Here’s a selection of items on the agendas for this week’s meetings of the City and Parish councils. To see the full agendas, check out the links below.
- Parish Agenda (Public Comment Time!)
- City Agenda
Parish Council
Final Adoption
More ordinances appropriating parish ARPA funds. The Parish Council continues to greenlight projects in the administration’s original ARPA budget. It has appropriated $14.56 million of its $47 million so far. Three small projects are up for final adoption to be funded by the parish allocation of American Rescue Plan Act money:
- $280,224 for one temporary position in the CAO’s office (the ordinance provides no information about what this position is)
- $100,000 for radios for volunteer fire departments
- $93,000 for a new cooler for the parish coroner
$750,000 for a new parish jail. This ordinance will transfer funds from the Courthouse Complex Fund’s prior year fund balance to the Correctional Center Fund to pay for land acquisition. Over the summer, the Parish Council passed an ordinance selecting land adjacent to the sheriff’s facility on Willow Street.
Introduction
More ordinances appropriating parish ARPA funds. These seven projects cost just under $4.5 million:
- $1.5 million for the replacement of the Emergency Operations 800MHZ backup radio system
- $1.48 million for consulting (the ordinance provides no information about what this consulting is for)
- $1.25 million for War Memorial building public health and safety updates
- $115,000 for self-service kiosks
- $60,000 for Civil Service testing and technology upgrades
- $43,200 for audit costs
- $12,500 for historic book digitization
City Council
Final Adoption
Reorganizing City Court’s budget. This ordinance makes a variety of changes to the City Court’s finances. The primary change is to move civil filing fee revenue and City Court expenses to the city’s general fund. Greater details can be gleaned by reading the letter from Chief Judge Douglas Saloom in the ordinance linked above.
Fund the construction of a fitness court. This ordinance recognizes $25,403 revenue from the Community Foundation of Acadiana and $28,500 from the Lafayette Parish School System and appropriates $5,000 from the city’s capital improvement fund prior year fund balance in order to build a new fitness court at Lafayette Middle School.
Transportation Agreement with the Lafayette Parish School Board. This ordinance will move forward a new deal to allow students to ride LCG buses. In lieu of direct payment of fares by riders, LPSB will make periodic payments to LCG.
Federal grants for transit. This ordinance will also appropriate $197,233 to match $905,985 received from Lafayette Transit Services. These funds will be used by the transit division to pay for bus driver salaries and benefits as well as a variety of capital projects. A separate ordinance will appropriate $53,793 to match funds for new buses.
Introduction
Ordinances appropriating city ARPA funds. These three ordinances will appropriate funds for the following:
- $1.16 million for consulting (the ordinance provides no information about what this consulting is for)
- $34,800 for audit costs
- $12,500 for historic book digitization
Joint Council
Resolution
Transportation grants. This resolution identifies a series of projects to be included in the Regional Transportation Improvement Program. Grant awards would require 20% local matches:
- Carmel Drive Sidewalks
- South College Road Sidewalks
- Citywide Flashing Yellow Arrows
- Parishwide Overlay Program
- Roundabout at Renaud Drive and Brothers Road
- Roundabout at E. Broussard Road and Vincent Road
- Transit Access Improvements
- La Neville Bridge Replacement
- Girouard Road Bridge Replacement
- Parishwide Pavement Marking Program
Final Adoption
Annual bus pass for $25. This ordinance would add this annual bus pass option and a section concerning transit shelter advertising.
Introduction
UL flood modeling. This ordinance re-engages UL’s Watershed Flood Center to model flooding within Lafayette Parish.
$26.6 million reimbursement for the Bayou Vermilion Flood Control Project. This ordinance accepts state funds to reimburse LCG’s costs on the Bayou Vermilion Flood Control Project and also appropriates the required match of $8.87 million from a variety of city and parish funding sources.
Appointments
| Board | Approval | Applicants |
| Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission | Parish Council | Linda Arnaud, John O’Meara, Randy Daniel |
| Bayou Vermilion District | Parish Council | Wayne Colvin, Glynn Shelly Maturin II |
| Lafayette Public Library | Parish Council | Jessica Allain, Stuart Burgess, Alicia Chaisson, Tim Howat, Linda Kirksey, Joyce Linde, Erasto Padron Jr., David Pitre, Clancy Ratliff, Azadeh Yazdi-Kaufman |
| Heymann Performing Arts Board | City Council | Mark Thomas |
Vacancies
| Board | Approval | Qualifications |
| Lafayette Waterworks District South Board | Parish Council | Must be district resident |
| Lafayette Waterworks District North Board | Parish Council | Must be district resident |
| Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission | Parish Council | Must be resident of unincorporated Lafayette |
| Board of Zoning Adjustment | City Council | This is an alternate position |
Property
| Address | Approval | Action |
| 104 Lapin Road | Parish Council | Non-warranty cash sale to an adjoining landowner |
| 1124 East Alexander St. | Joint Council | Non-warranty cash sale to an adjoining landowner |
| 1120 East Alexander St. | Joint Council | Non-warranty cash sale to an adjoining landowner |