Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard Releases Information for Franklin Residents
Public Information 3/16/20 3:15p.m.
The City of Franklin as with every municipality within St. Mary Parish is following the lead of the St. Mary Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness pertaining to COVID-19 which has turned out to be unprecedented thus far. With the amount of information and misinformation in the media I would rather everyone rely upon the true information being submitted from vetted sources. Due to the nature and rapid spread of COVID-19 I recommend that each and every citizen in Franklin follow Federal and State Mandates regarding social gatherings. Currently, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) now recommends that no gatherings larger than 50 people be conducted in order to help prevent the spread of this virus. Governor John Bel Edwards has just issued another mandate closing casinos, bars and movie theaters and limiting restaurants to delivery, take out and drive-through orders only.
My office remains vigilant and informed with regularly schedule conferences with the St. Mary Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness which involves leaders from State and Federal agencies. However, with that said I must continue to run our beautiful city within the confines of State and Federal Emergency Management orders and mandates by instituting the following directives:
• Beginning Monday, March 16, 2020, Broussard-Harris Recreation and City Park Recreation Centers are closed to the public. Unfortunately, though children are not in school this is in effort to stop the spread of the virus from household to household.
• Beginning Tuesday, March 17, 2020, City Hall and other city facilities will be closed to the public.
• Water service cut-off is suspended for the next two billing cycles. Customers are still responsible for their bills and are encouraged to keep up with their balances to avoid future financial burden and loss of service when operations return to normal.
• Payments for Water Bills and Taxes can be collected through the drop box at City Hall or by credit card over the telephone. A receipt can be mailed to you upon request. To make a payment or to get a balance due:
o Water Billing: 337-828-6313, 828-6312
o Taxes: 337-828-6303, 828-6310
• Permits will accept check payments only through the drop box located at the front entrance to City Hall . Applications for permits can be made by phone or email. 337-828-6303 or permittech@franklin-la.com
Tomorrow night’s City Council Meeting will still move forward; however, in keeping with the CDC’s directive calling for social distance and minimization of crowds, we are asking the general public not to attend unless absolutely necessary. The City of Franklin Council Meeting is broadcast live at 6:00 p.m. on Cox Channel 195.
All City Departments will continue normal business operations while these directives are in place. Hopefully this will quickly be resolved and our lives can get back to normal. Please check on the elderly and more at risk neighbors that may be in need of basic items.
Please continue to keep our City, Parish, State, Country and the world in your prayers as we go through these tumultuous times.
