FERRIDAY — With unexpectedly high bills to pay at Ferriday Town Hall, Mayor Glen McGlothlin told the board of aldermen that paying old lawyer fees was not high on the checklist.

Alderman Elijah “Stepper” Banks put the issue on the agenda for Tuesday’s regular meeting.

“For clarification and verification (I want to say), the council voted (to pay the fees) a year ago, and no money has come,” Alderwoman Gail Pryor said.

In January 2011, the board voted in favor of paying $129,000 to attorneys who represented the late Ferriday Mayor Sammy Davis.

Davis was convicted of malfeasance in office, but that conviction was later overturned in the early 1990s. Davis died in 2006. Louisiana law allows for the compensation of legal fees of an elected official who proves themselves innocent of charges related to their conduct in office.

McGlothin listed a number of reasons the town couldn’t afford to pay the fees.

“Health insurance is going up, and I don’t know how we’re going to handle it,” McGlothin said.

McGlothin said Ferriday employees might end up having to pay a stipend to help make up for the raise in health care expenses, similar to the way Concordia Parish Police Jury and the City of Vidalia dealt with increased rates.

Additionally, McGlothin said the town recently got a bill to pay $16,000 for a fourth drainage pump.

“And we have on other payment coming up,” he said.

McGlothin said the town will have to pay for new meters in Red Gum which will cost money at first but will eventually pay off.

“Once we get the meters in…we won’t be losing money anymore. We’ll be the captain of our own ship,” McGlothin said.

Since GPS will track the new water meters, the lack of human errors and flat rates will eliminate loses of income from the town’s water, McGlothin said. He said he met with the representatives from the United States Department of Agriculture, who provided the grant for the new water plant, for three and a half hours Tuesday. He was told it would take 90 days to get the new meters, he said.

Red Gum currently owes the city approximately $8,000, he said.

McGlothin noted that Ferriday was blessed to receive the $5 million grant from USDA for the new water plant. The grant requires the city to match the funds with $1.3 million.

“For once in our life we’ve done something right,” McGlothin said.

“When you get a 75-80 percent grant, you’ve done real well.”

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, Banks, who owns the club, “Steppers,” presented a list of crimes associated with the VIP Club. He placed the issue on the agenda to address problems there.

McGlothin said most of all of the incidents listed occurred in one incident and involved people from Jonesville.

Chief Johnny Williams said he does not consider VIP Club a problem and will tell the board if it becomes one.

As far as bars go, McGlothin said, he thought VIP Club operated responsibility for the most part.

“This (VIP) bar here is like a day care center,” McGlothin said. “I’ve been in bars you wouldn’t believe.”