VIDALIA — The Concordia Parish Police Jury approved its 2012 budget with little discussion Monday night but acknowledged every penny matters this year.

“We got a fairly decent budget this year, but it’s a tight budget,” Police Jury President Melvin Ferrington said. “We need to tighten the belts and really watch our budget close.”

Jurors also discussed ways to give raises to three unnamed employees.

District 2 juror Willie Dunbar said he felt the employees should be given at least a $1 raise in the 2012 budget.

Ferrington said the jury had analyzed that possibility before, but that the funds were not present to grant that request.

District 1B member Joe Parker made a motion that he would be willing to take a cut in his pay to give those employees the raise in the upcoming budget.

“I’m willing to sacrifice part of my salary to allow those three people that make $8.11 to come up to $9.11,” Parker said. “If any other jurors want to join in, they are welcome to.”

Parker’s statement led to a roll call vote on the motion.

After some confusion over whether the motion was to approve the pay be taken only from Parker’s salary or whether it should come from each juror, the vote failed 3-6.

District 3A member Randy Temple said he felt the matter was not a decision to be made by the jury.

“When we adjust salaries that comes out of the committees,” Temple said. “They study the market carefully and figure out what appropriate salaries should be.”

In other news from the police jury meeting:

• A motion to advertise a bid to begin reconstructing a portion of Airport Road was approved.

Engineer Hayden Kaiser presented an outline of the preliminary plans and said he hopes to begin construction in February.

• The jury approved three gravel bids and three chemical bids to be sent to the public works and finance committee for revisions. They will be presented again during the first meeting in January.