VIDALIA &8212; Volunteers of the Concordia Animal Welfare Shelter asked Concordia Parish police jurors Monday to do more to help control the stray animals they said are an increasing problem.

Specifically, Lynn Ladner and Lisa Smith asked, at the jury&8217;s Monday night meeting, that the parish provide an animal control officer, which they said is required by state law.

They asked the jury to direct the Concordia Parish Sheriff&8217;s Office to better enforce the parish&8217;s existing animal control ordinance. They also asked the jury to provide a parish employee, perhaps an existing worker, to assist CAWS volunteers and to budget enough funds for an effective animal control program.

The problem, Smith said, can be seen in the fact that CAWS &8220;took in 200 animals from Concordia Parish alone.&8221;

Jurors decided to set up a meeting as soon as possible with representatives of the Sheriff&8217;s Office and the parish&8217;s towns to formulate a plan.

Also, police jurors voted after a public hearing to adopt an ordinance prohibiting the firing of a firearm within 5,000 feet of a school or subdivision, except in areas outside the Mississippi River levee. The action was taken after residents complained people were hunting close to Huntington School and nearby subdivisions.

Juror Randy Temple said he supports the ordinance but wanted to exempt areas such as Old River. Those frequently hunted areas are shielded from nearby houses by the levee, Temple pointed out.

Also, jurors voted to ask the state for a turning lane on U.S. 65 north of Ferriday at the request of developers who hope to locate a shopping center there.