1/4 Council Preview: More ARPA funds for drainage and a new skate park; $1 million for new golf carts

Here is 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

Election of Officers

Election of chair and vice chair. This happens in the first meeting of each year.

Final Adoption

$1.5 million in ARPA funds for the Robley Drive Detention Pond. This ordinance would change the funding source for this project so that it would be paid for with American Rescue Plan Act funds. The money the Parish Council previously appropriated for this project would be redirected so that $500,000 would go to a parish drainage improvements project and $1 million to a parish streets project. No details are provided about those new projects. If approved, the Parish Council will have appropriated around half of its $47 million ARPA allotment. 

City Council

Election of Officers

Election of chair and vice chair. This happens in the first meeting of each year.

Final Adoption

$1.2 million of ARPA funds to the Vermilion River, Lateral 4 Phase II Project. This ordinance would appropriate funding, but no details are given about what the project entails. $23 million of the city’s $38 million in ARPA funds have been appropriated thus far, most through a legally dubious veto. If all the additional projects proposed are approved, it will reduce the city’s remaining ARPA funds to less than $14 million.

$250,000 of ARPA funds for a skate park at Thomas Park. This ordinance was submitted by the PARC department. The administration originally included $175,000 in its initial proposed ARPA budget with a location to be determined.

$2.1 million for coulee maintenance. This ordinance will re-budget funds originally appropriated last year at an emergency meeting to drainage maintenance projects. Originally, $3 million was appropriated enabling LCG to fund projects without going to bid, but less than $1 million of the money has been spent so far. 

Land for a new sewer lift station and treatment plant facilities for Gable Crest Subdivision. This ordinance would empower the mayor-president to execute an Act of Donation to acquire property “for the benefit of the Lafayette Utilities System.” This subdivision is located outside of the city of Lafayette near Milton at 200 Durke Road.

Introduction

$1 million for new golf carts. This ordinance would appropriate $733,841 from the city’s prior year capital fund balance and transfer $266,158 from other line items to purchase 200 electric golf carts. The administration originally proposed buying these golf carts using city ARPA funds. If approved, this new funding would increase the total subsidy of the city’s three golf courses to $2.4 million this year.

Joint Council

Final Adoption

Increase revenues for Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds by $3.45 million. This ordinance will adopt another batch of federal money for pandemic rental assistance. SMILE and Catholic Charities of Acadiana administer LCG’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program. LCG has disbursed $11.6 million in rent assistance thus far, according to a press release issued this week. 

Property

Address	Approval	Action
1020 Gallet Rd	Parish Council	Non-warranty cash sale to an adjoining landowner
1216 East Butcher Switch Rd	City Council	Rezone from RS-1 to MN-1
400 Block East Bluebird Dr	City Council	Rezone from RM-1 to CM-1
2500 Block South College Rd	City Council	Rezone from IH to IL
5801 Ambassador Caffery Parkway	City Council	Rezone from CM-1 to CH
715 Coolidge St	City Council	Rezone from CM-1 to RM-1
408 & 410 Iberville St; 131, 135, 201 & 203 Huggins Rd	City Council	Rezone from CH to RS-1

Vacancies

Board	Approval	Qualifications
Lafayette Waterworks District South	Parish Council	Must be district resident
Parish Planning and Zoning Commission	Parish Council
Industrial Development Board (2x)	Parish Council
Lafayette Animal Care Center Advisory Board	Parish Council
Keep Lafayette Beautiful Committee	Parish Council
City Planning and Zoning Commission	City Council
Lafayette Science Museum Advisory Board (4x)	City Council

Appointments

Board	Approval	Applicants
Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission	Parish Council	Brenda Comeaux Trahan
Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission	Parish Council	Corey Jack, Dr. Vincent June, Angela Morrison
Lafayette Waterworks District North Board	Parish Council	Martin Mouton
Lafayette Parish Library Board of Control	Mayor-President	Shane Landers
Board of Zoning Adjustment	City Council	Rebekke Miller, Jessica Pearce