records, including those with genealogical information.
“The failure to protect all of the parish records could result in catastrophic loss,” Ardoin wrote in a memorandum that she presented to the Committee.
Parish president Jessie Bellard cautioned the Committee about responding immediately to the expense request by the Clerk of Court.
Bellard suggested that grant funding could be available to help assuage the annex costs.
“I disagree on what the (state) law says. There is more to the story than just the (annex) building. I recommend that you don’t do anything,” said Bellard.
Bellard added that the parish has “gone above and beyond” with providing Clerk of Court state-required financing.
At some point Bellard said Clerk of Court representatives and parish officials could possibly meet in closed session and reach an agreement that would be amenable to both sides.
