The Town Talk from Alexandria, Louisiana • Page 15

General News Alexandria Baila tEoton tEuIU June 13, 1978 section City Council Studies Final Questions on Operating Metro Briefs Alexandria, Pineville City Councils to Meet item list of every expense. Several councilmen. noted the budget was much' better than last year's document. Total city electricity. usage is not budgeted as a separate expense in the budget.

Instead, each depart-: ment is charged for its electricity usage. "They may start watching their kilowatt hours a little closer," said Council president Marion Chaney. Councilman Jay noting rising fuel costs, asked if the $10.2 million budgeted for power plant fuel should be adjusted upward. Lanier answered that the city's new power-swap arrangement with Central Louisiana Electric Co. should hold down fuel costs enough to maintain the $10.2 million level.

Lanier also said some persons resent having to pay for city services for which they haven't been billed during past administrations. "For the last four years, grass was cut all over the city and no one was billed a dime," the mayor said. The city now charges an hourly fee when its crews must cut overgrown lawns. By Richard Sharkey Town Talk Staff Writer One down and one to go. The Alexandria City Council Monday hashed through last minute questions about the $40-million operating budget it will adopt at today's 7:30 p.m.

meeting. And councilmcn learned that Mayor Carroll Lanier is nearly through with his proposed five-year capital outlay budget which will use part of the one-cent sales tax receipts. Lanier said he will present it some time this week to the Council. The Council has the final say-so on expenditures. The only definite project in the capital outlay budget at this time is sewer extension to the Cherokee Village area and England Air Force Base.

The mayor and Council have been working on the capital outlay budget for months. Their biggest problem is the city will sell only about $10 million worth of bonds but it has $40 million worth of "valid" requests from various departments, Lanier said. That is in additiun to his and the Council's own ideas of how the sales tax money should be spent. Lanier said the city will not lie up the entire sales tax money for years. He said the city will sell about $10 million worth of revenue bonds with probably 10-year maturity dates.

That would allow the city to keep several million dollars in reserve to use for matching funds, for emergencies and for changing priorities. "You don't want to budget every dime," Lanier said. Finance Director Kay Allen took a bow for putting together the new operating budget, calling it the "best document ever presented'' in Alexandria city government. "It's a workable budget. It's a good budget.

I wouldn't present it to the Council if it wasn't good. 1 wouldn't have- anything to do with it," Allen said. He admitted it will likely have to be amended during the year to allow for unexpected revenue and expenditures. The budget will be Improved even more next year, Allen said, when the computer will have the capacity to list the "chart of accounts." a line- the Southern' Baptist Convention's Brotherhood Commission as part of the National Conference of Baptist Men. -t President Jimmy Carter will speak Wednesday i.

Liquor Sales Sought JENA Petitions were presented to the LaSalle Parish Police Jury Monday calling for a vote to permit sales of "strong" beer and liquor, both in package stores and by the drink. Only sales of beer containing 3.2 percent alcohol or less are now permitted in the parish, according to John Allen, registrar of voters. Voters in three of the parish's four wards signed petitions calling for four questions concerning alcohol sales to be added to the Sept. 16 ballot. Annexation Footnote LEESVILLE The Vernon Parish Police Jury could have successfully opposed the annexation of parish land by a city in a neighboring parish, according to attorney Clay Tillman Jr.

DeRidder, in Beauregard Parish, had been petitioned by landowners in adjoining Vernon- Parish to annex 13.5 acres of Ward 7 into the city limits. The jury has opposed the action but it learned in a letter from Tillman that DeRidder has already passed an ordinance approving the annexation. Tillman said the petition and the ordinance were flawed by the deletion of information which is required by state law. But, Tillman said, Vernon Parish failed to file suit against the annexation within the required 30 days so the action will stand. The Alexandria and Pineville city councils meet tonight at their respective city halls.

Alexandria's meeting will start at 7 p.m. Items on the agenda include the city employee union contract and the fiscal 1979 budget. Expected to be discussed at the Pineville meeting, which starts at 7: 30 p.m., is the status of the forced paving of Highland Drive. YWCA Flying Lessons! The Alexandria YWCA, in conjunction with Crest Air, is now offering initial class-es in pilot training. The course will be taught at the YWCA beginning Thursday.

Further information may be obtained by callng 442-3397. Veterans Assistance A national service officer for Disabled American Veterans will be at Veterans Administration Hospital from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday. No appointment is necessary and per- sons will be served on a first-come, first-served basis.

Further information may be obtained by falling Buford Bullard at 445-3588, Fraz-ier Bell at 445-9288 or Tom McMain at 443-6963. LC President to Speak Louisiana College President Dr. Robert Lynn will be one of three speakers at a breakfast for Baptists in education Friday in Atlanta, Ga. The breakfast is one of 19 sponsored by YEAR-END SALE (Pre-Inventory) The End of Summer and The Start of a New Year are almost upon us but not you! O. Constable Has Best State Job BATON ROUGE (AP) A House committee listened in awe today as it learned that the chief constable in New Orleans has the best job in state government, dragging in last year.

Constable Clyde Bel Sr. also testi and gets whatever is left over. Rep. John Hainkel of New Orleans offered a bill, which the committee approved, changing the law and setting the constable's salary at $38,500 a year. Hainkel acknowledged that one of the main reasons the bill was intro- duced was a public crusade by Cly- dia Davenport, who once sued Bel in a dispute over when his term expired.

She was present at the hearing and fed committee members information about Bel's purchases of automobile. The legislators then asked Bel questions about that information. Take advantage of our first markdown of summer. We will be taking our annual inventory soon and making room for Fall. Just in time for vacation Savings for you! Savings in all Sportswear Departments- fied that he has averaged we.uou for.

the past few years and buys a new Cadillac every two or three years. Be, father of state Rep. Clyde Bel also acknowledged that he had given a campaign contribution from fees taken in by his office to Brod Bagert, a newly elected city council- man. 1 1 That is an apparent violation of the Campaign Practices Law. "Well, that blows my mind," said Rep.

Allen Bares of Lafayette, a member of the House Committee on Civil Law. it's my money," responded Bel. Under present law, Bel's office is run with fees for the constable's duties, such as serving court papers and collecting judgments. Bel sets the salaries of his own employees -I- BETTER, BUDGET, WOMEN'S JUNIORS c3 10 REDUCED 20to3313 AND MORE! Truck Weights Officers Forced To Carry Guns BATON ROUGE (AP) State; truck weights officers have become so unpopular in some areas that they will begin packing pistols, officials say. The weight police were hired to enforce the 1977 law that limits most truck weights to 80,000 pounds.

Until now, they have been armed only with scales and ticket books. But in the timber hauling sections of southwest Louisiana, officials say, times have been hot for the weight oolice. J-iv Clip Bring Me For A Professional OxlO Color Portrait 22IPMCE (Regularly BSC) With this Ad George Fischer, secretary of the Department of Transportation and Development, said several officers have been threatened by club and pi-pewielding rowdies for about a month. Fischer said that six of the officers will learn how to handle weapons. In the meantime, he said, state troopers have been riding with some weight officers.

Most of the trouble has been in 'Allen, Sabine and Vernon parishes, he said. "This is a rough area. There is a lot of logging going on. This is their livelihood," said Adam Verdi, as-, sistant ihief, engineer at DOTD, of. the rowdies.

DOTD officers have filed charges against two Allen Parish men because of the problems. The charges were filed in Oakdale City Court against J.B. Jordan and Robert Jordan. Choose from our selection of eight scenic and color backgrounds. You may select additional portraits offered at reasonable prices, with no obligation.

See our large Decorator Portrait. Satisfaction always, or your money cheerfully refunded. One sitting per per subject for additional sublects. aroups. or individuals In the same family.

Persons under 18 must be accompanied by parent or guardian- TlOftl SPORTSWEAR BOTH STORES PINEVILLE 2720 H0LL0WAY RD 5015 HWY. 71 NORTH Dallv 10 am lo I pm 9 am fo 9 pm Sat. 9-6 i 13 thru THUnS. THRU 5AT. JlMt IS tnru If drifiiG UU GO BRUCE'S APPLIANCE 1327 Washington 442-5834 Specialising In wtnd unlit AIC VnlU Appttanc Repair SerrleeH It Cleaned.

i i i i alexandria mall.