[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish Council reviews new finance director salary, election results

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish Council reviews new finance director salary, election
results
 By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
on December 18, 2012 at 11:05 AM, updated December 18, 2012 at 11:23 AM
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The St. Bernard Parish Council on Tuesday, in addition to officially
authorizing the results of three Dec. 8 referendums, will vote to give the
parish's new financial director a salary of $80,000, down about $6,700 from
the previous finance director who left office on Friday. Ross Gonzales, who
has served as the parish housing and redevelopment coordinator since Parish
President Dave Peralta took office in January, became the new finance
director on Monday.

Gonzales replaced Beverly Gariepy, who has taken a finance post with St.
Tammany Parish government. The announcement of her departure came less than
a week after St. Bernard voters passed a residency requirement for new
employee hires. That residency requirement would not have applied to Gariepy
-- who lives in St. Tammany -- but who, along with other non-St.
Bernard-resident employees, was often mentioned by community members
throughout the process.

In addition to voting on the new financial director's salary and officially
authorizing the new residency requirement, the Parish Council, during its 3
p.m. Tuesday special council meeting, will authorize the passage of the
20-mill fire tax. The council also will confirm that voters struck down a
proposition that would have shifted a half-cent tax on garbage collections
into the general fund.