<div>The St. Mary Parish Council passed an ordinance Nov. 4 dealing with a controversial topic: debt.The new parish law, put forward by the administration, was approved on a voice vote by the six present council members.It will prohibit borrowing through “the issuances of bonds, notes, certificates of indebtedness, or any other borrowing” that would cause the parish’s total indebtedness to rise above 21% of the budgeted anticipated revenue for the current year.That language effectively puts off any borrowing for at least the next few years, although the ordinance makes an exception for natural disasters and other emergency borrowing. Then the parish could borrow up to 25% of the debt capacity.An audit of the parish’s 2024 budget, issued in March 2026, showed revenue of about $27 million. The current level of bonded debt is about $30 million. The biggest share is more than $16 million left to be repaid from two $10 million bond issues in 2019.Those bonds raised money for parish road improvements. The parish shared some of the proceeds with municipalities for their own road work.The parish has struggled with tight budgets for the last three years. During his 2023 campaign for president, Sam Jones blamed the financial straits on failure to take advantage of grant opportunities and on parish borrowing.While Jones has criticized the level of debt, others, including former President David Hanagriff, have defended the bond issues as a way to deal with deteriorating infrastructure.Also Nov. 4, the council passed a resolution of respect for Cyrus June Provost, a longtime educator and Morgan City Council member who died Oct. 26.Provost, an Army and Navy Reserve veteran, began teaching science in Morgan City in 1957. He also served as a principal in local schools.He was elected to the Morgan City Council in 1966.</div>

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The St. Mary Parish Council passed an ordinance Nov. 4 dealing with a controversial topic: debt. The new parish law, put forward by the administration, was approved on a voice vote by the six present council members. It will prohibit borrowing through “the issuances of bonds, notes, certificates of indebtedness,...

New ordinance will limit parish borrowing

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The St. Mary Parish Council passed an ordinance Nov. 4 dealing with a controversial topic: debt. The new parish law, put forward by the administration, was

New ordinance will limit parish borrowing

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