It’s not just the parish. The city’s financials are in trouble too
The general assumption has been that the parish is broke but the city is doing fine. When you dig into the latest budget, a more troubling reality emerges.
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Geoff Daily
Geoff Daily created FiberCorps and helped launch the Lafayette General Foundation. He now works as a launch strategist.
Explaining the hullabaloo around LUS Fiber and why it matters
LUS Fiber has recently been accused of receiving millions in illegal subsidies from LUS. This is a complex issue with a lot at stake. An explainer is in order.
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Controversy over LUS payments underscores Fiber’s financial challenges ahead
The gist: Last week, the mayor-president alleged that LUS Fiber charged LUS millions in fraudulent payments for a power outage monitoring system that wasn’t useful. He asked for the Public Service Commission to investigate, swirling controversy around Fiber and its former director. Regardless of the episode’s outcome, it’s clear Fiber faces significant financial risk moving […]
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How not to sell a parking garage
When the Buchanan Street parking garage was condemned last October, it caused a series of problems Downtown. There have been complaints on social media of courthouse employees feeling unsafe walking longer distances to their cars at night, of defendants being late for trials because it takes so much time to find parking, and of businesses […]
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It’s been a rough first half of 2019 for Waitr
The gist: Waitr started the year on a high, buying up equal-sized competitor Bite Squad and hitting $14 a share in March. Since then, the nascent public company hit the rocks, facing lawsuits, potential restaurant strikes and a stock that’s fallen below $7.
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Robideaux claims more fraudulent payments from LUS to LUS Fiber, putting Fiber’s financials at risk
The gist: The Daily Advertiser broke a story late Monday that Lafayette Mayor-President Joel Robideaux has self-reported a second potential violation of state law regulating LUS Fiber. In his Monday letter to the Louisiana Public Service Commission, Robideaux claims LUS may have made illegal payments totaling $8 million to LUS Fiber over an eight-year period. […]
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National report highlights unaffordability of housing for many in Lafayette
The gist: A new study out this year highlights housing challenges in Lafayette for low-income families. A big concern: It would take the equivalent of more than two full-time, minimum-wage jobs to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Lafayette Parish at fair market value. The study, called Out of Reach 2019, was produced by the National […]
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Lafayette can’t afford the way it’s growing
Everyone knows Lafayette’s roads are bad. But some roads are so bad they’re a public safety hazard. Unfortunately there’s just not enough money to fix them, and the problem is getting worse every year.
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Lafayette’s healthcare economy is heating up
The gist: Oil and gas may still be down, but Lafayette’s healthcare economy has realized a series of wins over the last few weeks with good news from companies like VieMed, NeuroRescue and ThinkGenetic.
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Robideaux gets OK to court tech investors via parish innovation trust
The gist: Trustees on the Lafayette Public Innovation Alliance authorized Mayor-President Joel Robideaux to begin talks with investors interested in leveraging federal Opportunity Zone tax benefits to attract money to tech startups. It’s not yet clear what role LPIA would play in this.
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Now legal in Louisiana, those Bird and Lime scooters still on hold in Lafayette
The gist: State law now makes electric scooters from companies like Bird legal in Louisiana, clearing up a limbo that paused their use in Lafayette. But the City-Parish Council voted Tuesday night to keep the scooters off Lafayette’s streets until new local rules and regulations are approved.
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The parish general fund has zero dollars; the city general fund has $46 million
The gist: LCG’s annual audit, presented this month to the City-Parish Council, revealed a worsening trend over the last fiscal year: The parish is out of money, while the city has a generous fund balance.
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