FERRIDAY — The Town of Ferriday may need to find some extra cash before a proposal to make the chief of police an elected position can be realized.

That was the answer the town’s auditor Myles Hopkins gave the board of aldermen this week when Alderwoman Gloria Lloyd asked him if the proposal would impact the town’s financial standing.

The board voted last month to seek legislative permission to change how the town appoints its police chief. Under the current system, the mayor appoints the police chief, while the board has renewed its past interest in making the position an elected one.

An elected police chief would have a budget independent of Town Hall and would control the fines and fees associated with the police department.

“What you are talking about doing is splitting the government,” Hopkins said. “At the present time, you have just one pot of money. You are going to split the pot, putting some over here under the control of the police chief, and when he gets the fines and the substantial amount of property taxes dedicated to police department, I am not sure (the town) would have enough to operate.”

The town government’s only source of revenue at that point would be taxes the aldermen could not adjust and utilities collections, Hopkins said.

“You have no control to raise revenues except utility bills,” Hopkins said.

When Hopkins said it might be possible for an elected police chief to work out a funding arrangement with the town board, Lloyd asked, “Do you really believe that?”

Alderman Johnnie Brown said the town has missed out on chances for things like grants and new revenues through economic development because the board has not been proactive enough.

“It would be up to the board members to come up with new, creative ways to bring money to the coffers, which is something we are not doing presently,” he said. “I am talking about economic development. We have no program I am aware of for that.”

Alderwoman Sandra Pryor said Beatrice Cummings, the town’s economic developer, is working on a development strategy with representatives from the Kisatchie-Delta Regional Planning and Development District.

The board has a planned executive session to discuss economic development strategies on the agenda for its meeting Tuesday, but decided not to have the session until Cummings could join them.

Alderman Elijah “Steppers” Banks said whatever strategy the town adopts, it needs to be a unified one.

“The board has got to be together on whatever is needed for the town moving forward,” Banks said.