Natchitoches Fire District No. 1 Officials Paid Family Members for Construction, Grass-Cutting

An investigation of Natchitoches Fire Protection District No. 1 found that family members of the board chairman and the fire chief were paid for construction and grass-cutting services, in possible violation of state law.

Auditors conducted their investigation after receiving complaints about the district’s operations.

Auditors found that in 2016 the district paid Prothro Construction LLC $44,900 to renovate a fire station. Prothro Construction is owned and operated by Joseph Prothro’s brothers, and at the time, Joseph Prothro was chairman of the fire district’s Board of Commissioners.

In addition, although the renovation was considered a public works project under state law, there was no written contract in place for the work, and the district failed to require the contractor to provide a surety bond, both of which are required by statute.

Auditors found as well that Prothro and his wife, Fire Chief Charlotte Prothro, paid their daughters-in-law $8,550 between April 2015 and November 2016 to provide monthly grass-cutting services for district property. State law prohibits public servants from contracting or participating in transactions involving the governmental entity and their immediate family members.

Auditors also noted that the district improperly disposed of some of its vehicles by trading them in at a heavy truck and equipment vendor and/or selling them to board members. State law allows political subdivisions to sell surplus movable property at public auction, through an Internet computer auction, or at a private sale if the property is appraised at less than $5,000. Trading the vehicles in could be a violation of state law, while allowing board members to buy vehicles could violate Louisiana’s ethics laws.

In addition, auditors found that the district did not have an accurate inventory of its vehicles and appeared to be paying insurance for at least nine vehicles it could not locate.