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Washington Parish Council
Regular Meeting – 6:00 p.m.
December 5, 2005
Minutes
Item No. 1 – Call to order – Chairman Darwin Sharp called the meeting to order.
Item No. 2 – Invocation – Councilman Brown 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 Brown offered a motion, seconded by Councilman Miley to adopt the financial report as presented. All in favor, the motion carried.
Item No. 6 – Introduction of an ordinance – An ordinance to adopt Budget Adjustments No. 2 for the 2005 Operating Budget for the Washington Parish Government was introduced and laid over for publication and a public hearing to be held on December 19, 2005.
Councilman Brown offered a motion to open the agenda to include introduction of an ordinance. Councilman Wheat seconded the motion and it carried.
Councilman Brown introduced an ordinance creating a Washington Parish Planning Commission. The ordinance was laid over for publication and a public hearing to be held on December 19, 2005.
Item No. 7 – Public hearing – Chairman Sharp opened the public hearing on an ordinance authorizing the Parish President to enter into a cooperative agreement to support and administer Louisiana Cooperative Units Off Campus (Parish Farm Agent).
No one from the audience commented during the public hearing.
Councilman Brown offered a motion, seconded by Councilman Miley to close the public hearing. All in favor the motion carried.
Councilman Sumrall said he was not for giving the county agent’s office $50,000 when the parish is talking about borrowing money.
Councilman Brown said the parish has been budgeting money for the county agent’s office in the past.
After some discussion, Councilman Brown offered a motion to adopt an ordinance authorizing the Parish President to enter into a cooperative agreement to support and administer Louisiana Cooperative Units Off Campus (Parish Farm Agent). Councilman Miley seconded the motion and a roll call vote resulted as follows:
YEAS: 2 (Brown and Sharp)
NAYS: 5 (Sumrall, Thomas, Wheat, Miley and Nassauer)
ABSENT: 0 (None)
The ordinance failed.
Chairman Sharp told the council clerk invite Mr. Henry Harrison to the next meeting to discuss the Parish Farm Agent’s request for funding.
Item No. 8 -Public Hearing - Chairman Sharp opened the public hearing on an ordinance authorizing the Parish Government to apply for FEMA/Federal grant funds for the purpose of debris removal from private property pursuant to Section 403 of the Stafford Act and to authorize the Parish President to execute and sign any and all document necessary to alleviate the immediate threat to life, public health and safety or property.
Winford Pittman asked if the contractor would be allowed to come on private property without the permission of the landowner.
President Taylor said that any landowner wanting debris removed from private property would have to sign a Right of Entry form giving the contractor permission to come onto the property.
Councilman Miley offered a motion to close the public hearing. Councilman Nassauer seconded the motion and it carried.
Councilman Miley offered a motion, seconded by Councilman Nassauer to adopt Ordinance No. 05-373. A roll call vote resulted as follows:
YEAS: 7 (Sumrall, Thomas, Sharp, Wheat, Miley, Nassauer and Brown)
NAYS: 0 (None)
ABSENT: 0 (None)
Item No. 9 – Public hearing – Chairman Sharp opened the public hearing on 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.
Chairman Sharp asked legal counsel what the term “calling” meant.
Mr. Gatewood was not sure what calling meant. Mr. Gatewood said the ordinance makes reference to Title 47; Chapter 3 of the Revised Statutes and the parish should include Title 47 language.
Councilman Brown suggested the word “calling” be omitted from the ordinance and vote on it.
Someone from the audience asked if the ordinance is amended, would there be another public hearing.
Chairman Sharp replied no.
Councilman Miley offered a motion, seconded by Councilman Brown to close the public hearing. All in favor the motion carried.
Councilman Brown offered a motion, seconded by Councilman Nassauer to adopt Ordinance No. 05-374. A roll call vote resulted as follows:
YEAS: 4 (Sharp, Wheat, Nassauer and Brown)
NAYS: 3 (Sumrall, Thomas and Miley)
ABSENT: 0 (None)
Item No. 10 – Approval of Tourism Commission Budget – Councilman Wheat offered a motion, seconded by Councilman Miley to approve the 2006 Operating Budget for the Washington Parish Tourism Commission. All in favor the motion carried.
Neither Mr. Ferguson nor Mr. Lozano was in attendance. Tim Barnett and Mark Porterfield with FEMA spoke concerning the housing situation in Washington Parish. Mr. Barnett reported there has been 1014 request for housing in Washington Parish and 130 housing units have been placed in the parish. The units have been place on both private and commercial properties. The 130 units do not include the 60 at Mt. Hermon.
Councilman Wheat asked what the obstacles are that is making it hard to get more trailers in the parish.
Mr. Barnett said the main problem is that people who need the trailer do not have the property ready when FEMA goes out to inspect. The property should have electrical hookup, water, sewage and plumbing when the trailer is delivered.
Mark Porterfield explained another major problem is the lack of certified electricians, which is a FEMA requirement and tradesmen.
President Taylor said they are averaging a trailer a day and at that rate it will take two and a half years before our people get temporary housing. I do not believe it will ramp up to 10 a day, but will still be one or two a day. I have asked FEMA and Fluor to expedite the process to get more trailers into the parish. They are moving 11 into St. Tammany for every one they put in Washington Parish. People are concerned about the possibility of group settings being put on property next to them. If there is a need for group settings, we want them as close to a municipality as possible. I have received three proposed group-setting sites for my approval, and I am not going to sign them.
Mr. Barnett said we do not have a need for group settings at this time. We will use commercial sites for residents whose property has been deemed unacceptable.
Mr. Porterfield urged any licensed electrician or tradesmen needing a job to contact FEMA at 888-294-2822 or 225-391-2800 or go to their website at www.jobs2help.com. This is a problem all over the state and we need help. Another problem is evacuees who have moved to a location other than the one they gave when they contacted FEMA for help and they don’t call and give FEMA new telephone numbers or addresses. He asked that any evacuee who has not been followed up with by FEMA to call and give current addresses and phone numbers.
President Taylor said he had received a call from Steve requesting trailers, mobile homes or houses for rent for FEMA employees who will be in the parish during the long-term recovery process.
Item No. 12 – Public participation – Winford Pittman, 10231 Reviere Road, Franklinton addressed the council. He said the Planning Commission and an economic development is the answer to the parish’s economic development. He said he had been asked to submit a resume for the commission but has not because it has not been proven to him that things are not still status quo. I will not be associated with anyone who believes in expropriation of resident’s homes and properties and destruction of their lives for the benefit of just a few. President Taylor said that businesses are not knocking down our door to come into the parish. He is right. You cannot set on your backside and expect business to come to you. It will be the EDC’s job to go and knock on their door and let them know the parish is here and ready to work. It has been suggested to develop and industrial park for businesses.
Mr. Pittman said that Mr. Huey Pierce on a number of occasions has said the Reservoir Commission has made itself available to the public and would answer any questions sent to them. He read two statements from Mr. Pierce’s letter regarding the availability of the commission to answer questions. Maybe this is just another one of Mr. Pierce’s misquotes. The council accepted my letter or statement I sent to you but the reservoir commission refused to accept my letter to them and that makes me wonder what they have to hide. I also wonder what the Assistant U.S Attorney General will think they are hiding when I send him all the stuff I have. It is my personal opinion, that by the actions and written words of Mr. Pierce, the commissioners are liars and cannot be trusted.
Item No. 13 – Parish President’s report – President Taylor thanked the council for their support of the occupational license. He said it is not intended to put additional burden on the people, but the parish needs a tracking device and proof that businesses have registered with the sales tax office. The fee is $25.00. That fee is reduced by the cost of a license bought in the municipalities; so most businesses will not pay anything.
Residents who want the contractors to go onto private property to remove debris must sign a Right of Entry form that can be obtained at the Parish Government Office. We will place some ROE forms on the other side of the parish to make it more convenient for those residents. The forms is also found on the parish government website www.wpgov.org.
The state has entered into another contract with DRC and will start a second and third pass on the state right of ways
The report on the debris removal was as follows: 143 local monitors hired, 13 debris sites are in use, 63 certified haulers and 33 loaders in use. There has been 1,068,135 cubic yards of vegetative debris hauled and 14,444 construction and demolition debris, 28,264 loads averaging 38 cubic yards per load and 17,747 cubic yards per day. The second pass, which includes construction and demolition and vegetative debris in, is progress. The stumps at the roadside will be picked on the third pass. The breakdown of the debris collected to date reveals that 30% is from the west side of the parish and 70% from the east side using Highway 62 at Sheridan/Pine as the dividing line. 100% reimbursement has been extended to January 15, 2006. President Taylor urged anyone who knows of a road that has been missed in the debris pickup to call the Parish Government office and report it.
The parish has received notice that the Governor’s Office of Rural Development Program has been cut 100%. Those applications already approved will be funded, but they will not accept any new applications.
The burn ban was lifted at 8:00 a.m. this morning after consulting with Tommy Thibeaud of the OEP office and with the Department of Agriculture foresters.
Jim Ryan will be conducting a meeting of the Gulf Opportunity Zone regarding economic development incentives. The meeting will be December 6, 2005 at 6:00 p.m. at the Franklinton Town Hall. Washington Parish will be included in the Gulf Opportunity Zone.
President Taylor gave a comparison of the building permits issued in October and November of 2004 and 2005. The parish issued 44 building permits in October 2004 and 58 permits in 2005; 42 permits were issued November 2004 and 98 in November 2005.
This is very revealing and shows why the status quo is no long acceptable and indicates the need for the planning commission and to move toward the preferred future strategy for Washington Parish.
Item No. 14 – Council discussion – Councilman Wheat commented that all of us enjoy an aspect of what this parish has. Planning and zoning can preserve the way of life here. The dynamics have changed but we can control those dynamics.
Councilman Nassauer reported that Jeff Hughes has submitted his resignation to the Capital Resource Commission. He asked the council clerk to send a letter of appreciation to Mr. Hughes.
Chairman Sharp read the following letter.
Dear Sirs:
Due to the recent rumors of corruption of Louisiana politics at ALL levels, I have enclosed a Statement/Declaration about the Washington Parish Reservoir. Enclosed is one (1) statement for the Parish President, seven (7) statements for each consul man, there are eight (8) in all. PLEASE read carefully and return with legal signature in black or blue ink, date, via certified returned receipt mail to the address provided. Please return within one (1) month after receiving this letter. This Statement may help in reducing the rumors that has surfaced.
Thank you for your service
Winford Pittman
10231 Reviere Rd
Bogalusa, LA 70427
Item No. 15 – Adjourn – Having no further business to come before the council, the meeting adjourned on motion by Councilman Brown, seconded by Councilman Sumrall.
________________________________ _______________________________
Sylvia Forbes, Clerk of the Council Darwin Sharp, Chairman
Washington Parish Council