VIDALIA &045;&045; Employees of the Concordia Parish Police Jury will soon have health and dental insurance, something some have gone without for years.

The Police Jury gave the go ahead to an insurance plan with Ferriday’s Hazlip Companies that will offer 100 percent employee coverage to 23 jury employees. The employees will have to purchase the insurance for their families on their own.

The $500 deductible, totaling around $40,000 more per year for the jury, is the lowest rate they have been able to find in several years, Secretary Russell Wagoner said.

The employees covered by the insurance are those who work directly for the Police Jury at the courthouse or with the maintenance unit. Only those not on Medicaid are eligible.

Previously only five employees were covered for higher rates.

&uot;We hoped to come up with something for everyone,&uot; Juror Randy Temple said.

The jurors added the item to the agenda Monday night and voted to approve the plan even though the final 2005 budget has not yet been approved.

&uot;This is going to be a big help,&uot; Secretary Russell Wagoner said. &uot;We’ve had a bunch out there for probably 10 years that have never had any insurance.&uot;

The jury also agreed to advertise for a public hearing on the new precinct ordinance, which involves the renaming of voting precincts.

Under the ordinance a precinct previously labeled 5-4-A would simply become district 5, precinct 4. The state has requested that everything be labeled by district and precinct, eliminating the old ward system, Wagoner said.

The jury will not vote on the changes until after the public hearing.