The Madison Parish Police Jury held its regular meeting on Monday, July 14, 2025 to address infrastructure repairs, financial matters, utility billing concerns, and a resignation from the Hospital Service District board.
District 2 juror Stanley Ogden was absent. The jury approved its consent agenda, including the June 23, 2025 meeting minutes, building reports, financial statements, and outstanding invoices. During the president’s report, Madison Parish Police Jury President Jane Sanders discussed repairs to the roof of the old Madison Parish Health Unit building and board voted to move forward with engineering specifications and public advertisements for construction work.
Road conditions leading to the port were raised by Neil Martin of Terall River Services. Martin said harvest season in Madison Parish would begin within two weeks and asked for an update on replacing a culvert and sloping shoulders. Jury members said repairs would be underway soon, with Martin being told to return to the Madison Parish Port Commission for further information. The police jury acknowledged that the repairs would likely reduce traffic to one lane during the harvest.
During district reports, the jury discussed complaints about grass needing to be cut, damaged roads and drainage problems. One resident, requested permission to write a grant proposal seeking funds to repair a section of West Bear Lake Road. The Madison Journal drove the entire stretch of the road and found it impossible to drive fast enough to reach the 35 mile per hour speed limit. With multiple deep potholes and portions of deteriorated shoulder, the road is mostly one lane. The jury discussed a potential $40,000 allocation from a Louisiana State House of Representatives Bill, but made no final decision on the proposal.
The jury discussed difficulties collecting sewer payments from residents. Officials proposed linking sewer service to water access to encourage payment. They also debated utility billing issues at the jail stemming from disputed water meter readings and planned to request a face-to-face meeting with Tallulah city officials for resolution.
The Louisiana Supreme Court’s ruling upholding a lower court decision in favor of the jury in a dispute with 23rd Psalm Trucking over a waste collection contract was also announced.
Carlos Ford submitted her resignation from the Madison Parish Hospital Service District Board of Commissioners. The jury accepted her resignation and appointed Hazel Suluki to complete the term.
Several road and safety issues were addressed by Superintendent Clinton Epps. Discussion included road signage needs for repairs, drainage improvements, and the need for gravel and mowing on multiple parish roads.
The jury also received updates on training and safety inspections, including housekeeping and storage issues at parish facilities. Epps reported that many items had been placed in maintenance facilities for storage. Sanders suggested selling items to make space.
