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Franklin fire chief tells St. Mary Parish Council a decades-old contract and missed payments threaten district services
Summary
City of Franklin Fire Chief Chuck Bourgeois told the St. Mary Parish Council the fixed $3,000-per-month contract for Fire District No. 5 has not been adjusted since 1987, the parish skipped an annual allocation in 2025, and the department may stop responding to emergency medical calls outside city limits unless the contract and payments are updated; he asked for 30 days to negotiate in writing.
City of Franklin Fire Chief Chuck Bourgeois urged the St. Mary Parish Council on March 25 to update a decades-old fire protection agreement and address missed parish allocations that he said threaten department operations.
Bourgeois told the council the agreement pays a fixed $3,000 a month and has not been adjusted since 1987, while an annual fire protection allocation cited in his remarks as $16,534 was not received for two years. He said the department cannot sustain operations under the current funding arrangement and told council members the department would stop running emergency medical calls outside city limits and would cease preparing and submitting fire rating paperwork unless the matter is addressed. "Operations cannot continue under these conditions," Bourgeois said.
Chief Administrative Officer Paul J. Governale told the council that several organizations were cut due to lack of funding and that the annual allocation (noted in the record alternatively as $16,500) was not awarded in 2025 though a portion was provided in 2024. Council members discussed administrative efforts to find a solution and raised the possibility of placing a millage on a future ballot to stabilize funding.
Bourgeois asked the parish for 30 days to negotiate the contract in writing. The council did not adopt a formal motion about the contract during the meeting; members asked administration to explore options and follow up. The matter remains under discussion and may return to the council with proposed contract language, budget adjustments or a ballot proposal.
The council meeting also included other agenda items including zoning and subdivision approvals, but no final decision on a revised fire protection contract was recorded at adjournment.
