ST. FRANCISVILLE (AP) - West Feliciana Parish President Kevin Couhig is retiring.

  

The Advocate reports Couhig, who took office in 2013 as the parish's first president, announced Monday that he will leave office Dec. 10. He tells the newspaper he hopes to spend more time traveling and enjoying his four grandchildren.

  

Couhig helped move the parish from a police jury system of governance to a parish council. As president, he has repeatedly tried to get support for new neighborhood developments, more businesses and other growth opportunities to help increase the tax base that he warned was not keeping pace with the demand for services.

  

But others often pushed back against Couhig's vision, pointing to St. Francisville's historic roots and rural feel in comparison to the congestion of Baton Rouge.