FERRIDAY — Nothing’s free in life, and the Town of Ferriday is no different.

Ferriday Mayor Glen McGlothin said the town is going to have to start turning water off to those people who are not paying.

“Nobody hates cutting water off more than I do,” he said. “But after a while I have to say no.”

Alderwoman Gloria Lloyd said the board could no longer sit by and let people do what they want.

“If someone pays one light bill and leaves 50 cents off, they cut off their lights,” she said. “You still have to pay the bill no matter what.”

Some residents in Ferriday have not been paying the water bill due to the status of the water, but McGlothin said that is no excuse to not pay your bill.

“I have to collect the money. It is the law,” he said. “We are not trying to hurt anyone with the cutoffs. The few that aren’t paying the bills are hurting the rest.”

McGlothin said the payment of bills is crucial to help the town with the water situation.

“People in Ferriday do not deserve bad water,” he said. “But they still have to pay the bill.”

The quality of the water is something McGlothin said the town has been working on for a while now.

“I do use Ferriday water and I would like to have good water myself,” he said. “We are trying to move forward with the water plant.”

In other business, the board approved three new occupational licenses and said they hope to see more businesses open their doors in Ferriday.

Concordia Parish Economic and Industrial Development District Director Heather Malone was at the meeting and said the new licenses are a good sign.

“Mainly in our parish, the economic development is community development,” she said.

Malone said improving the quality of life in Ferriday is a key step in getting businesses to show interest.

“We are inviting businesses to come to the area,” she said. “We have to make ourselves marketable to market ourselves.”