VIDALIA &8212; Concordia Council on Aging made an impassioned plea for funding in Tuesday&8217;s police jury meeting, and it didn&8217;t fall on deaf ears.

Forced to pare back services in light of recent funding reductions on the state and federal level, council board member Harry Creighton came to ask the jury the process by which his organization could receive the portion of the parish&8217;s one-percent road tax it had been promised.

&8220;We&8217;re not here carping,&8221; he said.

&8220;And we&8217;re not here welshing, either,&8221; Jury President Melvin Ferrington said. &8220;You all did a lot to help us get the tax passed, and the money is yours.&8221;

In order to begin receiving its monthly cut of the five-percent of the revenues the council is to split with the LSU AgCenter parish extension office, however, it must ask for it in writing, according to jury Secretary Russell Wagoner.

&8220;All we need is a paper trail,&8221; he said. &8220;When our auditor comes in, they want to see a paper trail of where all our money goes.&8221;

The council presented the jury with bills for their January and February receipts, and Wagoner said checks would be cut.

In addition to nearly $10,000 the council is slated to receive from the road tax, the jury said it was possible to allocate another sum from the tax toward it.

The tax money is separate from the $125 monthly stipend the jury gives the group.

That number grew by another $100 in the meeting, when jury members Joe Parker Sr. and Willie Dunbar each volunteered $50 from their monthly paychecks be added to the total.

The Council on Aging also receives a yearly grant from the United Way in the amount of $28,000.

&8220;The only thing that has not changed (budget-wise) is the $125 per month from the jury and the money we get from the United Way,&8221; Creighton said. &8220;Those are the only two places we can count on.&8221;

In other business:

4The jury voted to close the lower portion of Brookwater Road near Wildsville. There are no houses on the portion being closed and recreational use of the end of the road was becoming a nuisance to other inhabitants on the road.

4The jury approved a letter of support for veterinarian Justin Gregg to continue the process for starting a crematorium at his hospital. In a letter to the jury, Gregg said the facility would be a benefit for area residents needing to safely dispose of dead animals. In order to be built, Gregg must have approval from the Department of Environmental Quality and other state agencies.

4The jury approved July 15 as the date for the millage renewal election for Concordia Parish Recreation District No. 3 and approved a resolution supporting Community Development Block Grant funding.