By KATHY HANRAHAN-Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – The concerns for St. John residents not receiving much needed services due to the untimely handling of work orders was the focus of the Parish Council meeting on Tuesday.

Councl members discussed the build up of work orders by the Public Works Department that have delayed projects like garbage pickup and drainage.

“Undoubtedly something is not working,” Councilman Lester Rainey said. “There is a management problem there.”

During the regular meeting, Councilwoman Melissa Faucheux displayed a stack of nearly 200 papers depicting work orders dating back to January that have not been processed. Among the orders were requests for the cleaning of parish property, the placement of culverts, building up of cement and the repair of collapsed drains.

“Tax dollars go to having it done and it should be done,” Faucheux said.

She stressed that employees are doing their jobs but it is up to the directors to make sure that work orders are not falling behind.

“Are we over-loaded? Yes. Are we over-worked? Yes,” Parish Chief Administrative Officer Chris Guidry said of the department which he helps oversee.

Councilman Lester Rainey agreed that management needs to monitor the direction of employees so that these large quantities of orders are being handled in an expedient manner.

“It’s not a crack that was fallen through,” Rainey says about the unprocessed orders presented, “it was a dog-gone hole.”

Rainey said that orders in his district are not being processed either. He cited orders for patching streets and drainage that are waiting to be completed.

Guidry said that the department would continue to help serve the citizens of the parish.

“We are working on those issues,” Guidry said. “We appreciate it if you can find time to send orders by paper so they can be tracked.”