In a development that lately has run counter to the field of play, the Bossier Parish Police Jury backed down on an issue that involved skirting the law – seemingly echoing a prominent Bossier City appointee falling on his sword likely over a negative report.

The Jury in recent years has made it a habit of dancing on the precipice of what’s legal and what’s not, in the process violating the spirit of the law if not the intent. As an example of the former, the Jury continues to comply with the law concerning transmission of its and its committee meetings, but in the most minimal way possible (although it did recently begin to post its informational packet for each meeting prior to the meeting, years after all other major local governmental organizations in the area). As an example of the latter, for months it illegally allowed its former parish administrator to act as the head of libraries and allowed him to serve as the parish head executive even though he really resided outside the parish, contrary to law.

But apparently it could no longer stomach openly flouting the law regarding the parish Library Board of Control after more than two years. Last week, it amended its ordinance about the Board to bring it closer in line with state law. Previously, the ordinance had set membership only at five parish citizens, but the amendment expanded that to as many as seven and clarified the length of terms, making it basically the same as in statute.

However, the ordinance previously didn’t violate state law; it just didn’t create as many options as under statute. The problem was that the Jury followed neither existing ordinance nor statute, having since 2024 convened meetings of what was called the Board with all 12 jurors (as well as having illegally appointed almost all jurors). While jurors technically may serve on the Board as they reside in the parish, undoubtedly the spirit of the law is to have private citizens serve like they do in all other parishes in the state.

Whether a threatened lawsuit had anything to do with the amendment, which appeared to come out of nowhere, or whether the change was intended to help resolve what could become a troublesome issue in juror elections next year, the fact that jurors brought the ordinance into the same substantive posture as statute strongly signals that the Jury is not going to follow the same course as it has from 2024 on, even if it does place five to seven jurors on it and no non-jurors (for a decade it has had at least one juror on it). Perhaps the change acted as a prelude to a rotation system of jurors that stays under the state limit.

Yet it did thumb its nose at its own ordinance for years, so that remains a possibility. The next Board meeting should provide answers, but hopefully prior to that the Jury will put things in a posture where it finally will follow the law, which would boost citizens’ confidence that the Jury acts under the rule of law and therefore is accountable to the citizenry.

The rule of law also could have been questioned in Bossier City, where a report issued by the City Council concluded that its Legal Department behaved in a questionable, if not illegal, manner concerning the city paying $270,000 to refurbish two parking lots of private citizens – one a close friend of a former city councilor – for reasons that do not appear to show the city was at fault for damage to them.

Essentially, the report, relying on outside legal assistance, revealed a “process that was poorly documented, hidden from public view, and structured in a way that appears designed to avoid Louisiana’s public bidding requirements.” This lay solely at the feet of the Legal Department and its City Attorney Charles Jacobs, an ally of three recently retired councilors and one defeated for reelection, replaced by others with a far dimmer view of letting such shenanigans occur under their watch.

A month later, Jacobs resigned, whether because the report’s questioning of his actions in the affair prompted the resignation or led to a situation in which he was forced out. He released no public statement concerning his departure. This also makes the future of Assistant City Attorney Richard Ray uncertain, as the city attorney appoints the assistant. Regardless, this change boosts citizens’ confidence in Bossier City government as well, as it appears that consequences for dubious actions may bring accountability.

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