Mayor Hyram Copeland gave the Concordia Parish Police Jury good advice Monday night.

Let’s hope they take it.

Copeland was one of a small crowd of Vidalia area residents who attended the regular jury meeting to express concerns about drainage.

A backed up drainage canal left many parish residents with several inches of standing water in their yards and homes last week after an abnormally heavy rain. Some of the water was still around Monday.

The jury says fixing the problem would cost millions, millions they don’t have.

But standing water is an issue with which no property owner should have to deal, and the jury must work harder to find a solution.

“Look at what it is going to cost to fix this problem, and take it to the people,” Copeland told the jury.

It’s a simple reminder that the jurors work for the public, and instead of simply saying “No,” jurors should say, “Let’s see.”

If the drainage issue is big enough, the people can either agree to a tax designated toward drainage or they can suggest new ideas of their own.

The problem may seem insurmountable to the jury, a board of nine people, but it’s not impossible when the community works together.

Let’s leave the idea on the table for discussion.