Return to Washington Parish Homepage
Washington Parish Council
Regular Meeting – 6:00 p.m.
November 14, 2005
Minutes
Item No. 1 – Call to order – Chairman Darwin Sharp called the meeting to order.
Item No. 2 – Invocation – Councilman Miley gave the invocation.
Item No. 3 – Roll call – Clerk Sylvia Forbes called the roll. Present were Kenneth Wheat, Clinton Miley, Charles Nassauer, Rodney Brown, Relton Sumrall, Marvin Thomas and Darwin Sharp.
None were absent.
Item No. 4 – Approval of the minutes – Councilman Miley offered a motion seconded by Councilman Brown to approve the minutes of the November 7, 2005 meeting. All in favor the motion carried.
Item No. 5 – Adoption of the financial report – Councilman Wheat offered a motion, seconded by Councilman Brown to adopt the financial report as presented. All in favor, the motion carried.
No one commented during the public hearing.
Councilman Miley offered a motion to close the public hearing. Councilman Brown seconded the motion and it unanimously carried.
Councilman Brown offered a motion seconded by Councilman Wheat to adopt Ordinance No. 05-371 adopting the 2006 Operating and Capital Outlay Budget. The roll call vote resulted as follows:
YEAS: 7 (Brown, Sumrall, Thomas, Sharp, Wheat, Miley and Nassauer)
NAYS: 0 (None)
ABSENT: 0 (None)
Councilman Miley offered a motion, seconded by Councilman Sumrall to open the agenda to include the introduction of three ordinances and presentation one resolution. All in favor the motion carried.
An ordinance to levy an occupational license fee for each person pursuing and conducting a business, trade, calling, profession or vocation, within Washington Parish subject to license under the Louisiana Constitution and the laws of the State of Louisiana was introduced by Councilman Sharp and laid over for publication and a public hearing to be held on December 5, 2005.
An ordinance authorizing the Parish President to enter into a cooperative agreement, to support and administer Louisiana Cooperative Units Off Campus (Parish Farm Agent) was introduced by Councilman Rodney Brown and laid over for publication and a public hearing to be held December 5, 2005.
Councilman Miley offered a motion to adopt a resolution indicating the intention of the Parish of Washington, State of Louisiana to proceed with a not to exceed $15,000,000 refinancing through the Louisiana Local Government Environmental Facilities and Community Development Authority; and otherwise providing with respect thereto as provided by Chapter 10-D of Title 33 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, as amended. Councilman Brown seconded the motion and it carried unanimously.
Item No. 8 – Board of Review – The council sat as a Board of Review for the 2005 property tax assessments. There were not written or oral complaints. A letter will be sent to the State Tax Commission reflecting no complaints.
Item No. 9 – Public participation- Jalon Beech presented photographs and informational sheets of the Poverty Point Reservoir to the council. She said Poverty Point cost close to $40,000,000 to complete and is still being funded by the state. Although it was promoted to be capable of producing 180,000 gallons of water per month, it has not produced one ounce of drinking water. There are 12 more reservoir projects in the works. Act 71, which created the Washington Parish Reservoir Commission, says the main purpose of the reservoir is recreation not potable water. This project will bring more disappointment to the parish as a failed project. If it is never built, the engineering firm, consultant and the surveying company, who also works for the legislature, still have large sums of money in their bank account at our expense. Mrs. Beech asked the council to withdraw their support from the reservoir project.
Winford Pittman informed the council that the charter grants them the authority to form an Economic Development Commission and pointed out the sections of the charter allowing it. Mr. Pittman said an EDC would be beneficial to new businesses or existing businesses wanting to expand. Mr. Pittman asked the council if they wanted a true long-term economic development that will help everyone in Washington Parish or do you want an economic development that will help only a few people.
Danny Ray Givens of Mt. Hermon, owner of a RV park in Mt. Hermon addressed the council. Mr. Givens said he has built the park with his own money and has not asked the council for anything. If you have a business in Washington Parish, no matter what kind of business, does anyone have the right to tell what you can and cannot do with it or who you can accept in your place. He has 60 FEMA trailers and a lease for 90 more. We have people in the parish who has no place to live. President Taylor has blocked everything out there since he found out there are 60 trailers on the place. He asked the council what is the legality of it and what is the reason for it. He said every problem that has come up out there, President Taylor has put it in the newspaper and on television and I want to know why. He asked if it was because he did not give President Taylor enough money like some of your political cronies within a three-mile radius of Bogalusa that you have made it possible to have their parks.
Chairman Sharp told Mr. Givens he did not need to get into all that.
President Taylor told Mr. Givens that he needed to go talk to the District Attorney. You are accusing me of taking a bribe and you need to see the District Attorney for that.
Mr. Givens denied having said President Taylor took money.
Chairman Sharp asked Mr. Givens how many of the trailers there are occupied.
Mr. Givens responded there are three empty.
Chairman Sharp said there are numerous residents in Franklinton who needs the trailers and we are trying to get them to residents who can set up on their own property and try to rebuild there. Once that is done, and then I will be looking at putting in some more trailer parks. President Taylor can address that further in his report.
Mr. Givens said I am 100% for those people who want to rebuild, but I am also for all these people who don’t have anything and I am sitting there with facilities that I can hook them up and give them a place to live that does not cost them a dime, I don’t think on person has the right to stop that. President Taylor told me that there was a Mexican standoff between he and FEMA. We should not play games with peoples lives. Mr. Taylor has made so many people mad; we are not going to get anything.
Ozzie Givens, wife of Danny Ray Givens, said the facility was just what the parish wanted and they had paid for every permit and taxes the parish wanted them to. Most of the people in the park were profiled before they ever got there. The children have enrolled in Mt. Hermon School. These people know they cannot go back home and they have family in the parish and want a place to live near family. Later Mrs. Givens said there are two families there who do not have transportation. If they get the other 90 trailers, Mrs. Givens said she will buy a van, insure it and hire someone at the campground as a driver. I will close in the 5000 sq ft. pavilion so the residents will have a place for winter activities. I will not take that money and do nothing.
Paula Bernard, a resident of the campground and from St. Bernard Parish, said there are people out there who had to evacuate. We did not asked for this, but there are people out there who do not have a place to go. FEMA told us this is one of the nicest sites they have set up. We are spending our money here. We are not all bad people. We have been labeled as “them people”. We are just like you. We had homes, we had jobs and we have children. We have lost our homes, our businesses. Some people have treated us so bad. The principal of the school said she would not have any outsiders in her school. It makes it easier to cope with things if you are around your family. I hope that you all take that into consideration.
Item No. 10 – Parish President’s report – President Taylor said he was not surprised the Mr. Givens is here, because he has not been happy with President Taylor’s position involving Silver Creek Campground from the beginning. He said he was surprised that Mr. Givens would go to the podium and infer that he took money from “Cronies” for a favorable 3 mile radius is the same thing as saying I was bribed or took money for political favors. I am going to tell you one more time, and all the people in this parish who think I am a crook; you need to go see the U. S. Attorney, the district attorney or the state attorney general and they can put me in jail if that is true. I learned at a very young age and I know, I’ve accepted it, God looks at the clean hands not the full ones. So you go to whomever you need to. If I have taken a dollar it is between my maker and me. I don’t have a family member in business or one who stands to profit from this disaster. Unfortunately I am dealing with good business people who think that their ship has come in through this catastrophe. There is more greed in business people than you can ever imagine. I have watched the dollars turn them into something that they are not.
President Taylor explained the circumstances from August 29 leading up to today concerning the housing situation and how the trailers were set up at Silver Creek Campground. President Taylor’s goal is to take care of the people of this parish who have their own property to put trailer own and the residents of the parish who are without housing. We have had problems with FEMA from the beginning, especially with housing. He explained the purpose in wanting the trailer sites closer to the municipalities was because of transportation, school, churches and shopping. He told of the promises made by FEMA that have not come to fruition. He was not asked if FEMA could put trailers at Silver Creek, but that is where they went. Now FEMA can report back that they have established housing in Washington Parish. But now the only place available for housing in Washington Parish is Silver Creek. FEMA said they would get my approval before they brought anyone from out of parish up there, but they never got my approval. FEMA or Fluor had the gall to put out a busload of evacuees from Hammond and Denham Springs up there, with no bedding, no pot or pans and no transportation and said there is your home and drove off with the bus. They did come back and pick those folks up and took them to Lord knows where. I don’t know or care where people come from. If they need the Parish Presidents signature to do another group setting, I am going to stick to my original thought and put them close to a municipality, unless the council orders me to sign for it, but only then. I want the needs of our people met first.
Chairman Sharp asked President Taylor to have representative from FEMA and Fluor at the next meeting to answer questions regarding housing.
The report on the debris removal was as follows: 143 local monitors hired, 13 debris sites are in use, 370 certified haulers and 188 loaders in use. There has been 819,424 cubic yards of debris hauled, 21,831 loads averaging 37.5 cubic yards per load and 18,623 cubic yards per day. It is anticipated that the clean will be completed around Christmas. The old Bogalusa Landfill will probably stay open after the contractor gets through to allow residents to continue to dispose of construction debris. The parish is hoping to get three passes for debris pick up. Right-of-entry forms are being signed for pickup on private property if there is a health and safety issue. The parish will have to execute a change order in the contract for pickup on private property, or issue another RFP for a new contract.
The state entered into a contract for only one pick up on state highways and they told the parish two weeks ago that it would be the parish’s responsibility to pick anything else up on state roads. If we do pick it up, the state will reimburse us or the state will enter into another contract to get it picked up. The parish is leaning toward letting the state handle their own right of way pickup.
President Taylor said the burn ban is still in affect. The parish is still not imposing tipping fees at the landfill. Construction is still going on at the landfill. Before Katrina we had an average of 150 residents a day going through the landfill, now it is about 200. The daily tonnage has increased from 120 to 150 tons.
President Taylor reported two meetings on the development of Highway 3241 since Katrina. A 4-cent gas tax was passed in 1989 to fund this project. We have asked the state to see if they can accelerate the project.
President Taylor said the charter does give the council latitude to form boards and commissions. There are two economic development groups functioning in the parish. They have been doing the best they can do. Both have money in the bank and it has built up slowly over the years. We do not have people beating down our door to come to the parish. It is hard to entice people to come to Louisiana is the inventory tax and the high cost of workman’s compensation. We need a preferred future concept. President Taylor has met with both economic boards trying to convince them of this strategy in hopes they would hire professional to help develop something we prefer in Washington Parish. We need to strike while the iron is hot and appoint our own economic development group.
President Taylor said the council has been very patient with him especially since Katrina. I met with the Infrastructure Committee and talked about a planning commission. We need good people who want to get involved to send resumes to the office at 909 Pearl Street, Franklinton. We need people with common sense who will stand up for what they believe.
Item No. 11 – Council discussion – Chairman Sharp recognized Washington Parish Fair Queen Heather Sullivan. Miss Sullivan thanked everyone for supporting the fair.
Councilman Brown said regarding the economic development group, growth is coming to Washington Parish. We do not need to get hung up on where the people who serve come from, but that they are qualified to serve.
Councilman Miley asked that the bridge between Highway 60 and Bens Ford Road be checked. The 7th District Fire Department cannot cross the bridge when the trucks are loaded because of the weight limit.
Item No. 12 – Adjourn – Having no further business to come before the council, the meeting was adjourned on motion by Councilman Brown, seconded by Councilman Thomas.
___________________________________ _____________________________
Sylvia Forbes, Clerk of the Council Darwin Sharp, Chairma