Procedures are adopted for deviating from work hours

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Ryan “Leday” Williams was selected as Evangeline Parish Police Jury president for another year during the meeting held Monday. The jury also selected Bryan Vidrine as vice president.
Following the vote, Juror Kevin Veillon rebuked the president for an incident which occurred on December 23 when the police jury office closed early.
According to Veillon, a constituent called that office on that day to see if the office was closing early because she was in need of a permit. She was told the office would be open all day. When the woman arrived after noon, the office was closed. Veillon expressed this was not the first time such an incident took place where the office closed early.
“I want to know if the president of the jury has the authorization to close the office by himself without any of the other jurors,” Veillon said. “This is the last time Kevin Veillon wants to sit on this jury and find out from a constituent that something like this happens. We need to be informed.”
The matter reached its crescendo when Veillon stated, “This is not a privately owned company. This is public. We are here to serve the public first and foremost. We get paid with taxpayer money. The public expects someone to be in the office to wait on them if they get there at 3:50.”
He continued, “Everyone in that office is getting paid with taxpayer money. It’s not private, and if they in the office are not happy I feel they need to find a new job that is private.”
Williams owned up to the decision to close the office early on that day in question. He said, “I can take full responsibility for that. Typically, I would reach out to everybody.”
The jury adopted procedures where the president will poll every juror first if the need arises to close the office early. If the president cannot reach the jurors, then he will be allowed to make the decision.