In a very short special meeting Thursday night, the Parish Council unanimously approved a $60,000 bridge loan to Fire District 9 to meet their payroll.

Fire District 9 is one of four fire districts that requested bridge loans at the council’s Jan. 8 meeting. They all need loans to meet their payrolls, because property tax bills were mailed out late this year, and revenue for the fire districts would not be available until sometime in March.

The council skipped over another resolution that would have approved the bridge loans for Fire Districts 2, 4 and 11 because there were no representatives at the meeting, and because Fire District 9 needed quick approval. According to Council Chairman Jerry Binder, Fire District Chief Scott Brewer has an appointment with a bank next Tuesday, and quick action was needed on the approval. Brewer told the council that the bridge loan will only go for paying his seven full-time firefighters. District 9 covers the area around and in Bush.

The other fire districts will probably get the approval for their loans at the council’s Feb. 5 meeting.

Because of the delay in getting out the re-assessment of parish property, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office was not able to send out property tax bills until the second week in January. It is estimated that the bills will be paid sometime in March. The St. Tammany Parish Fire Services depends on the property taxes to meet operational and capital expenses. However, the bridge loans will only be used for operational expenses. Fire District 2 is seeking a $450,000 loand, Fire District 4 needs $500,000 and Fire District 11 wants a bridge loan of $100,000 so that personnel can get paid.

“The citizens won’t lack for fire protection,” Binder said.

The council voted 11 to 0 to approve Fire District 9’s loan. Councilmen Marty Dean, James Thompson and Ken Burkhalter were absent.