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Washington Parish Council
Regular Meeting
July 11, 2005
Item No. 1 – Call to order – Chairman Darwin Sharp called the meeting to order.
Item No. 2 – Invocation – Councilman Clinton 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 Wheat, to adopt the minutes of the regular meeting held in June 27, 2005. All in favor, the motion carried.
Item No. 6 – Public hearing – Councilman Miley offered a motion to open the public hearing on an ordinance to levy taxes for the 2005 tax roll on all property subject to taxation in Washington Parish. The motion was seconded by Councilman Brown and unanimously 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 carried.
Councilman Brown offered a motion to adopt Ordinance No. 05-355 to levy taxes for the 2005 tax roll. Councilman Miley seconded the motion and a roll call vote resulted as follows:
YEAS: 7 (Nassauer, Brown, Sumrall, Thomas, Sharp, Wheat and Miley)
NAYS: 0 (None)
ABSENT: 0 (None)
Item No. 6 – Public hearing – Councilman Miley offered a motion to open the public hearing on an ordinance imposing a moratorium on the development of new pain management clinics in rural Washington Parish. The motion was seconded by Councilman Wheat and unanimously 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 carried.
Councilman Nassauer offered a motion to adopt Ordinance No. 05-356. Councilman Sumrall seconded the motion and a roll call vote resulted as follows:
YEAS: 7 (Nassauer, Brown, Sumrall, Thomas, Sharp, Wheat and Miley)
NAYS: 0 (None)
ABSENT: 0 (None)
Attorney Kenny Gatewood asked, “What is a moratorium”?
Chairman Sharp said a moratorium would prohibit any pain management clinics from being established in rural Washington Parish.
Councilman Nassauer explained that there are none in the rural areas of Washington Parish now, but there is one in Bogalusa. The Coroner says that Bogalusa has the second highest drug addiction rate in the United States. Unfortunately, some of these drugs are legal drugs getting on the street illegally by some unscrupulous doctors and pharmacist.
The state legislature is considering the status of pain management clinics. Bogalusa has adopted a similar ordinance and Councilman Nassauer encouraged other states and local leaders to adopt similar legislation.
Item No. 8 – Public hearing – Councilman Miley offered a motion to open the public hearing on an ordinance imposing a moratorium on the construction of new telecommunication towers in the glide paths of Washington Parish airport runways. Councilman Brown seconded the motion and it 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 carried.
Councilman Nassauer offered a motion to adopt Ordinance No. 05-357. Councilman Brown seconded the motion and a roll call vote resulted as follows:
YEAS: 7 (Nassauer, Brown, Sumrall, Thomas, Sharp, Wheat and Miley)
NAYS: 0 (None)
ABSENT: 0 (None)
Item No. 9 – Richard Seal – Presentation of 2004 audit – Mr. Seal was not present.
Agenda opened – Councilman Sumrall offered a motion, seconded by Councilman Miley to open the agenda to introduce an ordinance. All in favor the motion carried.
Chairman Sharp introduced an ordinance to amend the building permit fee requirement for agricultural purposes. A public hearing will be held on July 25, 2005 at 6:00p.m.
Item No. 10 – Public participation – Jalon Beech spoke to the council regarding the proposed reservoir in Washington Parish. She said it was heartwarming to have other people speak out against the reservoir at the last meeting. When people learn the real facts, they are sickened by it. The majority of the people are against what the state and parish officials wish to do to the Oak Grove Community. Residents of the community will be displaced off of their private property, so that the rich retirees can have nice homes around the lake. People water ski and fish over the burial places of our loved ones and this is not acceptable. Those who profit from this will not be my family, neighbors or the average citizen of this parish. Judging from past failed projects, the proposed reservoir will bring more poverty and disappointment. I maintain that the proposed reservoir in Washington Parish is not needed and is a waste of taxpayers’ money. I suggest that the council study some successful models of counties and parishes across the nation who have brought successful constructive businesses that will provide real jobs. At the turn of the century, Washington Parish was booming with businesses and factories with the largest canning factory in the world, and our educational system was better than St. Tammany’s. Something happened to make our parish decline. We need to find answers to fix it but the reservoir is not the going to be the magic cure. Month after month, your constituents come before you asking for your support in stopping this reservoir and you do not offer one word of support and I would like to know why.
In response to Ms. Beech, Chairman Sharp said that there is a commission set up that is overseeing the reservoir project not the parish council.
Genevieve Brannon asked didn’t you set up the commission?
Chairman Sharp replied, “No, the governor did.”
Ms. Brannon said, “Are you sure? I have something here that says the Parish Council recommended the members of the commission.”
Chairman Sharp said, “We submitted names to the governor.”
Genevieve Smith Brannon, President of the Washington Citizens for Conservation, spoke to the council to voice some concerns regarding the old Oak Grove community and the use of eminent domain for economic development. She said the conservation group was deeply trouble by the SB278 legislation sponsored by Senator Ben Nevers and HB518 sponsored by Rep. Harold Ritchie making Washington Parish a reservoir district. The bill have created a powerful Reservoir Commission of members recommended by our parish council and this commission has the power to expropriate people’s property and land in the name of economic development anywhere in the parish for reservoir or recreational lake projects. We are concerned that there is not local accountability by this commission to the people of this parish. My family goes back many generations in this parish. There are many old family homesteads throughout the parish that have nurtured and supported generations. This is our heritage, our history and the real backbone of our parish and rural culture. The old Oak Grove community is living history and it makes less sense to flood it into oblivion than it does to flood Mile Branch. We all recognize that dramatic demographic changes are looming on the horizon for Washington Parish and most of us welcome that growth. Five years ago, we called upon you to begin the task of planning and land use management, with guidelines for growth and an open dialogue with the citizens living here. Washington Parish can grow and prosper and that growth does not have to cost one group of people to benefit another. If a private investor in Washington Parish wants to build a gated community ore recreational lake, let him raise the capital, and let him pay fair market price for the land. That’s the old-fashioned way of doing business. We oppose the forced taking of people’s property in the name of eminent domain for economic development to build an unnecessary reservoir in Washington Parish. We oppose legislation that creates commission or board that are not directly accountable to the very people whose lives and property they affect or influence. We oppose the forced taking of all private property, small businesses, family farms and houses of worship for so-called economic development and private economic gain. Finally, the latest Supreme Court ruling regarding eminent domain puts the burden of responsibility back directly on the shoulders of the individual states. There are ten states currently forbid the use of eminent domain for economic development. Lets start a grass roots effort at home to change or amend our state constitution to protect our property rights. As our elected representatives in parish government, we ask that you resolve to protect the property owners of Washington Parish form the abuses of eminent domain the name of economic development. We also ask you support efforts to change or amend our state constitution to protect property owners from eminent domain abuses for economic development or private gain.
Fate Ferrell – Mr. Ferrell addressing his comments to President Toye Taylor said President Taylor had offered him a position on one of the parish committees at the last meeting. He said he wanted to accept the appointment and asked if there was anything he needed to sign.
President Taylor responded to Mr. Ferrell that he was told to submit a resume, he would be glad to consider him for a committee somewhere in the parish and get you involved.
Mr. Ferrell said he knew nothing of a resume.
President Taylor told him we need a resume on anybody we appoint to any parish committee and I told you that and I stand by what I said.
Mr. Ferrell asked what positions do you have for me?
President Taylor told Mr. Ferrell he was not going to answer any more questions. You can tell me your opinion all you want.
Wilfred Pittman - Mr. Pittman said he was dead set against the reservoir. The parish has contributed about $50,000 to the reservoir commission. Mr. Pittman showed the council a stick he found on his daddy’s property that was put there without his daddy’s permission. I pulled it up and called the parish to see if the parish was doing something because I respect the parish. I found the little fellow who stuck that on my dad’s property and I asked where he was from and he said Ferriday, LA and he said the sticks were for surveying. I looked in the telephone book and found two surveyors in Washington Parish and I don’t know why they could not have been chosen. I thought with economic development, if you brought money into the parish, it was suppose to stay in the parish. I want you to explain to me how this money going out of the parish is helping us.
Mr. Pittman said he had always had respect for the council and had never raised his voice at anyone in anger or disrespect as we witnessed Mr. Taylor do at the last meeting. I understand this is not the first time this has happened. People, who vote and pay their taxes, pay your salaries and do not deserve to be treated and talked to like they are dogs. They are your bosses. You are not the boss, we are. They deserve to be respected even if their opinion is different from yours. This behavior is unacceptable and unprofessional. I have always stood and listen to you and considered what you said to me. I have been told to watch what I say to you, so I guess the first amendment does not apply to me. I have watched many people come and ask you for help. But when the people from Oak Grove asks for your help, you turn a deaf ear, as you are doing now, looking down and just waiting for me to through. Because it looks like you have more interest in a place to wet a hook, than the residents of the Oak Grove community, you are causing questions to be raised about what all of you have been promised and what are you going to get out of this reservoir.
Mr. Pittman said he loved his old home place just as much as he loved any one of his kids or family members and he would fight the council tooth and nail to keep it. My dad has come up here and begged you to help him and you stare at him like he is just an old country hick. I used my head the other day, instead of having that 25 year old kid arrested for not knowing where he was at, I let that kid go, but I cannot promise you I am going to do it twice.
Item No. 11 – Parish President’s report - President Taylor said it was good exercise for the parish official in preparing for Tropical Storm Cindy and Hurricane Dennis and wanted to publicly than Franklinton Police Chief Donald Folse for stepping in and taking over as Assistant Director of OEP in the absence of Director Tommy Thibeaud. He also thanked Fire District 7 for allowing the use of their facility as the command post. No federal disasters have been declared in Louisiana involving either storm.
Richard Seal has completed the audit and had an exit conference and the audit was turned into the state on July 6th.
The Parish Wide Road Program is progressing. Bids on the asphalt part will be opened on August 2nd at 2:00 p.m. The drainage crew had re-dug about 5.37 miles of roadway drenching, installed 604 feet of culvert, hauled off 2,723 CY of trench material and re-graded or raised the grade on about 3.54 miles of shoulders. During the storm preparation, the water jet truck was used to clean out 37 cross-culverts throughout the parish.
Seven firms have shown interest in bidding on new cells construction at the landfill. Bid opening will be July 13th at 2:00. Construction is scheduled to begin around September 15th and completion date around March 15, 2006.
Item No. 12 – Council discussion – Councilman Miley called for a Road Committee meeting at 5:00 p.m. on July 25, 2005 and asked that the Communications District people to be invited.
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Sylvia Forbes, Clerk of the Council Darwin Sharp, Chairman
Washington Parish Council