Jury hears plea for parish animal shelter as officials weigh using health-unit millage

The jury discussed options for establishing a parish animal shelter and whether existing health-unit millage funds or a new ballot proposition could pay for it. Jurors said an Attorney General response initially rejected the parish's request but indicated the AG's office would permit a rewritten letter that emphasized health and public-safety concerns.

"They said it would not be allowed," one juror said of the AG response, but officials reported the AG suggested revised language and possibly a new resolution. Jurors discussed moving the proposed shelter site to existing facilities (the Mon(a) Field area) to reduce build costs and the possibility of inmate labor to help with operations if a prison warden agrees.

Several jurors and officials noted the parish health unit currently holds about $5.9 million in reserve. "If the money we spend to the DA's office, we would have legal representation, but once again, it's not there," one juror said while urging use of existing funds or placing a proposition before voters. Others cautioned they needed an official legal opinion before reallocating health-unit millage.

A public commenter who identified herself as a boarding-facility owner described daily rescues, medical emergencies and overflow from the Marksville pound and offered to partner with a parish shelter. "Every dog that comes into that Marksville shelter has been vetted by a civilian from New Orleans," she said, describing networks that help vet and rehome animals. She and other volunteers said they could provide intake, medical triage and transport partnerships if the county established centralized shelter capacity.

Jurors discussed a range of options: rewriting the AG request to emphasize health risks (for example, rabies or aggressive animals), adding explicit shelter language to the millage renewal or proposing a separate ballot measure in November, and seeking formal AG and bond-commission guidance on allowable expenditures. Several jurors said survey results indicated community support for a parish-wide shelter but that funding language and legal authority must be clarified before committing funds or announcing a plan.

The jury directed staff to pursue a written AG opinion or rewrite the request with clearer health-unit justification and to prepare ballot language options for discussion; no formal funding action was recorded during the meeting.