OPELOUSAS, La. (KLFY) – The St. Landry Parish Council is taking the first step toward possible legal action against a former hospital board. The “First Hospital Service District Board” used to have control over the former St. Luke’s Hospital District in Arnaudville.

That board has been dissolved.

According to St Landry Parish President Bill Fontenot he said the former hospital board is allegedly holding on to keys and records, records which he says accesses funds totaling $1 million.

“They are breaking the law and they are masquerading now as a board and they are not a board,” Fontenot said.

The council voted Wednesday night to have their attorney look into whether the dissolution of the hospital’s board was valid.

“Ordinance by St Landry Parish and St Martin Parish have been passed abolishing the district, abolishing this board since the early part of February of this year,” Fontenot said.

According to Council Chairman Jerry Red, Wednesday night’s vote was only to make sure the dissolution was legitimate. He was not aware of any future legal action.

“This council over here want to make sure that the steps that were made in St. Landry Parish were legal and everything was done right,” Red said.

However according to Fontenot, after validating the dissolution of the board and the hospital, lawyers can then take action against the former board to get the keys and records.

“I don’t think it would take a couple of days to draw up whatever affidavits are necessary to walk into a courtroom in St Landry Parish and rule on it,” Fontenot said.

This is all in an effort for St. Landry Parish to possibly turn the building into a French immersion school.

Because Arnaudville is in St. Landry and St. Martin parishes, both parishes will split the assets.

However, the building and property will go to St. Landry parish because it sits within the parish line.

“If we so chose to make it a French immersion program, that would be the next step,” Red said.

Fontenot said he wants this problem solved sooner rather than later.

“I believe they are really good people that are making some really bad decisions at this point in time. So we hope to have this resolved within a week that’s my hope,” Fontenot said.

News Ten did reach out to the board’s legal counsel but they did not return our calls.