The population of the city of Lafayette may no longer make up the majority of the parish. That means our city is stuck without a full-time leader who is focused solely on city business and who is accountable to city residents.
Most of the Protect the City Committee’s attention has been focused on how consolidation isn’t working for the city. But consolidation is hurting not just the city but the rest of the parish as well.
Since consolidation, the city of Lafayette has spent more than $100 million propping up the parish’s perpetually faltering finances. $100 million can buy a lot of opportunity.
Rather than contribute constructively to the important community dialog about the future of consolidated government, Guillory chose to pollute the waters by twisting the truth to fit his preferred narrative. The city and parish of Lafayette deserve better.
Discussions around deconsolidating Lafayette Consolidated Government aren’t just the academic musings of the chattering class. They’re about making local government more responsive to its citizens.
Lafayette City District 1 Councilman Pat Lewis is proposing a resolution that would form a committee from which to gather the input of a diverse range of citizens on the benefits of City-Parish consolidation to the City of Lafayette.
For the city to control its own affairs, this failed experiment in consolidation must end so our city can be free to govern itself.
That appeal to basic American principles is an about-face of the economic pragmatism used to justify consolidation in the first place. First they wanted to save money. Now they want to save democracy.
In the upcoming fiscal year the city general fund will bring in just over $100 million and end the year with a fund balance of almost $40 million. The parish general fund will bring in less than $12 million and end the year with a fund balance of about $100,000.