Good morning everybody. We're going to go ahead and start with some proclamations before the meeting. Good
morning everybody. If you could, please take your seats.
hey, good morning. First, we're going to start with some proclamations
for the irish-italian parade. Our largest parade in
jefferson parish, and a parade for which I am a previous
italian grand marshal who knew that hans liljeberg was mostly
italian. But if harry lee can
be irish, then I can be italian. Let me step down.
first, we have a certificate of merit. It is known that.
in appreciation of the efforts and participation of all involved in the parade, the parish of jefferson confers this
certificate of merit upon jason ritten, captain of the irish italian parade. For the
2026 carnival season. Jason.
we also have a certificate of merit for the honorable cameron henry, the irish
grand marshal, for the irish-italian parade. Be it
known that, in appreciation of the efforts and participation of all involved in the parade, the parish of
jefferson confers this certificate of merit upon
cameron henry. And last
but not least, be it known... In appreciation
of the efforts and participation of all involved in the parade, the parish of jefferson confers a certificate
of merit upon eric youngblood, the italian grand marshal. The irish italian
parade. Council. The
president. Senator. Wait, one more, one more. Yep. Thank you.
congratulations. Thank you. We
also have some certificates of merit for the st.
patrick's day parade for the 2026 carnival season. Be it known that, in appreciation
of the efforts and participation of all involved in the parade, the parish of jefferson hereby confers this
certificate of merit upon kelly kerrigan, captain of the st. Patrick's parade
of jefferson. We also have
certificates of merit for the queen gaynell wilt and the
grand marshal cardinal wilt. They are unfortunately or fortunately not with us today because they have a grandchild
being born in baton rouge. So I'm going to leave this with you. Thank you all. Thank
you so much. Oh look,
he's cute. One more, y'all.
madam president. On more,
ya'll. Madam president. Hey, that was fun. I'm going
to tell you all later. Thank
you. Congratulations. Have a wonderful day. Have a good one.
thank you, man. Thank you. Thank you so much. All right, if we could have it quiet in chambers, please. I know.
if we could have it quiet in chambers, please. Hans, I might need your help. I got
this voice. I might need your
help. All right, y'all have to pardon my voice this morning. I
really am struggling. I normally don't, but this is bad. I'd like to
present a proclamation this morning to mr. Ted shielander. Come up. Oh, sure.
you're welcome. Hi. Good morning, sir. Everyone, this is ted shielander. He is a
faithful member of the williams boulevard baptist church for over 30 years. He has been employed at the
river ridge, winn-dixie location for 30 years, where he has served in various
roles such as buggy collector and head bagger. Ted shielander has provided dependable services
to his employer. And has never taken a day off for sickness, not one day. Ted sheelaner has
lived most of his life in jefferson parish. He travels to work, church, shopping,
etc. Via bicycle and public transportation. And again, has never missed a day. He is
loved and appreciated by his co-workers and patrons of winn-dixie. He is known for going above and beyond and
making sure customers are well taken care of when they visit. Ted sheelander has over 30 years,
in his over 30 years, has touched the lives of countless people with his kindness and demeanor.
therefore, the jefferson parish council hereby recognizes and congratulates
ted sheelander for his 30 years of faithful service to winn-dixie and wish him success
in all his future endeavors. Congratulations. Say it
in here so they can hear you.
this is my. Family from harlingen, texas. Christy schlander, my nephew, ryan
fetting, and my other nephew, thomas whitehead. I didn't
realize until last night they arrived here for this ceremony. Thank you,
jefferson parish council. That is amazing. This is a certificate from windix.
congratulations. Thank you.
thank you so much. Thank you.
thank you. Hi, it's liz yeager
here from magnolia. Hi liz, I didn't see you sitting right there. Come on up. How are you?
I'm ready. Will you quieten the
chambers, please, everybody? We still have a couple more of these to do. All right,
this is magnolia community services here today, and we're recognizing them for more than 90 years
of service. Whereas, for more than 90 years, magnolia community services has
served as a cornerstone of jefferson parish, providing compassionate care, housing, and vocational opportunities
for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. And whereas, magnolia community services
remains steadfast in its mission to ensure that residents and clients have access to safe and comfortable
housing, supported employment, individualized medical and behavioral care, wellness
programs and enriching recreational activities. So that every individual may live their best life. And whereas?
the month of march is recognized nationally as intellectual and developmental disabilities
awareness month, dedicated to promoting understanding, inclusion, and advocacy for individuals living
with autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other developmental disabilities.
and whereas on saturday, march 07, 2026, magnolia community services will host the second
annual magnolia fest, magfest. On the historic grounds of
magnolia's river road campus, offering a family-friendly community day, featuring live music and entertainment,
children's activities, food, beverages, community art vendors, local resources, and
whereas, more than halfway through. Internationally renowned musician delfeo marsalis and
the uptown jazz orchestra will have once again committed to headline magnolia fest, enhancing the cultural and
community spirit of the event. And whereas magnolia fest is expected to attract more than 500
attendees... And will serve to raise awareness of the needs of individuals with developmental
disabilities, while also generating critical support to help offset funding shortfalls in essential services. And
whereas the jefferson parish council desires to recognize magnolia community services for nearly a century
of exceptional service, compassion, and dedication to building a more inclusive and supportive parish
for all citizens. And whereas the jefferson parish council does hereby recognize march 2026 as intellectual and
developmental disabilities awareness month throughout jefferson parish. Now, therefore, the jefferson
parish council of jefferson parish, louisiana, hereby recognizes and commends
magnolia community services for more than 90 years of outstanding service to individuals with
intellectual and developmental disabilities. And for its continued commitment to enhancing quality of life through advocacy, care,
and community engagement. Congratulations and thank you for the work you do in our community. Well, thank
you, thank you so much for recognizing magnolia
community services. We really try hard to make sure that people with
developmental intellectual disabilities get the care they
need. And you truly truly appreciate the support and dedication
from the council and from parish. Thank you so much. You
want to come take a picture, everybody? Thank you. I met
your buddy. Oh, okay. So I have
a proclamation this morning, and certainly if the parish president, councilwoman,
bohannon, anyone, certainly if you want to participate. Because I know
we have all dealt in many different capacities
with the person that we're going to honor in this proclamation today. If
you've been around parish government and any efforts, you have come across. Debbie
satun and so we are here this morning to present a proclamation to
debbie. Whereas deborah satun has demonstrated outstanding
dedication, leadership, and commitment to serve jefferson parish, whereas her
sustained efforts over multiple decades greatly benefited the community, protecting them
from storms, encouraging good government, and enhancing our quality
of life. Whereas ms. Satun has served with distinction on the board of commissioners of the southeast louisiana
flood protection authority east, previously serving as the only... Civil engineer on the
jefferson parish levee board, contributing her knowledge and her expertise to the ongoing
protection and safety of all of us here in southeast louisiana and this critical
flood protection infrastructure. Whereas ms. Satun has been a champion for
stronger flood protection systems and a tireless advocate for the safety and well-being of both pump operators and the
citizens of southeast louisiana, whereas in her role as chair for
citizens for a safer jefferson, ms. Satun coordinated volunteer
engineers, and I remember this effort, to address pump backflow flooding, installed
remote control operation at many of our pump stations following hurricane katrina, and worked
closely with jefferson parish officials to design and construct safe houses,
those that we have today, ensuring the protection and the readiness
of our pump operators. She also developed the contraflow evacuation system.
to enhance the efficiency of emergency evacuations.
whereas ms. Satun has been an active and valued member of many other things,
it's not just flood protection, jefferson beautification, inc., the jefferson parish
tree preservation and propagation board, and the jefferson parish board of standards and appeals, as well
as the umbrella group that we've had known as the east
jefferson civic league. Whereas, she's participated in numerous community-focused
activities, based on land use and development, enhancing public outreach
on zoning requests, establishing rules for digital sign regulations,
all intended to improve the environment and the governance of our community. Last whereas.
whereas, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to improving flood resilience,
disaster preparedness, public safety, and environmental stewardship
in our region, she was honored in 2002 with the alliance for
good governments civic leader of the year award. Very well deserved. Her integrity,
professionalism, and passion for public service have inspired her colleagues and our
community at large. Now, therefore, the jefferson parish council, the governing authority of jefferson
parish, louisiana, hereby commends and recognizes deborah mabel satun
in appreciation of her dedicated service and enduring contributions to jefferson
parish. And when I tell you we could have listed so many more
things, there were multiple resumes of activities that we could have
included, so this is a small sampling of why we just wish to honor debbie satune this morning.
debbie? I would like
to say that, although I did not do this for recognition,
that there are so many others out there who need to step up. As those
of us who are aging. Step away
a little. I really appreciate all the thought and effort and
I've been challenged professionally and ethically
recently. And this is a good, good feeling
to have this award today. Thank you so much. You
around next week? Yeah. Okay.
thank you, dad. Great words. You deserve it all. Congratulations. Good morning.
I'm here to recognize two of our employees with their 10-year service pins, victor
larocca, our interim finance director. Victor, if you could, come up. Started working for
jefferson parish on january 06, 2016 as our budget director. As budget director, victor
helped the parish receive the government finance officers association outstanding
budget award each year. At the onset of the covid
pandemic, victor quickly evaluated at-risk parish revenue streams. And developed
suggested operational cuts to ensure the parish's financial stability in a time
of great uncertainty. In september of 2023, victor was asked to step up as the chief
administrative assistant in my office. In march of last year, he became our
interim finance director. Victor is a tireless public servant who never shies away
from any task. That is very true. Able to provide supervision and guidance, but is also very hands-on. I will
say, I'll use the word very steady. He's been a working director
who regularly works until the job is finished. As such, he has endeared himself
to his staff as someone who walks the walk and talks the talk. As interim director
of finance, victor has provided his veteran leadership to reduce staff turnover, increase hiring,
and getting the 2024 audit issued. So thank you so much, victor. So, for sure. All
right, next, donna russo, citizens affairs director. You'll know, donna. You'll see
her on the parade route all the time. Where's donna? Who celebrated her birthday on...
mardi gras day, as well as chinese new year. What a day.
lunar new year, I should say. So donna was hired as an executive assistant in the
parish president's office on february 11, 2016. Only two months later, she was promoted to director of citizens affairs. Donna and her team are jefferson parish's carnival
whisperers. In addition to establishing and maintaining a
solid working relationship with the carnival crew captains, donna has also coordinated
with the department of risk management and parish attorney's office. To ensure that the ordinance requirements
for insurance have been updated. Dinah was instrumental in organizing many bicentennial kickoff celebrations and other
festivities, all last year. She's also assisted
with the revival of powerboat races in jefferson parish, councilman
lidgerberg, that was in your district. The first race in 20 years took place on lake pontchartrain last
spring, and the organizers plan to return this year. Dinah's lively spirit... And enthusiasm
make her an incredible asset to jefferson parish. Thank you donna, thank you so much
for all your work. Council
members, if you want to come, take a picture with victor and donna. Welcome, welcome.
yeah, that was great. Well, congrats to you. Thank you.
thank you. Thank you. All right
everyone, good morning. It is 10 o'clock on this wednesday,
february the 25th. We begin our jefferson parish council
meeting this morning, calling it to order, and begin
with the invocation and the pledge. I understand our parish president has the honor
of inviting a guest to lead us in the invocation this morning.
thank you, madam chairwoman. I'm so pleased to welcome our jefferson parish sewerage
department employee for the invocation this morning, kalem reynolds, for today's invocation. Kalem
is not only our jefferson parish employee of the year, but he's also a youth pastor at greater galilee baptist
church. Kalem has worked with the sewerage department for 12 years, and
during that time he has gone far beyond his regular duties. He always brings a positive
attitude and helps build a strong, supportive team environment. On top of his regular shift,
kalem has worked with our lift stations divisions, inspecting over 250 lift stations
across the west bank in the evenings. Kalem is a true leader and a team player,
always willing to serve wherever he is needed and focused on passing down his knowledge to help the
next generation succeed. I was able to shoot a video with kalem at the end of the last
year because he was employee of the ward. I got to know him a lot better. We had a lot of fun that day,
kalem. So it's my honor to introduce kalem reynolds to give the invocation this morning. Every head bow,
every eye close on this morning. Dear god, we come to say thank you. Dear god, we come praying
for peace, unity, and love, dear god. We pray right now for the agenda, and today, dear god, pray for everyone
that's represented today, dear god, all our elected officials. Father god, go
into our community. Bless our community with oneness and unity. As we stand, dear god, we stand
together and we want to present peace, we want to present love, we want
to present the future. Of the devils together. In jesus' name, I pray. Amen. Thank you
so much, kalen. What a good leader for our parish employees. Frank cusimano, if you could
lead us in the pledge this morning.
all right, madam clerk, if you will, call the roll. Chairwoman van ranken.
present. Councilman walker. Here. Councilman bonanno.
here. Councilwoman bohannon. Here. Councilman lozaberg.
here. Parish president ms. Lee-shang. Here. And I've
completed the roll. And I understand the other council members will be joining us. Parish president, if you would
like to address the council. Thank you. Another great carnival season is
in the books for us. I'd like to thank so many of our jefferson parish departments and partners who worked hard to
make sure we had a successful and safe season, including our
fire services and the east bank consolidated fire department, our citizens
affairs, general services, water, streets, engineering, sewerage, drainage,
co-compliance and enforcement, parks and recreation, parkways, fleet management,
environmental affairs. Affairs, building permits, emergency management, public information
office, parish attorney's office, our jpos, security, purchasing, and, of course,
our jefferson parish sheriff's office and ems. So thank you for that. As you can
see by today's proclamations, the parade season isn't over just yet. The gretna
irish italian parade will take place on sunday, march 8th, at noon. The st. Patrick's
parade of jefferson will be on sunday, march 15th, at 11 a.m. And the louisiana irish
italian parade will take place sunday, march 22nd, at noon. For more information on all
of these parades, visit jeffparish.gov. Slash
carnivalseason. J-paws will hold an adoption event on
saturday, march 14th, from noon to 3 p.m. The event will be hosted by flying
dollies, located at 402 williams boulevard in kenner.
also, if you're a taylor swift and travis kelsey fan, taylor swift, the cat, and travis
take off kelsey, the dog. Are finally saying, I do. On
saturday, march 21st, at the east bank regional library. An invitation to that wedding will
be posted soon, and all attendees must rsvp. Only 100 guests will be able
to attend in person. This is an extremely exclusive event, but the wedding will be live
streamed for those who are not able to make it. So more info to come. J pause has fun
with their work, that's all I'll say. They're always coming up with something new. Elario
center, this saturday and sunday, this is going back to my good times. Many, many times I've been at this event
with my children. The elario center will host the governor's games volleyball tournament. What a great event,
seeing the best of volleyball with our youth this day, starting at 8 a.m. Each day.
the tournament will feature 119 teams of boys and girls ranging from 10 to 18 years old.
competing at three sites across the city, with 10 courts at the elario center. So
for more information on that, visit thegamepoint.org. For our library events, we'll
have free tax preparation. Services are available with licensed agents at east
bank regional, river ridge, wagner, tarrytown, west bank regional, and live oak
libraries. Through the april 15th I.r.s. Deadline. On a first-come,
first-served basis. You can visit calendar.jplibrary.net for a full listing. A community
craft share will be held at tarrytown library on saturday, march 7th, from 1
to 4 p.m. Patrons are encouraged to drop off gently used craft supplies
of all varieties that are no longer of use and pick out new items for their next creative project. Early
drop-offs may be made at both the tarrytown and east bank regional libraries from march 1st through march
6th, during standard library hours. The annual genealogy expo
at the east bank regional is this saturday from 9.30 a.m. To 12.30 p.m. Geneologist
jari anara, of the historic
new orleans collection will discuss his groundbreaking research on the new orleans-based ancestry of
pope leo xiv, while dr. Michelle bell-boissier will
share her experiences with consumer genetic testing. Multiple local organizations
focused on ancestral research will be represented at information tables. Also,
the winter jigsaw puzzle extravaganza will be held this saturday from 9 a.m. To 4 p.m.
at the east bank regional library, with a community puzzle swap and a puzzle sale sponsored by the friends of
jefferson parish public library. A puzzle competition, those are always fun, starts
at 2 p.m. With teams of two vying to complete a 500-piece puzzle
within two hours or less. Prizes will be awarded to first, second,
and third place teams. Machinery, this is important, we all have these. Machinery that can transfer vh tapes or
real film 8mm or super 8 to digital formats will be set up
for public use at the tarrytown library for home movie day this friday, 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m. The public is invited
to bring home movies to view in the meeting room and to leave with digital files
that preserve treasured memories. Additional home movie days are being scheduled at other branch libraries
throughout the year. For more information about this event. And other programming,
visit jplibrary.net. And then I want to go over our director
confirmations that we are asking our council to ratify.
as you know, when our chief operating officer, steve lachute, retired, in addition
to asking the council for two chief operating officers in shereen
gagenheimer and mark drews, we took the time to fill some other positions and make some
other administrative changes. So with that, we're asking for your positive vote
on resolution numbers 142, 143, 144, 145, and 146
on the agenda. Again, I'm requesting the council's favorable consideration
for the appointment of these several directors. A lot of these faces are no strangers to jefferson parish. So as I
call your name, if you could, please stand. Ray guidry, I know ray was over here. Ray
guidry. To director of emergency management. Out of high school, ray spent four
years with the navy and served in iraq. He then moved to the st. Charles parish sheriff's
office and spent the last seven years with the kenner fire department, three of those inside the training division
for jefferson parish. I actually met ray during some fema training that we were taking together last year or
maybe two years ago, and I was so impressed with him then. I'm impressed
with his knowledge and his drive. He's currently working on his master's degree in emergency and disaster
management. We're excited to have a very well-rounded candidate for emergency management director
with military, fire, and police training in addition to fema training.
so, thank you, ray. Matthew zerang, you know, matthew, well, to the position of
director of engineering. Matthew has been with the parish for 17 years. Is matthew standing? Okay,
perfect. He started in the engineering department as a college intern and has been a professional engineer for 11
years. Again, angela desoto, you know, promoted to director
of public works. Angela spent 25 years with the corps of engineers. She's been with
jefferson parish for 10 years and has frequently stepped up as a leader
for public works when mark drews was unavailable. Chris frazier to director of general
services. Chris has been with the parish for 16 years. He started as an engineer and worked his way up. His
background is in property management. And joe waggisback, the director of safety and security. Joe
spent 19 years in various roles with the jefferson parish sheriff's office. A strong background
in law enforcement, serving in investigations, as a narcotics supervisor, and, most recently, as part
of my security detail. We've also promoted ryan babcock from director
of general services to chief administrative assistant over internal services. As well
as don robertson, from director of fire services to chief administrative assistant over public safety. So we're
excited about the new energy these promotions will bring to our administrative team.
we've tapped people who have been with jefferson parish for a very long time and have deep institutional knowledge, which
we know how critical that is as we do our daily work. Combined, these candidates, as
well as our new chief operating officer, shereen guggenheimer and mark drews, have more than
200 years of experience. Just in jefferson parish. Thank you. I don't know if shireen wanted
to say that. That's a lot. That's a lot. It seems,
really. Shireen is 150. I will not repeat that, scott walker.
no, let me just say, I know when you introduced the candidates to us earlier this week, they are familiar faces,
and the beautiful thing is, jefferson parish has a culture where if people are here, grow
over the years, learn over the years,
there is the opportunity to really rise and lead. And, um, I'm delighted
to see these candidates. Absolutely. Thank you. And we're very proud of that tradition. Any council
members wish to respond to the parish president? Yes.
just to wish all of you guys a congratulations. It takes a lot to get that kind of nod from the parish president,
and so it means a lot. So congratulations to all of you. And I would like
to point out we have one from kenner, so just bragging a little bit. Thank you. The
parish president and I yesterday were at a louisiana travel association event right
here in jefferson, parish. They had people from everywhere. I said,
who's the furthest away? Someone from webster parish was here, someone from
shreveport. So part of what we know we have in jefferson is amazing outdoor
recreational assets. The hilario sports complex that's
just come online, the pickleball courts that we have. And I want to just highlight,
there's a little video that we're going to show because we
have a first here at jefferson parish. Next month,
there is going to be the first professional disc golf
tournament in louisiana, and it will be here in jefferson parish at parc de femme. Keep
drawing and you can get a screen record for the rest of the meeting. So as you see
there, the big easy open is what it's called. It's happening march 13th
through the 15th. There'll be several hundred players coming from all over the world to play here in jefferson parish. And if you want
to start to understand what disc golf is all about, it's a great opportunity to go out there and see this
professional-level tournament.
and again, it really is in line with jefferson convention and visitors
bureau. It's in to be out in jefferson, and I think that is,
as you've said, parish president, it's our wheelhouse, it's our strength. Madam
chairwoman, the momentum we're having in sports tourism is absolutely amazing and it's
very exciting, so this is another huge event for us to host in jefferson parish. Thank you so much. All
right, we're moving now to the section of our agenda where persons who wish
to appear before the council to talk on any any resolution that's
on the agenda this morning, you can come forward. You have three minutes. The items that
are numbers 9 through 17, those are ordinances, and so those are going to have
their own individual hearings. So at this point, again, anyone who wants to speak on any resolution that's
on the agenda, come forward, and if you would, state your name and address to begin. Kim shetling,
inspector general for jefferson parish. You have before you item number 71.
hopefully you have all received a written request for a deferral of this item.
the proposed resolution comes at a time of active and ongoing matters by the jpoig, specifically, an
open audit on jfi, an evaluation of jfi's
transaction regarding its renovation and lease of 519 huey p. Long. As well as an
anticipated public letter relating to the rent terms for the multi-use. Presently,
jfi has a fully constituted board. The resolution,
under its terms, say that the effective date would be 2028,
and what I'm asking you to do is to defer this item to allow the inspector
general's office to complete its work, provide you these reports,
and hopefully present you with additional context and considerations. That might
bring light to this resolution. Thank you.
I'm a resident of river ridge, and I'm in agreement with the ig to defer
resolution 71. I think part
of what we're dealing with here... Is jfi was established to build and operate parking
garages. And like many agencies
and so forth, I feel like there's been some mission creep here, and they've evolved into
a leverage point where they can
assist in picking winners.
in the business sector of gretna and
in the private sector, and can affect existing businesses in the construction
of other things. As far as this
particular resolution, I think it would be great to see a resolution passed
to confine jpi's function to parking. And the income created, like,
in that manner. And not to add unnecessary overhead to that particular entity,
jfi. I believe $1.3 million
in revenue was posted as of last june 30th. I ask that
you defer this resolution and give some more thought to it.
thank you. Cornelia ullman,
district 3, camphor street, in airline park. I just have
four quick items. Number 155, the westminster tower limited
partnership. With the secretary of state's office, it is in good standing.
however, every entity and every officer is in memphis, tennessee, and there's no agent
for service. There really ought to be some tie to louisiana.
numbers 151 and 152. Which is metairie manor owner limited
partnership that's not filed at all with the louisiana secretary of state. Not sure if that's required, but perhaps
the parish attorney could address that and suggest there should be an agent for service and somebody designated.
number 101 metairie public benefit corporation. I'm sorry,
I'm not up to date on that, I'm just not clear the purpose
of it. In article five of your art, of the articles
that proposed articles, there's a general catch-all language, but it would be
helpful if there were some goals or aspirations stated in that. And part
of my concern comes from that, from item number 71. And what can I say? I just
support what the ig recommended. And I wanted
to thank you all. Nobody realizes the time, the effort, the words, the hours that go
into an agenda like this. Thank you. J.c. John harmon. I
want to speak in support of attorney general. It was our
honor to have her at our last louisiana republican assembly meeting, and also jennifer van
ranken spoke at the meeting. They shed light on some
of what's going on in the parish, and item 71 is a big concern. So I just want
to briefly talk about the fact that. Per that
meeting, it became obvious that we should fully support the
deferral of and back the ig on
recommending the deferral based on item 71. Thank you. My name
is dennis burke, and I live in metairie. Agenda item 71
deals with jfi. It's articles of confid... Incorporation,
its bylaws, and some possible changes for 2028. Seems
to me it's a bit premature to be talking about that because jfi is embroiled
in controversy because of its gretna-brupo business. I think
it would be a lot more prudent to wait until after that controversy is settled, and
with the benefit and clarity of hindsight, the parish could more effectively deal with jfi
in its future, if it has one.
there are those that believe that jfi, had it done its business well,
we would not even be in this controversy in the first place and believe it should be abolished.
therefore, I recommend that agenda item 71 be deferred or
canceled. Thank you. Good
morning. My name is debbie theriault, and I'm a resident of old jefferson, louisiana.
I'm also the vice president of louisiana... Republican assembly, and I also represent
other groups that cannot be here today, such as the jefferson parish republican
women's group, the tea party, the home defense foundation,
and several others. With all of the controversy surrounding the
brew pub, I think it would be most reasonable for us to defer
the resolution as recommended by the I.g., resolution 71. I
do know that when we have failed to follow her recommendations
in the past, it's not always worked
to our advantage. So I would strongly encourage you to do that, and I thank you for letting me speak. Frankie
hires, trying to spark a little curiosity, and away I'd go. Items 38,
40, 42, 41, 68, 70, 81, 87,
90, 86, 94, 96, 115, 116. Y'all
know who got the most money. Recuse yourselves. At-large
members, recuse yourselves. You're senators. You shouldn't be deciding on any of this. You should be advisors
like the house of lords. You should advise on these things, but you shouldn't vote
on them. You can't be apportioned. Not that any of the other seats are, except
for district five, which only serves a metering. Of course, there's special districts within there,
and then we can get this metri, uh, public benefit corporation. I believe it was
december 2023. Somebody did oppose the brew pub,
and somebody's going to oppose this, just like I oppose the any other crotchet. Which ingenuity may
invent, may invent, and the combinations that they
may give strength to carry, I opposed that brewpub, then. I said, you know, I
like a beer. People shouldn't have to be paying for this, especially out of money that was supposed
to be dedicated to citizens. This was pua money, cares act money. It had
dedicated places to go, and it wasn't in the pockets of discretionary fund accounts. That then can be turned into,
I don't know, boosters to a lottery
for a reinforced roof, maybe. This is just a joke. This is
not governance. This is arbitrary and inadmissible.
you're worried about 71. Did anybody notice that we're going to spend 50 grand
to give jfi money to litigation, money
to provide funding for their legal fees? We're giving jfi 50 grand
for their legal fees. That's item, what, 112? 154 items. I
can't get through them all. 116, cooperative endeavor
agreements with vector media, aren't they? The one that's going to be working media against the parish
firefighters, too. If achieved
by any means, prescribed constitutionally, I wouldn't have to show up here at all.
but if it's achieved by any means, not prescribed, then it becomes arbitrary and inadmissible. This is not
governance, it's a cabal, it's not politics, it's not a political question.
we deserve a representative of the public. Anyone else
wishing to appear? All right.
moving on, items 1 through 3, I have a notation. They will be
deferred to march the 18th, so next month. Councilman
walker, your motion? Move. Councilman walker moves
on deferring item 1 through 3 to march 18th, seconded by councilwoman van branken.
if you will. Vote your machines on deferring one
through three. It's not
working. Were you pushing
on your screen? Okay, there's everybody. Alright, seven
unanimous votes on deferring one through three. All right.
madam clerk, item 4. A
resolution selecting a person or firm for architect, landscape architect, or professional engineering and
supplemental services for park defamille's master plan for the jefferson parish parks
and recreation department. Councilman kerner, your
selection. Escape, landscape, architecture, dpc. Councilman
kerner moves on scape landscape architecture dpc,
seconded by councilwoman van branken. We're gonna open voting. Okay, closing the vote,
you want to verbally say, yay?
okay, unanimous yays. Seven
in favor. Madam clerk, item
five. A resolution selecting a person or firm for professional engineering services and
supplemental services for the replacement of rose thorn gym and related utility
relocation work under fema. P.w. 5482 and may include
design, construction, administration, and related supplemental services
for repairs and improvements to the adjacent rose thorn playground and ball field
project, fema p.w. 2486, council district 1.
councilman kerner, your selection. Meyer engineers. Councilman kerner moves on
meyer engineers, the highest scored, seconded by councilwoman van branken.
voting is open. Everybody all
right. Item passes unanimously.
madam clerk, please read item six a resolution selecting a person or firm for professional
architectural engineering and supplemental services for the
jefferson stadium project. Council district to councilman banana your
selection? I'm gonna move on the highest ranked firm. Mathis brea, mathis brea.
motion by councilman bonanno, seconded by councilwoman van
branken. We're going to open the voting on this item. I think we're missing
five and two. You might have,
councilman bonanno, you might have hit it early. See if it registers. There we go. All
right, ending the vote. The item passes unanimously.
madam clerk, item 7. A resolution selecting a person or firm to provide pre-placed
emergency tree work, monitoring and management services for the parkways department
during declared emergency events under r.f.p number 0505. Councilman walker, your
selection. Thompson consulting. Councilman walker
moves on thompson consulting, the highest ranked firm,
seconded by councilwoman van branken. Voting is open. All
right, closing the vote. The item passes unanimously. Item
8 is executive session, which we expect around noon. I have a
notation that item 9 will be deferred to march 18th.
councilman kerner, your motion? Moves to defer. Councilman
kerner moves to defer item 9 to march 18th, seconded by
councilwoman van franken, opening the vote to defer. And
the voting is open. On the item to defer to march
18th. Councilman? All right,
closing the vote. The item passes unanimously. Item 10,
madam clerk. Summary number 26656, approving s.p.-38-25
for the extension, addition, or enlargement
of a non-conform... Conforming use and structure with variances to the rear yard
dimensional standards and landscape regulations of the tcm.u. For ricos tires
and wheels. Located at 2609 david drive on lot 16, square
three, leela place, subdivision, council, district four. We can wave wave
the reading on this item. We are opening the public hearing on summary number two, six,
six, five, six. Anyone in favor of this item, thank you. Please come forward.
anyone opposed? Madam clerk
seeing none in favor and none opposed. Councilwoman bahannon, your
motion? Move to approve. Councilwoman bahannon moves to approve the item. Seconded
by councilman liljberg. Voting is open. All right,
voting is closed. The item passes unanimously. I have a
notation that item 11 is to be deferred to april the
8th. Councilman bonanno, your motion on deferring item 11 to april 8th. We can't act on
this measure today because the planning and bidding board has not met yet. So with that,
we're going to move to defer to 318. All right, so motion
by councilman bonanno. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, madam chair.
okay, we'll go april 8th. Yes. Okay, so absolutely. So
the motion by councilman bonanno, seconded by councilwoman van branken, is to defer this item to april the
8th. Your voting is open.
voting is closed. The item passes unanimously to be deferred to april the
8th. Madam clerk, item 12. Summary number 26683, approving
s.p.-69-25 for a variance to the area and landscape
regulations of the c-1 and cbz for the construction of a multi-retail center
located at 1316 north causeway boulevard on lot 15a,
square no. 94, harlem subdivision, council district
5. Thank you. We can waive the reading and we're now opening
the public hearing on summary number 26683. Anyone in favor of this item,
please come forward. Anyone
opposed, please come forward.
seeing that no one has appeared in favor or in opposition, madam clerk. Councilman
logeberg, your motion. Councilman logeberg moves to approve the item. Seconded
by councilwoman van branken. Voting is open. Voting is
closing. The item is passed unanimously. Madam clerk, item
13. Summary number 26684, amending ordinance number
14796, the pay plan for the classified service of jefferson parish
to revise the class title for the classification of emergency management
coordinator 3. We're now opening the public hearing on summary number 26684.
anyone in favor, please come forward. Anyone
opposed? Madam clerk, seeing no
one in favor or in opposition of this item. Councilman
walker, your motion. Move. Councilman walker moves
on approving this item, seconded by councilwoman van branken. Voting is open.
voting is closed. The item passes unanimously. Madam
clerk, item 14. Summary number 26685, amending ordinance
number 27123 to correct an omission
of the intended modification of fees related to the spay-neuter program. Set forth
in chapter 7, article 2, division 1, section 7-31a.2
of the jefferson parish code of ordinances. We're now opening the public hearing
for summary number 26685. 5. Anyone in favor of this item,
please come forward. Anyone opposed? Madam clerk, seeing
none, moving forward to speak on opposition or approval
of this item. Councilman walker, your motion? Move to approve. Councilman walker
moves to approve, seconded by councilwoman van vranken, opening the voting.
councilman bonanno, you want to vote on the spay and neuter?
all right. Closing voting, the item passes unanimously.
item 15, madam clerk. Summary number 26686, amending chapter
27, water, sewage, and drainage ordinance of the jefferson powers code of
ordinances in order to clarify provisions for food service establishments. We're
now opening the public hearing on summary number 26686.
anyone wishing to speak in favor of this item, please come forward. Anyone
in opposition? Madam clerk,
please note that no one has appeared either way. Councilman walker, your motion?
move to approve. Councilman walker moves to approve, seconded by councilwoman van
branken. Opening voting. All
right, closing the vote. The item passes unanimously. And
thanks so much to michelle gonzalez and the administration for reaching out
to the restaurant association and those who might be impacted. They had no opposition and said they
appreciated the work. Item
16, madam clerk, with amendments. Summary number
26687, amending the 2026 operating budget. And the
amendments are to allocate $14,000 from council district
3's video poker fund into parkway's account, 44560-4008-7454-45656-300
for plaques at various locations. In the sign in front of willowdale subdivision,
council, district 3. To allocate $13,495 from
council district 3's west bank riverboat gaming fund to pay invoices from ipsc.
for security services at jefferson parish. Covid memorial and farmers market,
council district 3, to allocate $1,325 from
council district 3's west bank riverboat gaming fund for services related
to the ribbon cutting for the farmers market, council district 3. And that's
all the amendments I have. Thank you. Councilman lee, your motion on the amendments.
councilman lee motions approval on the amendments, seconded by councilwoman van branken.
I'm going to open voting. This is on the amendments. Closing
the vote. The amendments pass unanimously. Now opening the voting
on the item as amended. We need the public hearing. So anyone
who wishes to speak on this 2026 operating budget, summary number 26687, please
come forward. Anyone wishing
to speak in favor? Anyone wishing to speak
in opposition? Madam clerk, please note that no one has appeared. We'll open the voting
on the motion on the item as amended. Councilman lee moves, seconded
by councilwoman van branken.
all right, now everybody's in. The item passes unanimously as amended.
madam clerk, item 17. Summary
number 26688 amending the 2026 capital budget and the
amendments are to recognize a transfer of $14,000 from council district
3's video poker into parkway's account 445604008,
745445656300. For plaques
at various locations in the sign in front of willowdale subdivision,
council district 3. And that's all the amendments I have. Okay, councilman lee, your
motion on the amendments. I move. Councilman lee moves
for approval of the amendments. I'm going
to start the voting. All right, closing the voting. The amendments pass unanimously.
and we're going to open the public hearing
on the item as amended. So if you'd like to speak on the capital budget, please come forward. If you
have remarks in favor, if you have remarks
in opposition, please come forward. Madam clerk, seeing no one coming
forward, we're going to open voting on the item as amended. This is
the capital budget on motion of councilman lee, seconded
by councilwoman van branken. All right, we're closing the voting. The
item, as amended, passes unanimously. Madam
clerk, item 18. Councilman
logeberg. To? Yes, sir. A
resolution granting permission to st. Catherine of siena, 105 bonneville boulevard,
to conduct their gala. A toast to the 20s on saturday, march 21st, 2026, from 7 p.m. Until
11 p.m. This motion is coming
from the floor, so it has to be unanimous. So does
everyone on the council approve of moving this item from the floor,
taking this item from the floor? I'm going
to open the voting. All right, closing the voting. The motion can come from the floor. Now,
councilman, your motion on the item. Move to approve. Councilman liljberg moves
to approve this item, seconded by councilwoman van branken. Voting is open. Who's going
to speak out against st. Catherine? Come on. All right,
the clerk, madam clerk is telling me that we do have
to open. The public hearing on this resolution for st. Catherine of siena to host a gala. So if anyone
wishes to speak on this item, please come forward. Madam
clerk, seeing none who wish to speak in favor or against this item, councilman
liljberg. Move to approve. All right. Voting is open. All
right. Voting is closed. The item passes unanimously.
madam clerk. A resolution appointing melissa maestri-martin, replacing
marcy planner to the board of trustees of the jefferson
parish finance authority as the representative of council district 5. All right,
this item is coming from the floor, so it needs to be done so unanimously. All
council members in favor of it coming from the floor.
the item can come from the floor passing unanimously. The item now, councilman
liljerberg, public hearing on, sorry, on appointing ms. Melissa mastry-martin to the
finance authority. Anyone who wishes to speak on this item, please come forward. Seeing
none wishing to speak on this item, councilman liljerberg. Move to approve.
councilman liljerberg moves to approve. Voting is open.
voting is closed. The item passes unanimously. Item clerk?
councilman kerner. I have one. Councilman bonanno.
councilman lee. Yes, sir. A
resolution granting permission to champion sports management llc at 11080 nicole
boulevard, west wigo, permission to conduct a bayou national baseball tournament.
on february 28, 2026 to march 15, 2026, from 8 a.m. Until 9
p.m. All right, all council members, this has
to be unanimous, so vote on the item coming from the floor. All right,
closing the vote. The item can come from the floor. Now we'll
open the public hearing on this item. Anyone wishing to come speak forward and speak
in favor or against this item? Madam clerk, seeing none.
councilman lee? I move. Councilman lee votes to move
for approval of this item. Seconded by councilwoman van branken. Voting is open.
voting is closed. The item passes unanimously. Madam clerk. A resolution granting
permission to heroes of new orleans to conduct a race for a cause festival on march
21st, 2026, from 10 a.m. Until 7 p.m. At nola
motorsports park. At 11-075, nicole boulevard in avondale.
all right, all council members wishing to allow this item to come from the floor, please vote.
members have unanimously voted. Opening the public hearing
on this item, anyone who wishes to speak in support or opposition of this item,
please come forward. Madam clerk, seeing none, councilman lee. I move. Councilman lee moves
for approval of this item, seconded by councilwoman van ranken. Closing the vote,
the item passes unanimously. Councilwoman van ranken. I have
none. Councilman walker. I have none. Councilwoman bohannon. I
have none. And I've completed the roll. Councilman walker,
your motion regarding in globo adoption of consent agenda
number one items. 19 through
70 minus 57, which is to be canceled. Move. Okay, and
pulling 20 for an amendment. So, in globo, adoption of items 19 through 70 minus
57, which is to be canceled, and 20, which is
to be amended. Councilman walker? Move. Councilman walker moves for approval,
seconded by councilwoman van vranken. We'll open voting on this item, on these items.
all right, closing the voting. The consent agenda passes unanimously.
so, item 20 for amendment. A resolution approving of the
2026 alcohol beverage permits. And the amendments are to add
zocalo. Restaurants under permit number 1, 0, 0, 8, 6,
03, 2, 3, 7 2 and braza under permit number 1 0, 0, 8, 6,
03, 2, 3, 3. 8 to the resolution of approvals, and
that's all the amendments I have. Okay, councilman liljerberg, you want to move
on those amendments? Move to amend. Excellent, councilman liljerberg.
seconded by councilwoman van vranken to amend item 20. This
is the vote to amend on the amendments. All right,
closing the vote. The amendments pass. Councilman liljeberg, your item as
amended. Move to approve. Councilman liljeberg moves
for approval, seconded by councilwoman van vranken on the item as amended. The
voting is open. Move. Vote.
oh, I thought I was moving myself. I'm moving in advance. Lady, you wish
to vote on this one. All right,
closing the voting. The item passes unanimously as amended.
that takes us to... Item 71,
and I understand councilman bonanno has asked that 71 be pulled for discussion,
but wait, let me get to the consent agenda, sorry.
all right, so the consent agenda item, consent agenda 2
will be moving on items 71, pulling for discussion,
through 149. With 72 being
pulled for selection and 107 being deferred to march 18th.
so again, it will be items 71 through 149, but pulling 71 for discussion, 107
to be deferred, and 72, which is a selection. Your motion,
councilman walker. I'll move on that again. All right.
seconded by councilwoman van branken. So this is a vote on consent agenda 2. Closing
the vote. Those items pass.
which brings us to item 71, madam clerk. A resolution requesting jefferson
facilities incorporated, jfi, to amend article 7 of its article of incorporation
in its bylaws. To specify the procedure for appointing directors
to the board of directors when vacancies occur beginning january 2028 and to provide
for related matters.
councilman bonanno. First and
foremost, I want to make it very, very clear.
my resolution has nothing, nothing to do with the merits of the group up, either for or against. Simply trying
to establish the council's intent going forward. Jfi, all
their representatives have been appointed by district 1
in the past, but jfi represents the entire west bank of jefferson parish. And myself and my
colleague, councilman lee, have desires going forward to use a public benefits corporation
to do projects in our district. And so,
with that said, this is to establish a precedent going forward. In the future. That each of us, districts 1, 2, and
03, get an appointment to jfi. So I want to be very clear
about that. I received an email with a letter from the ig asking me
to defer this matter, which I don't have a problem with. I want to be clear, too. None
of the reasons given in the ig's letter have anything to do with waste,
fraud, or abuse. These are all political matters to be decided by this council, not
by the ig. That's very concerning to me. But more importantly, three meetings ago, my
colleague appointed a new member to jfi. Did he get an email with a letter asking him
to defer it? That's a material change to jfi. At the last meeting, my
colleague, and I have great respect for him, he proposed legislation
to change the area of representation. Of jfi to just district 1. Did he get a letter asking him to defer?
no, he didn't. Quite interestingly, the ig shared his press release
on her facebook account. She shared his press release about his legislation. She
didn't share anything from me. Ladies and gentlemen, you ought to be very concerned. The
hypocrisy in the ig's office is real. It's very, very real. It's
about which council member proposes the legislation, and not what the legislation does.
well, with that, I'm going to move for deferral, but I want to be clear. He
didn't ask to be made to defer any of his matters, just I did. That ongoing
investigation and audit was going on when he appointed a new member to that gfi board.
the investigation was ongoing at the last meeting when he proposed legislation to change
the representation area of gfi. He wasn't asked
to defer that. With that, council chair, I'm going
to move for deferral. All
right, anyone else wishing to speak on this item that's pulled for discussion? I do.
councilman? I got a few e-mails as well, and I just want
to let you guys know, I've spoken with some of your members. The e-mails
that we got were largely, like they had a lot of misstatements in there.
whoever's advising you gave you all some really bad information. There were things that were just flat wrong. I
have no problem also deferring it. You know, I'm aware, of course, you know,
I have friends in your group and, you know, you can count me
in your number. I have spoken with several people in your group. They told me that a lot of what was told
to you all was just wrong, was like kind of made up
from whole cloth. Another thing, I met with one of your members and basically we hashed
the whole thing out. And the end result is, he said, I don't like public benefit
corporations. I don't like... Public money going into private entities. And I get that. Like, I understand it
perfectly. But, I mean, we just did one on the west
bank. We just did the ballpark over there. It's going to be great. It's going
to be great for the parish. I mean, we have public benefit corporations all over. Somebody spoke earlier
about the public benefit corporation that I'm creating.
your concerns are well-founded. I mean, some people just simply don't like public benefit
corporations. And I get it, and I respect that view. You know, the... You asked the
reason for metri? The reason is we're going to try
to make a tennis mecca in district 5. Just kind of make it a hub. Right now,
if you want to play your state championship tennis match, you have to go to mobile. We're going to try
to do a usta facility right here in metairie. You might not
like that because it's a public benefit corporation. There's going to be a private tennis
association that's supported with public money. I think it's been great for the district. I
think it's going to be great for the parish. So, you know, I don't have a problem
with this, but again, I just, I want to make myself available
to any of you all if you'd like to know the facts. You know,
I would strongly encourage you to talk to, and not me, but talk to people from port orleans. Talk to people, you
know, I went on a tour of that building. It's pretty amazing, and the public benefit to
jefferson parish of what they're doing over there is really... Like, I
was awestruck. I was amazed. So I would encourage you to talk to those folks.
they'll make themselves available to you. And then make your decision. That's all I have to say. I likewise have
created two public benefit corporations since I've been here. And I
just want the public to understand, when we say that it's a corporation and a
government mixing with a corporation,
the corporation is owned by and benefited to the government. So this is a
private business in theory, in that it's created that way through the secretary of state
as a corporation. But the corporation is owned, managed,
and the business is conducted by the government, by people
who represent the government. And so, you know, my public benefit corporation,
the only way that this funds, everybody's volunteer, no one gets paid,
the entire board. And whatever incomes that they derive from rentals that we have at
lafayette park, it's mandated that they stay within the park. So they can
only spend money to do projects in the park. And what it does is it gives government flexibility. So that
when we are doing a project in the park, we don't have to go through regular bid processes.
we don't have to go through now. They do have to do some public bids. I mean, they can't just go willy-nilly
picking vendors. But if they decide to plant a garden somewhere, we don't have
to get council approval for them to do that. They have authority within the corporation
to do that. So it's a corporation, but I want to be clear, it's not a corporation that's some private
business owner. This is a corporation that is a government corporation. So they are carved out by the law, and they are special
corporations, and they're designed to do just what jfi's kind of done,
grow and change an area. And if you look at what's happened over the course of the last 20 years in gretna, I want
to steal half of what they've done and make it my downtown kenner, because I love the growth and development that
they've done. Now, do we love every project? Maybe, maybe not. But that public benefit corporation put out to bid,
looking for a vendor, and there was only one person who
responded, and it happened to be a brew pub. And so we don't just, you know,
not go forward because we want to hold out for a different type of business. Instead, the
councilman at the time chose to go forward. And this council unanimously, seven times,
supported that decision. Just way before councilman luschenberg or I got here.
so, you know, whatever happens with jfi, but I just want to make sure that everyone
understands that a public benefit corporation is not the enemy. And our ig, for whatever reason,
hates them. And that's fine. That's her, right. Where I'm
worried is, like, what? Councilman bonanno said, we
should not be politicizing that office. She has a very limited
scope and purpose. It's to look for fraud, waste, and abuse. And weighing in on
your policy opinions and your political opinions, we should
never, most people should not know the ig's name. This person should be working to look
for fraud, waste, and abuse. They shouldn't be
on television. They shouldn't be sharing certain council people's facebook posts and
cheering them on, like, rah, that's embarrassing. And I thought that we had changed the
legislation regarding the ig so that we wouldn't have to face those kinds of things anymore. And here we
are again having a conversation about our ig, deciding to take a political posture. It's inappropriate. It's
inappropriate. And to be quite frank, it's a little exhausting to have the same conversation
about that over and over again. Councilman kerner. I agree. It has been
exhausting. I'm ready to bring this to some conclusion based
on talking with all of you. But I do want to,
I respect my colleagues. I mean, me and aretha had great conversations about this.
she's one of the hardest working people I've ever seen on a council. So I want to start by saying, you know,
byron and dino both worked, you know, worked with us so well.
to really find a path forward, even in this deferment. You know, we've discussed it, we
all worked as a unit and that's how the council is supposed to work. You know, not all the
times are we gonna agree. We shouldn't. That's not how democracy should work,
it's not how a republic should work, but it's when we could come in, when we disagree and find some
common consensus. But I do have some points I just want to clarify. You know,
it is beautiful. It's a beautiful building. You, the
taxpayers, built something beautiful.
but you're going to have to go purchase alcohol or tacos to go experience it. So I
don't, you know, I just want to really nail that on that fact that, yeah,
it is beautiful. What do we expect a $10.3 million building to be? It's going
to be beautiful. So that is not a compelling argument that,
it was the right choice. But look, I don't want to get
into weeds. And another comment was made that this thing was
advertised only one company. When they sent out the advertisement, the rfq, whatever it was,
they actually had paul lien's logo on it. So I have grave concerns about how this process
was went forward with. And
to make it, you know, to solidify my concerns and make them, you know, even worse is
that the public was told there was a match. It was a match.
it was a match. They made videos about it. October 2023, we found
out it wasn't a match. And still, that narrative kept being pushed. So I have very
big concerns about it. And just to clarify my position on the changes I made at jfi,
I didn't change the framework
of jfi. It's been since 2001, I
believe, 25 years. It's been, it's been. District 1 has
chosen the members. This is not something new. And again, we had an expired term,
two expired terms. We replaced them. And the reason why I did that is for a few reasons. And
I'll end with the brew pub, but when this thing was created, it was sold. You can go back
to old means. It was sold in old newspaper clip-ins. The pork and garage was sold. That,
you know, we're going to take out bonds, but it was going to collect enough. To pay
for the bonds. Well, I think we were around $11 to $12 million
of taxpayers that had to fund for the garage, and by the time it's finished,
it'll be between $16 to $18 million. So that was the first project. The second project was
the shared office space. Well, we received the tax
credit where the parish put up the construction and it was going to get reimbursed. A part
of this, if you go back to jetco's releases, the newspaper releases. We're
gonna get a tax credit back for the construction dollars we put up. Jfi got that tax credit
back and kept it. Something that should have went back to the taxpayers to be used
to help benefit the people. So that was another red flag.
in addition to that, with the shared office space, since it's been started, beautiful project.
but if we're talking about transparency and honesty and getting things right,
stopping a bleed, the truth of the matter is. Every single month, on average, this shared
office space is costing the taxpayers in district 1. Because we're funding it
$15,000 to $25,000 every single month. But it's been promoted
as a fantastic project, which it is, if handled right. But the public's been left
in the dark in that. So we need it, especially when district 1
is paying for these funds. We need to have people
in place that is willing to work with district 1. I had to put up $150,000
to keep this thing going. But we needed people in place. That's going to have to make the tough decisions,
that will have to be transparent, that are willing to be transparent, good, honest people. That are going to go out there and let people
know that and try to solve these issues. You know, there's no way we should be promoting a project as
something so great when we're
losing 15 to 25,000 a month on average. That is insanity.
now, that was their second project. Their third project was the brewpub. It is
beautiful, $10.3 million building, of course, it's beautiful. I didn't
like how the process happened. And to ig's defense, I mean, I've researched this thing
harder than anyone. I didn't touch this for five to six months because I wasn't sure
what to do. I wanted to be absolutely certain that my concerns were justified. You
know, I did not want this thing politicized. And the more I
look at it, I mean, if you look, the more I look
at the... Different legal issues about this lease and I think it will be decided, not a breach of contract,
but we'll be deciding in court, but it's, uh, it's concerning. You know whether the parish is going
to get, we can't give donations and the amount we're going
to take in. If you take the shared office space as a model, we're paying for the insurance
and maintenance. This is a ten point, three million dollar
building, we're gonna have to cover the insurance, covering the maintenance, even
for the brewpub equipment. If you take the shared office space model at this level,
and you don't ask yourself, are we going to lose money? Then you're not doing your due
diligence. And if that, really, if that is the case, then this thing is illegal on its face. And that's
questions that deserve to be asked. And it's, it's,
in my opinion, it's something that the ig, it's her job to be asking. And
she stepped in because there was a thought that maybe the, the ball was being stacked, but
I don't believe that now. I've had many conversations with dino and byron, who just want to do good for their people.
and we worked it out, and you could see, by the new legislation he passed, it was in good faith, which I have so
much respect for. But these questions deserve
to be looked at. The public is asking us to look at them. And as district 1 councilman, I am
going to look at them. But, you know, really. I think if they
would have listened, if everyone would have listened
to you, and granted, they didn't have all the information because they didn't know that
it wasn't a parking garage. Even, look, when I got in this office,
when I knew we were getting a match, I didn't like the project. I came from a community. I was devastated. I
saw $10 million of disaster funds. We lost all our businesses. Go
to this beer pub. It broke my heart. I mean, it genuinely broke my heart. People say, oh, you know.
jennifer helped you get elected, was there
for the election. But at the end of the day, what people don't realize is, as soon as I saw this pass,
I was hurt by it because my people were suffering. So, you know, this broke my heart
from the beginning. But when I got in office,
I thought to myself, is it worth looking into? And potentially having some
lawsuits? If we're getting a parking garage, if the people
are getting something? I said, okay, I'll do my fiduciary duty
and I'll go forward. I'll find ways to save money. We saved that money. We found things
that was overcharged. We found other ways to get discounts. But then we found
out their third project, the brew pub, lost the match. And the public was not told about it. So I have very big
concerns. Now, granted, I do, I think. This legislation and
this deferment, I think, is a testimony
of colleagues disagreeing, but coming together. To make decisions,
and that is how it's supposed to work. So instead of getting into the weeds with this,
like again, I want this to be concluded as well. But I think at this moment,
I just wanna finish off by thanking councilman bonanno and thanking councilman lee
for working with me, working
with district one. And really choosing, in my opinion, to do what's best
for the people. And so thank y'all, that's all. Anyone else on the council? Yes, and I'd
like to add, just if you'd allow, as a councilwoman,
I do want to thank councilman bonanno, councilman lee, and councilman kerner. I spoke
to each by phone yesterday to ask about the deferral,
and I do think it's important. What I will say, and I hate to hear, some of the old
discussion coming up. I thought we were past a lot of that. My perspective is the people
of our parish have continued to support an inspector general.
the people of our parish have put us here. And I think working together
and not being adversaries is what they expect. So the most concerning thing to me is being
poised as somehow adversarial. When we should be working
together, as we have on the idea of this deferral. I think sometimes if you're
in an adversarial mindset, and this is true of me too, if you're in an adversarial
mindset and you're thinking about something one way, it
may cloud how you're reading something. And I say that
because when the inspector general sent us a communication on monday, she attached facts
that to me, don't make it political, respectfully,
but it's very fact-based. And so, for example, in...
in the discussion up here, everybody is talking about public benefit corporations.
councilman liljerberg is creating a public benefit corporation. Councilwoman
rita bahannon has. Councilman bonanno, you have. Jfi is not
actually a political, a public
benefit corporation. Jri is a public benefit corporation. Jfi is an economic development corporation. The two are not
the same. And that is... Part of what the ig communicated
in her letter. So if we're all thinking in the mindset of a public benefit corporation,
that's jri. Jfi is a completely
different discussion because it is a different entity. They are not interchangeable. They're
not the same. The other thing that the ig expressed
in her letter to all of us is that there are ongoing bonded
indebtedness issues. There are now new concerns
about tax liability, which I have never heard of before. And so that's a new
element. And so when she says there are concerns about potential commingling
of funds in the future, if two and three are part of jfi, and those monies get
mixed, and there's bonded indebtedness, and there's tax liability, how are we going
to unravel that? She said, I will have a report by march
for all of you on this. And so the deferral was not based
on politics. The deferral is saying, I have new information that you probably need to consider
before mixing the monies of districts one, two, and three. I think that's fact-based. And so I appreciate
the heads up because though we have often ignored the advice
of the ig, I don't think that has served us well. If there are tax liability issues that
we need to consider, then I think I'd rather vote on expense. Expanding jfi
to have appointees from all the west bank council districts
with an understanding of what that tax liability might be. And so I appreciate the heads
up, and I do appreciate the willingness to defer it until after. We have that
report and the benefit of considering how this might impact our future. And
chairman, if I can have one more second. And what I wanted to mention,
which I failed to mention, that, you know, these benefit corporations.
jfi, jri, they were meant, you know, the way the statute is written, they're meant
to help distressed corridors. So I agree with ms. Bohannon,
councilwoman, bohannon. You know, gretna has done a fantastic job, and gretna. But jfi, I named the three
projects actually jfi was a part of. And the intent and the legislation specifically says
distressed corridors. So I've had conversations about what
councilman lee and what he wants to do in his, what he wants
to do is what it was meant for, building a $10.3 million.
for a private entity and on udp, long is not what this
was meant for. It goes totally against its purpose. I just want to make that point.
inspector general. Go ahead.
thank you for considering the request for deferral. Thank you if I
appreciate. The discussions for your ability to disagree
with each other and still arrive at an agreement
to defer. Whether I have ever
agreed or disagreed with any one of you, and I have agreed and
disagreed, I think, with all of you,
I have never dismissed. Your
thought, your vote, your opinion, your words, or your
initiatives as being merely political. Whatever position
you've taken, including a position
against me, I have taken it with the assumption that it is
principled. And the reason I take it as principled is
because, in all honesty, your personalities matter, not
to me. What matters to me is
the sum and the substance and the facts. Which we can focus
on. For no other reason other than that,
is where solutions are found. Not in disagreement, not
in innuendo. Not in public debasement
of individuals, but substance. I asked
for a deferral for principled reasons. It was not political. I gave my
morning to write a three-page letter. I don't hate public
benefit corporations. I actually have no real opinion
about public benefit corporations. Academically,
in its concept. But I do have a belief
in the specificity of our words
because the public is listening and they count on us
to be specific and accurate. And jfi isn't a public benefit
corporation, it's an economic development corporation. And
I'm not prepared to get into what is the difference
between one or the other as it relates to any specific project?
because I don't think about it until I start looking at it in context. And that's the ask.
it was just to defer so you could have more information.
we are the only department in this parish that is directly
funded by the people to serve no other purpose than
to study government for government's benefit. Full-time, funded
by the public, to study government for government's betterment.
whether it's studying it through audits, investigations, evaluations, review,
I am doing the job for the government's benefit.
and I do not believe that the public confidence
in the integrity of government is at all. Well
served by a willingness to dismiss our work as merely
political. And to dismiss what I thought
to be well-reasoned basis
for deferring this. It was three pages. Three pages. I
thought it was well written. It wasn't political and it
wasn't just about this moment in jfi. I had in my mind all
of you, all of you. Can we pause, think,
and plan? I respect you for
your position. I will never dismiss your thoughts as merely
political. And I don't think it's a big ask for you to give
me the respect that I give you. Whether or not I'm elected,
you would think I am trying to get the job done. Could we
not arrive in a place where you just say,
I don't agree with you? And that sort of says enough, and we don't need to go
into political attacks. I'd like to respond, please. You
know, the difference is that people get to know me, and then they vote on me. Same
thing with everyone up here. People didn't vote on you. They're voting and electing
people that they find principled or that have shared ideals and values. They didn't
pick you. And your job is not to make principled opinions.
your job is to find fraud, waste, and abuse. And it was
not your letter, the contents, necessarily, that seemed political. It was
the timing and the fact that twice, two meetings before, no letter. And this is an
ongoing, repeated situation. It depends on the council person and who proposes it,
whether or not you have a principled opinion. That's the problem. And the timeliness of
your letter makes it political. And the fact that you put it out in public, you could have
easily just called. You could have easily just called one of them. Would you mind
deferring? I have some questions. I think maybe you should look at this different. And the
premise of it to not that you don't know the difference between a public benefit corporation and a an economic development corporation. It's
very simple. One's a potato, one's a potato. They're
basically the same thing. So they have the same purpose.
there's no one benefiting, no private entities benefiting from those corporations.
there's no one individual. It is our community that benefits.
so we're going to agree to your deferral. Which we would have easily done if you'd
have just reached out without the three-page letter. That was well written,
but the timeliness of it and the fact that you only choose to send them for certain
council people is the political part. I try to be delicate in
my role as chairwoman. I am also a member of the council, though, and so respectfully I
will say the matter two
meetings ago, when councilman kerner moved. To replace one
of the holdover members with a newly appointed member is
standard procedure. Changing the form of something that has existed
for two decades is not standard procedure. And I think that's the difference as
to why the inspector general. Didn't reach out on one, that's normal procedure,
and did reach out on this one. So that's my perspective. That is my
personal perspective. And again, the inspector general
answers not to us, but an ethics and compliance commission. That ethics and
compliance commission considered allegations of political motivations a year
and a half ago, had an outside inspection. Inspector or an outside entity
lawyer look into those allegations and say that the
office performed as it should. And then the ethics and
compliance commission, a meeting or two later,
reappointed our inspector general to another four-year term
in advance. So I thought we had
gotten past the allegations that somehow anything the office is doing is political
and not substantial.
councilman bonanno, I appreciate your moving to defer the item. I would request that
we defer it until after we receive the inspector general's report so that we can consider
what's in it. And then move on your item. And so what are
you asking? What they to the april meeting? Her letter indicated she'd give us a
report in march. So I will 8
listen out of the spirit of cooperation, I will do so, thank you. So, councilman
bonanno moves to defer item 71 to the april 8th meeting so
that we consider additional information and seconded by councilwoman van branken. I'm
gonna open voting on this deferral. Voting is
open on the deferral. To april 8th. All right,
closing the voting. The deferral passes unanimously.
madam clerk. A resolution selecting an engineering firm
from the list of the approved firms established under resolution number 144663
adopted on august 7, 2024 for routine engineering services.
which costs under $500,000 for drainage projects to provide professional
engineering services associated with conceptual level design, planning, and project
implementation development for multiple drainage pump stations in the city of kenner area.
council district 3. Councilman lee, your selection. Msmm. Councilman lee moves
on msmm, seconded by councilwoman van vranken. I'm going to open the voting.
councilman lee. Lee, your move on the item. Councilman lee
moves on the item to select msmm, seconded by councilwoman van ranken.
voting is open. Voting is closed. The item passes
unanimously. That takes us to the addendum agenda items,
item 150. Councilman walker, your motion regarding the
inglobo. Adoption of addendum agenda items 1 through 13.
move. Councilman walker moves for approval of items 1 through 13. Can we pull
out 150? I mean, I'm sorry, 12. 12. Okay, so councilman
walker moves on adoption of items 1 through 13,
but pulling item 12. Councilman walker? Move.
okay, seconded by councilwoman van branken. Moving to adopt 1 through 13.
minus 12. Councilman bonanno
and bohatyn. I don't know if your vote logged. Sometimes it doesn't cooperate. There we go.
end of voting. That passes unanimously. Item 12. Madam
clerk, addendum item 12. A
resolution supporting and encouraging local efforts to redesignate the jean
lafitte national historic park and preserve as the jean lafitte national park and
preserve, which would elevate the park's status to a national park.
councilman kern? So long. I wanted to pull this
out because this is, in my opinion, one of the best things going on,
really, in the region. And it's a lot of people hard at work in doing this. You know, a lot
of people visit this area, this region, because of new orleans. And I truly believe
making jean lafitte national park, a national historic park, into an actual national
park would be a game changer. And would bring a total new level of awe. Tourism
to this area. Now, you know, it's crazy when you think
about it. Louisiana has the most diverse ecosystem in the country. Some of the
most beautiful wetlands and most beautiful wildlife, and we do not have an actual national
park. The closest one to the west of us is big ben in texas. Closest one
to the east is the everglades. So, you know,
a group of us all feel, and we... We've been pushing for this for quite a while, but
we have such good support now. That louisiana adds to the value of the national
pork system if it becomes the 64th national pork. And new mexico just did it with the same acreage,
the same kind of qualifications that needs to be met that we also meet. So it's got so much progress
going forward. But I just wanted to thank a few people behind this because I really think it
will be a game changer. I want people traveling here, getting coins and putting it on
their... I visited all national parks. But g&o inc. Has really kicked into gear to try
to push for this and try to help, and they've been doing so. Jetco, blonia, and annalisa,
wright & associates, and representative. Kerner, who
year after year, really for the last 20 years,
has fought to add national park land and make this bigger to make it a true national
park. But again. This is such a wonderful thing and we have so much support now. We've had
meetings with the interior. I think the associates and jetco and geno inc. Has met with the
congressmen and it seems like everybody's on board. Everyone's believing louisiana
is worthy of this and it being here in
jefferson parish, what a beautiful thing that would be. So I just want
to take a moment to thank all those people because this is truly a game changer. And if we're all coming together and
work together to have the first national park in the state of louisiana right here in jefferson parish, what
a beautiful thing that would be. With that being said, I have a move for it
to be approved. Yeah. Councilman kerner moves for approval on item 12, redesignating jean lafitte
to a national park, seconded by councilwoman van vranken, opening the voting
on this item. Closing the
voting. The item passes unanimously. Madam clerk, item
151. A resolution approving a
payment and laurel tax incentive agreement between jefferson parish economic
development and port district and metairie manor. 3. Owner l.p. Relating
to the acquisition, renovation, and improvement of an approximately 82 unit affordable senior housing
development located at 4929 york street in metairie,
louisiana, 70001. Thank you.
councilman ludgerberg, your motion. Councilman
liljerberg's move for approval of item 151, seconded by councilwoman van branken. I'm going to open voting. Closing
the voting, the item passes unanimously. Madam clerk, 152. A resolution
approving a payment and law of tax incentive agreement between the jefferson parish
economic development and port district. Metairie manor owner lp relating
to the acquisition, renovation, and improvement of an approximately 369 unit
affordable senior housing development located at 4929
york street and 4937 york street in metairie, louisiana.
70001. Councilman liljerberg your motion moved to approve.
councilman liljerberg moves to approve 152, seconded by councilwoman van branken,
opening voting all right,
closing the vote. The item passes unanimously. Madam clerk, 153. A resolution
approving an increase to the contract consideration payable to grand isle. Volunteer emergency services incorporated
from $35,700 per month to $60,000 per month,
in accordance with the cooperative endeavor agreement between ambulance service
district no. 2 of the paris of jefferson, state of louisiana and the state of
louisiana. And grand isle volunteer emergency services incorporated. Councilman kerner? Move to approve.
councilman kerner moves to approve, seconded by councilwoman vanvranken.
opening voting? Closing the
voting? 153 passes, unanimously. Madam clerk, 154.
a resolution approving an increase to the contract consideration payable to grand isle volunteer fire
company no. 1 from $72,500 per month to $77,500 per month, in accordance with the fire
protection agreement between fire protection district no. 9
of the parish of jefferson, state of louisiana, and grand
isle volunteer fire company no. 1, dated march 13, 2018. Councilman kerner? Move
to approve. Councilman kerner moves for approval, seconded by councilwoman van vranken.
opening the vote. Yeah, okay,
closing the vote. The item passes unanimously. Madam clerk, item 155. And I'm going
to have an amendment on this one also. Okay. A resolution approving a payment
and lower of tax incentive agreement between the jefferson parish
economic development and port district and westminster tower lp. Relating
to the acquisition, renovation, and improvement of an approximately 350-unit
affordable senior housing apartment complex located at 4600 10th street in marrero,
louisiana, 70072. And the amendment is to change
westminster tower lp to weinhoven owner lp. And that's
all the amendments I have. Okay, thank you. Councilman bonanno, your motion
on the amendments. Wait, let me make sure your mic's on. Okay. Move to approve.
councilman bonanno moves to approve. Seconded by councilwoman van vranken. Opening the voting
on the amendments. Closing the
vote. The amendments passed unanimously. Councilman
bonanno, your motion as amended. Move to approve. Seconded by councilwoman van
vranken. Opening the voting. This is on the item as amended.
a few out. All right,
closing the voting. The item passes unanimously as amended.
madam clerk, item 156. A resolution adopting and approving the housing
services development district 2025 section 8 management
assessment program certification. Councilman lee, your motion. Councilman
lee moves to approve, seconded by councilwoman van branken, opening the voting. This is
on item 156. All right,
closing the voting. 156 passes, unanimously. There is no new
business, no status reports. Madam clerk, would you like
to go back to the executive session, or should we? We have time, I think. Now
to have persons wishing to appear. So anyone who wishes to speak, not
on agenda items, but on anything that you wish
to speak before the council, please come forward. This is
on any subject matter. All right. If nobody has anything
you would like to say or share, we'll move to ordinances
for introduction and publication into summary.
executive session before that. Okay, so we're going to go into executive session now a little bit early
and hopefully we will be right back. Madam clark, if you can
read that executive session item, one item. A resolution authorizing the council to go
into executive session to discuss legal matters concerning a lawsuit entitled parish langford versus parish
of jefferson, jefferson parish parkways department trooper nicholas dowdool.
state of louisiana through louisiana department of public safety and
corrections. Louisiana state police, 24th jdc. Case number 834-961-division o. All right.
thank you, councilman walker. Your motion? Move. Councilman
walker moves, seconded by councilwoman van branken, to go into executive session. If you all can vote on moving
into executive session. All
right, we'll close out the voting to move into executive session. The
motion passes five yeas and two not participating. All right,
we're in executive session.
all right, welcome back from executive session. All
right, I've been asked to hit the gavel. Y'all are having fun out here. I don't know what's
going on. All right, we're back
from executive session, which is item eight on the agenda. Madam clerk. A
resolution authorizing a settlement in a lawsuit entitled parish langford versus parish of
jefferson, jefferson, parish parkways department trooper nicholas. Dowdwell, state of louisiana, through louisiana
department of public safety and corrections, louisiana state police, 24th jdc, case number
834961, division 0. All right,
councilman bonanno, what's your motion on this item? Move
to approve. Councilman bonanno moves to approve. Seconded by councilwoman van branken. Open the voting
on the executive session item.
all right, ending the voting, we have one absent and six in support,
so the item passes. Madam clerk, I believe that puts us
in reading things into summary. Yes, ma'am. An
ordinance approving the preliminary and final plat of subdivision of lots e and f, square one, justice track,
subdivision, lots g and h, square two, a portion, lot two,
into lots one through 32. Square one in lots one
through 32, square two. An ordinance approving the
preliminary and final plat of subdivision of lot 34a, modern farms, unit 1 subdivision
into lot 34c and lot 34d, unit 1 subdivision. An ordinance
approving the preliminary and final plat of subdivision of lot k4d
into lots k4d1 and k4d2.
amending the official zoning map and the official future land use map of jefferson
parish, lot e and f. Square one justice track subdivision lots g and h square
to a portion for a lot to located at 419 justice
court to 770 justice court. More particularly, meaning the zoning from c1, c2,
r1a to r1mh. An ordinance amending the standards and
conditions for the processing, refining or bulk storage of
flammable and combustible liquids. Approved for the vertex refining louisiana, llc
marrero facility use oil refining facility and established by ordinance number
25307. An ordinance approving requested variance to the sign
and landscape regulations of the mucd for seven brew coffee, located at 1151
manhattan boulevard on proposed lot k4d2. An
ordinance approving requested variance to the signed regulations of the cbz. For zia rotisserie
and bar, located at 4436 veterans memorial highway 1a, section a, pontchartrain
garden, subdivision. An ordinance to amend ordinance number 14796, the pay plan
for the classified service to create the new job classification of parks and
recreation business manager. An ordinance amending the 2026 operating budget,
an ordinance amending the 2026 capital budget, and that's all the ordinances I have
to read. All right. Thank you, madam clerk. On motion of councilman liljeberg, seconded by councilwoman bohannon,
please vote in favor of these ordinances being read
into summary. All right. And
scott's absent. All right.
hang on, I think that might have been from the last vote. It's going to be the same,
but let's just clear it for formality. Start the voting. So please vote
on these ordinances being read into summary. And adopting
them, ending the vote. All right, six in favor, one absent. Councilman
hollywood-lee, would you make a motion to adjourn? I make a motion
to adjourn. Councilman kern are
second and we are wait taking a official vote on adjournment. It's crazy. All right. Closing
the vote and it is six yeas to adjourn, one absent. Thank
you all for attending. I love the glass. Look at you.