ST.LANDRY PARISH, La. (KLFY) -- The Louisiana State Bonding Commission has approved a $4 million loan for St. Landry Parish Government to cover rising mandated expenses, with the parish planning to request only $2.9 million of the approved amount.

Parish President Jessie Bellard explained that the parish has been working to cut costs by reducing staff and expediting court processes. These measures have allowed the parish to limit their loan request to $2.9 million, despite having approval for up to $4 million.

"They approved up to 4 million, but we are asking for 2.9," Bellard said. "We can go to 4 million, but we don't need to for right now."

Bellard highlighted the efforts made by the judicial system to accelerate the movement of inmates through the court system.

"The judges and the D.A. and public defenders came together two years ago and said, okay, we've got a problem, we'll move faster," Bellard said. "So the judges put more court dates on the docket for the criminal court. The D.A. and the public defender's office put more attorneys. So that's why our numbers are dropping."

To repay the loan, Bellard mentioned several initiatives, including a solar farm project and a deal with Wal-Mart distribution, which have been established to generate revenue for the parish.

"The solar farm is the first one that's coming in. We worked out a deal with Wal-Mart distribution. Now, they are taxpayers of the parish of St. Landry," Bellard said. "Also this year, Lightsource BP, they have come on board."

With these financial strategies and projects in place, Bellard expressed confidence that the parish will be able to repay the loan and potentially avoid the need for future loans.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.

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