With a set of vetoes, the mayor-president has boxed the City Council in again, setting the stage to spend city money without their approval.
Lafayette housing in short supply for Ida evacuees
The picture of need is still very much emerging. But Lafayette’s lack of housing was well established before the storm.
6 min read
Ahead of Ida, Lafayette hospitals got a breath from latest Covid surge
Hospitals in the Acadiana region caught a much-needed breath, with Covid patient loads easing ahead of Hurricane Ida, freeing up capacity to take in patients from elsewhere in the state.
2 min read
What can Lafayette learn from Colorado Springs about its homelessness response?
Coordination and public resources have fueled a scaled-up approach in Colorado Springs, a city on the radar of those working on the issue Lafayette.
8 min read
OPINION: Uncertainty is at an all-time high. Lafayette needs a fiscally responsible budget.
The roles have reversed from the 2020 budget cycle, and now the City Council ought to play budget hawk.
9 min read
Councils take control of Lafayette’s rescue money. Now what?
Much of the spending in Guillory’s plan was of questionable eligibility, and the administration struggled to make the case for moving ahead now with so much uncertainty.
7 min read
OPINION: Guillory’s proposed ARPA budget is a bad deal for the parish
Too many of the proposed projects deliver questionable returns, create unfunded maintenance liabilities, and inexplicably use parish dollars to pay for city responsibilities.
6 min read
Conversation: Is Lafayette better off since the 2016 flood?
It’s clear most locals think stormwater management is our most pressing need. But do you think we’re on the right track? Is Lafayette tackling rising waters the right way?
1 min read
8/17 Council Preview: Showtime for Guillory’s ARPA budget; flood control projects; COVID testing for LCG employees
Here’s a selection of items on the agendas for this week’s meetings of the City and Parish councils.
4 min read
How are other communities handling rising homelessness?
Catholic Charities has joined six other local housing organizations in asking Lafayette Consolidated Government for a more permanent solution to homelessness — $6.5 million to purchase an out-of-use hotel that would be retrofitted into a permanent, low-barrier, non-congregate shelter.
8 min read
UL studies solar farming, despite pushback to renewable energy Louisiana expected to lose out on renewable energy job boom
Just over a mile northwest of the Cajundome is a 5-acre plot of land flanked by neighborhoods of single-family homes and a commercial area to the north — not the type of zone one would normally expect to see a power plant — yet there one is, silently generating enough electricity to run 250 homes without a hint of pollution, waste or human traffic. It is UL Lafayette’s solar farm.
6 min read
OPINION: Fueled by debt, Guillory’s budget proposes largest capital spending spree in city’s history
Mayor-President Guillory wants the City Council to approve a $406 million five year capital improvement program that would saddle the city with $180 million in new debt. Yet he hasn’t revealed plans, garnered public input, or addressed long-term maintenance liabilities for most of these projects. The City Council should tread carefully.
7 min read