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
Lafayette 101
Municipal Bonds
Government bodies borrow money by issuing debt in the form of bonds, which are typically repaid over several years or even decades. Bonds are usually backed by specific sources of revenue, like sales taxes or utility collections, and they allow government bodies to undertake major projects that they otherwise couldn’t pay for up front. LCG’s existing bonds are available on its website, and others’ bonds can be found online.
Parish Council
Final Adoption
New library land. The Parish Council will vote Tuesday to authorize Mayor-President Monique Blanco Boulet to buy (or take) land for the long-awaited Northeast Regional Library, which has been years in the making. The library is requesting 6 acres of land off Shadow Bluff Drive near the I-10 exit to Louisiana Avenue for the new branch location, and an appraisal is underway.
Introduction
No significant items.
City Council
Resolutions
Bonin bond issue. The City Council will vote Tuesday on LUS’s request to authorize a $400 million bond issue to finance the redevelopment of the shuttered Doc Bonin gas plant on Walker Road into a new facility to meet the city’s growing electricity needs. The new facility will eventually replace LUS’s aging Rodemacher 2 coal plant near Alexandria, which faces a regulatory cliff that will make it impractical to operate after 2027. The debt will be backed by revenue from power sales and will necessitate minor electricity rate hikes over the next few years.
Reports
Vermilion dredging. City Council Chair Liz Hebert is asking Boulet’s administration for an update on plans to spot dredge the Vermilion River, which was previously planned to go out for bid in November but was delayed until last month.
Final Adoption
Brown Park. Boulet’s administration is offering a plan to move $1.5 million in federal stimulus funds from Downtown drainage improvement projects to improvements at Graham Brown Memorial Park, where renovations began to some surprise last fall. Boulet told the council last month that her goal is to get the park back in working order and reevaluate grandiose plans for it.
LUS rate hike. LUS is asking the City Council to vote Tuesday on a series of minor rate hikes over the next four years to help pay for its roughly $400 million Bonin Gas Plant redevelopment, which will replace LUS’s retiring coal-fired power plant in 2028. The increases would add a total of $5 to LUS’s monthly service charge between now and November 2027 and incrementally increase its base rate by 12% over the same timeframe, though that doesn’t impact LUS’s fuel rate, which makes up about half of its total electricity rate.
Introduction
No significant items.
Joint Items
Final Adoption
No significant items.
Introduction
No significant items.
Property
| Address | Approval | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 3300 block S Fieldspan Road | Parish Council | Sale of adjudicated property to adjoining landowner [Resolution] |
| 124 Friendship St. | Joint councils | Sale of adjudicated property to adjoining landowner [Resolution] |
| 116 Ransome St. | Joint councils | Sale of adjudicated property to adjoining landowner [Resolution] |
| Three lots near Carmel Drive | Parish Council | Donation of adjudicated properties to nonprofit Coco Tribe of Canneci Tinne [Introduction] |
| 200 Byron St. | City Council | Condemnation of dilapidated structure [Introduction] |
| 200 Peter St. | City Council | Condemnation of dilapidated structure [Introduction] |
| 106 Texas St. | City Council | Condemnation of dilapidated structure [Introduction] |
| 226 Anne St. | City Council | Condemnation of dilapidated structure [Introduction] |
| 408 Saint John St. | City Council | Condemnation of dilapidated structure [Introduction] |
Vacancies
| Board | Approval | Qualifications |
|---|---|---|
| Lafayette Parish Waterworks District North Board | Parish Council | Must reside within district |
| Lafayette Parish Waterworks District South Board | Parish Council | Must reside within district |
Appointments
| Board | Approval | Applicants |
|---|---|---|
| Lafayette Public Innovation Alliance Board [three seats] | Parish Council | Toby J. Aguillard, Joseph Bobby Richard & Joel C. Robideaux (incumbent) |
| Lafayette Recreation Advisory Commission | Parish Councilman John Guilbeau | Patti Carter |
| Lafayette Recreation Advisory Commission | City Councilman Andy Naquin | Kristopher Harrison |