St. Joseph in hot water

The Town of St Joseph has been in hot water over their finances for quite some time now, due to an audit that is nearly four months overdue.
Now, a company that provides autopsy services for the town has come forward, claiming that the Town of St Joseph owes them nearly $10,000 for services they have provided.
Louisiana Forensic Center, a private company from Youngsville, provides autopsy services for several rural towns and cities throughout Louisiana. According to CEO Roy Provost, St. Joseph’s refusal to pay for services rendered could complicate any future work relationship with the company. The town has been billed for five autopsies, performed since 2012, which payment has yet to be rendered for, including two individual autopsies and three autopsies from the 2013 Tensas State Bank tragedy. The town’s $10,000 bill includes transportation, testing, and autopsy services. Provost said the town’s reasoning for non-payment relies on an outdated law that suggested autopsy fees not exceed $500 unless agreed upon by the coroner and the municipality. This amount was offered to the company through the Tensas Parish Coroner’s Office, but the company declined the offer.
This issue is just one of several plaguing the town. In March, the Louisiana Legislative Auditor issued a report stating Mayor Edward Brown may have been in violation of several state laws concerning misappropriation of the town’s funds, including funds to be used for water system repairs.
In late March, the Louisiana Senate Fiscal Review Committee met with Brown in Baton Rouge to discuss the town’s difficulties with completing their audit. The town is currently on the state’s non-compliance list, in accordance with state audit law, for failing to complete their 2015 audit. The audit was due in December 2015 for the fiscal year.
The mayor was asked to appear before the Fiscal Review Committee so that they could evaluate whether to ask the court to appoint a fiscal administrator for the town. The committee had numerous concerns regarding the drinking water, especially the fact that money had been made available to help with the most recent issues, but could not be given to the town due to their non-compliance.
Bradley Cryer, Director of Local Government, Legislative Auditor’s Office, stated that their review was prompted by the recent news coverage of the town’s water condition. He said in 2004 the Town of St. Joseph was given $423,000 to complete the water treatment plant, however, the town has not properly maintained the plant. He added that $6 million in capital outlay funding as well as a $500,000 block grant had been awarded for repairs of the water system, but were being held up due to the incomplete audit.,
Brown and his attorney, Karl Koch, when given a chance to speak, defended their standpoint. Koch stated the town is paying their bills, and that the issue with the water is not a maintenance issue, but an issue with the aging water pipes. He stated that the audit for 2015 was nearly completed and that it wouldn’t make sense to appoint a fiscal administrator for a town that is current with it’s bills.
On April 13, several frustrated residents traveled to Baton Rouge to plead with lawmakers to do something about the St Joseph water to make it safer and cleaner. The citizens present at the meeting said their pleas for help have gone unheeded by Brown. They claimed they and others have begun to see health problems as a result of the town’s undrinkable brown water.
Despite support for house bill 823 by Rep. Marcus Hunter, D-Monroe, which calls for the state to intervene directly in St. Joseph’s water problems, the bill was temporarily deferred due to it’s language being too broad. Hunter will bring the bill before the committee again this week, after amending it. Lawmakers were led to discuss recall petitions and charges of negligence against Mayor Brown after hearing testimony of St. Joseph residents. Committee chairman Stuart Bishop, R-Lafayette, said he will personally call Mayor Brown to appear before lawmakers and if he does not respond, he will be issued a subpoena.
For more Tensas Parish news, subscribe to The Tensas Gazette by calling 318-766-3258 or 318-728-2250.