vidalia &8212; Despite some grumbling from the crowd, the Concordia Parish Police Jury adopted a 1,000-foot ban on the discharge of firearms near schools, and acknowledged a decades old 500-foot ban near inhabited dwellings.

The jury held a public hearing on the gun issues in response to an incident in which a deer stand was placed dangerously a school.

The board first proposed the 1,000-foot ban, which was fine with the 20 or so present, then brought up the 500-foot ban. Those present expressed concerns that they wouldn&8217;t be able to shoot alligators or snakes, or even be able to sight their rifles, near their parish homes.

The debate proved fruitless, however, as it was later discovered that the 500-foot ban had already been on the books since the 1970s. Changing an existing ordinance is an entirely different legislative matter.

The board voted 9-0 to adopt the 1,000-foot ban of the discharge of firearms near schools.

In other business at the first meeting of the year, the jury unanimously re-elected President Melvin Ferrington and Vice President Red Tiffee.

&8220;We have a lot of work to do this year, and I hope I am up to the challenge of handling it,&8221; Ferrington said by way of inauguration.

The board, based on the recommendation of District 1 representatives Joe Parker Jr. and Willie Dunbar, whittled the list of 15 prospective members of the Lake St. John Recreation and Water District down to 10.

Of the 10, Tom Bell, Billy Rucker, Allen Brown, Glenda Lewis, James Neely, Wade Hickman, Bobby Marks, Al Vaughan, James Freeman and Brad Mount, five will be appointed by the parish&8217;s Legislative delegation of Sen. Noble Ellington and Rep. Bryant Hammett to the board.

The jury appointed Larry Chauvin to the Riverland Medical Center Board to replace the departing Tommy Massey.

Donna Maroon and Johnny Blunschi were reappointed to the Concordia Parish Airport Authority Board.

The airport was the topic of concern later in the meeting when the jury discussed whether to loan the authority $25,771.39 to pay an IRS assessment stemming from 941 taxes from 1997 through 2004.

When the matter came up it was revealed that the $25,771.39 was just of the overall assessment and that some $18,000 would still need to be paid over 24 months to get right with the feds.

The tax woes are the result of bookkeeping neglect at the airport during the tenure of Chastity Cowan. The lone employee of the airport, Cowan was deducting taxes from her paychecks but was only submitting the quarterly payments to the IRS when the airport had the money.

She was fired in 2004. There are no indications or allegations of embezzlement.

Newly-elected airport President Carl Sayers said one of his first duties was to relieve Cowan of her duties and put the airport under the volunteer services of the board.

&8220;My first duty was to straighten out the bookkeeping,&8221; he said by phone after the meeting. &8220;We&8217;re glad to have this behind us and are looking forward to getting it farther behind us.&8221;

The airport authority operates on a monthly grant from the jury and whatever rent it brings in.

The jury is ultimately on the hook for the assessment. With assets of more than $1 million, the IRS could choose to take the airport if the jury refused to pay.

The board voted to table the matter until it&8217;s Jan. 23 meeting in order to get in touch with the IRS personally.

The jury voted to approve gravel and chemical bids received and to pay $3,517 in dues to the Kisatchie-Delta Regional Planning and Development District, which helps eight Louisiana parishes find and secure grants.

The board voted to advertise for a new gradeall machine. Gradealls are used to dig culverts and clean ditches.