St. Landry Council Goes To Court Over Records

OPELOUSAS, La. (AP) — The St. Landry Parish Council has asked a state judge to order Parish President Bill Fontenot to make available financial records from the administration of his predecessor.

The Advocate reports (http://bit.ly/O8uImw) Council Attorney Andrea West has been seeking copies of 2011 credit card use, vendor receipts, equipment inventories, capital outlay project bids and other financial documents under former Parish President Don Menard as part of a council investigation.

An internal audit of parish government's 2011 finances found there are no receipts from charges on an American Express credit card used by Menard.

In addition, another $3,000 on the same credit card Menard used in 2010 also was undocumented.

The audit indicated a $57,000 hangar project at the St. Landry Parish airport was completed earlier this year without council approval.

The audit was presented in June by Steven Moosa of the Darnall, Gardes, Sikes and Frederick accounting firm.

In May, the court petition says, the council authorized West to initiate an investigation "by any and all appropriate agencies into any wrongdoing by any St. Landry government employee and request that any and all restitution that may be forthcoming as a result of (the) investigation."

The petition also seeks an injunction to prohibit Fontenot from blocking council members from access to any parish public records.

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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com