[0:00] [Music]

[0:02] foreign

[8:58] thank you

[9:05] that's right

[9:08] I'd like to call the parish council

[9:09] meeting to order

[9:11] please stand for The Prayer by Peter

[9:13] Johnson from Trinity Anglican church and

[9:16] the Pledge of Allegiance by councilman

[9:17] Tabor

[9:24] let us pray

[9:27] Lord God and Father I give thanks for

[9:29] this day and offer honor and praise to

[9:32] your name

[9:33] send your spirit Upon Our parish and

[9:36] this Council

[9:37] together with your wisdom

[9:40] that we may live according to your truth

[9:43] and this Council May govern according to

[9:45] your truth through Jesus Christ Our Lord

[9:48] amen amen

[9:51] to the flag of the United States of

[9:54] America and to the Republic for which it

[9:56] stands one nation under God indivisible

[10:00] with liberty and justice for all

[10:03] thank you both

[10:08] I'd like to welcome you to the Lafayette

[10:10] Parish council meeting as presiding

[10:12] officer and chair I would like to make

[10:13] the following announcements

[10:15] this is a public hearing to address the

[10:18] Council on any item on this agenda

[10:20] please fill out the speaker form to

[10:22] submit your information to the clerk

[10:23] prior to the call of the agenda item or

[10:26] you will not be given the opportunity to

[10:28] speak

[10:29] staff assistance is available if needed

[10:32] items for submission to the council

[10:33] should be handed to council clerk Mrs

[10:35] Veronica L Arsenault seated to my left

[10:39] when addressing the council state your

[10:40] name and title for the official record

[10:42] the three-minute rule will be in effect

[10:45] no debating or confrontational

[10:47] statements will be allowed the front row

[10:49] to my left is for media only food and

[10:52] drinks are not allowed in the council

[10:54] Auditorium

[10:55] please silence all phones and electronic

[10:58] devices

[10:58] meeting procedures are by resolution and

[11:01] not by Robert's Rules of Order all

[11:03] documents with reference to meetings can

[11:05] be found on the lcg website and finally

[11:08] the council encourages your involvement

[11:10] in boards and commissions if interested

[11:12] please call 337-291-8800

[11:18] chair announcements due to the Mardi

[11:21] Gras holiday the council meeting for

[11:22] February February will be on the 1st and

[11:24] third Wednesday instead of the typical

[11:26] first and third Tuesdays meetings will

[11:29] return to the regular first and third

[11:31] Tuesdays in March

[11:34] item number 17 the appeal by Jerome

[11:37] Boudreau the appellant is requesting two

[11:39] weeks deferral to allow additional time

[11:41] to review alternatives to a drainage

[11:44] impact analysis

[11:45] I'd like to wish a happy birthday to

[11:48] Jeremy Sweeney Council senior

[11:50] Administrative Assistant who will

[11:52] celebrate his birthday on February 4th

[11:54] stand here

[11:56] I'd also like to wish a happy birthday

[11:58] to Cindy a bear Council Administrative

[12:00] Assistant who will celebrate her

[12:02] birthday on February 6th congratulations

[12:04] happy birthday

[12:09] any other Council announcements

[12:17] councilman knocking yes uh

[12:20] Administration I need some help or

[12:21] clarification so

[12:23] um one of the things I noticed I was

[12:25] talking to I think Jeremy

[12:28] um so there's a vacancy on the BVD and

[12:31] it's a local mayor's appointment and we

[12:33] kind of spoke about it and there's a few

[12:36] applicants that have submitted their

[12:37] resume and it's been sitting there for a

[12:39] year I did reach out to the mayor of

[12:40] Scott he

[12:41] said that he'll get something going but

[12:44] I mean it's been over a year there's

[12:45] some projects so there's a particular

[12:48] person that

[12:49] um reached out to me and uh just kind of

[12:52] wants to know why maybe we've taken that

[12:54] long to make that appointment if you can

[12:58] oh sorry I apologize

[13:01] that's right all right no I appreciate

[13:04] that um so the protocol now for mayors

[13:07] of pro um mayor's appointments area

[13:09] Mayors yeah just so they can facilitate

[13:12] communication is once a month we meet

[13:14] and these uh these these appointments do

[13:17] come up

[13:17] um that one was discussed last week and

[13:20] last month I didn't think that there

[13:22] were any applicants at the time and we

[13:23] may have missed that but it has been

[13:25] vacant for a while so I anticipate after

[13:28] the next mayor's meeting which I don't

[13:29] recall you might not have it pulled up

[13:31] but I don't know when our next one is um

[13:33] but we'll probably appoint one then yeah

[13:35] that would be great I think the uh

[13:38] had had put his resume I think twice

[13:41] even I think Mr Joseph had taken it

[13:43] twice so I just just to get back with

[13:46] him and let him know you know that

[13:48] there's nothing in particular why any

[13:50] reason maybe we dropped the ball or

[13:52] maybe we got a lot of things going on

[13:53] but I would I would like for

[13:56] the that gentleman who submitted his

[13:58] applications would be considered if all

[14:00] possible so that's all I have you got it

[14:03] thank you

[14:06] Mr Rubin uh thank you chairman

[14:09] today I would like to announce that

[14:12] we're starting this celebration of Black

[14:14] History Month

[14:15] and it's a very significant time of the

[14:18] year

[14:19] because it's an educational time

[14:23] we they put a resume out

[14:25] about black history every year

[14:28] and we talk about Martin Luther King and

[14:31] a few good things but the reason for

[14:34] black history month once again is I

[14:36] always try to make people understand is

[14:38] that's history that no one speaks of

[14:42] can you imagine having a baby today

[14:45] and then they take the baby away and

[14:47] sell it

[14:49] you come from Africa and they'll make

[14:51] you believe that

[14:53] we started as Slave people and when we

[14:56] was in Africa who was on the back

[14:57] because zebra with a bone in our nose

[15:00] and that's just not true they have great

[15:02] Scholars who came in from Africa they

[15:05] were kings and queens in their country

[15:09] so it's important that we look at this

[15:12] history and and understand that when

[15:15] these people got brought to the United

[15:17] States America

[15:20] they would take a man and his family and

[15:24] separate them and they would never see

[15:25] them again

[15:27] those are the things that's not spoke

[15:29] about

[15:30] so during black history

[15:33] go to your library that's why the

[15:35] information in the library is so

[15:36] important go to your library look it up

[15:39] don't just look up the mail commands the

[15:42] Martin Luther King the Harriet Tubman do

[15:45] some research understand

[15:48] every year I used to make my children

[15:50] give me two oral reports

[15:53] on something different from black

[15:56] history something that they think I

[15:58] might not know or something they don't

[16:00] know so I would encourage parents I'm

[16:03] not talking to just black people

[16:05] I'm talking to all Races right now

[16:08] go look it up and understand

[16:11] where we've been because if we don't

[16:14] understand where we come from

[16:16] we we likely to repeat

[16:19] so

[16:21] during black history

[16:23] do some research guys look it up thank

[16:26] you councilman Reuben

[16:30] excuse me Mr chair if I may

[16:33] um and I thank councilman

[16:35] um Lazar for printing this there is a

[16:38] listing of the um of activities

[16:40] month-long activities that are going on

[16:43] and that's through the um

[16:45] African-American Heritage Foundation so

[16:48] I'm gonna give you all a copy and these events are going on in celebration

[16:51] of Black History Month

[16:53] um here right here in Lafayette so I'll

[16:55] pass that out and also um as far as the

[16:59] African-American black history that the

[17:01] gala will be February 25th in the

[17:04] African-American Heritage parade will be

[17:07] the 26th and as a side note

[17:10] um there are some a few people five

[17:12] people who are being honored or

[17:14] recognized At The Gala one is Nicole

[17:16] Morrison for education and health they

[17:19] have two people forget guidro's Food

[17:21] Center we're all familiar with that for

[17:22] economics Michael Barber for putting our

[17:25] kids first and

[17:27] um locally here uh Glen lazor is going

[17:30] to be organized on the political front

[17:32] and one more be recognized for our

[17:35] community and culture and that's my

[17:37] husband Chris arsonel so just want to

[17:39] let you all know the parade Marshall is

[17:41] Ted James so we invite you to

[17:44] participate in all of these activities

[17:46] and attend these events I'll give you a

[17:48] copy thank you Miss Arsenal

[17:51] Mr Reuben question Miss Arsenal how can

[17:55] um someone in the community put their

[17:58] hands on such a calendar

[18:04] um if they need a copy of the calendar

[18:06] they can go to the Facebook page for the

[18:09] African-American Heritage Foundation I

[18:12] mean I have copies here Glenn Azure have

[18:14] copies so you can reach out to our

[18:16] office and since I have copies I'll be

[18:18] happy to provide anyone with a copy

[18:20] thank

[18:24] all right

[18:25] executive mayor president's report

[18:28] thank you Mr chair and also to Echo

[18:31] build on what councilman said I do

[18:33] appreciate everyone who took the time to

[18:35] be with us yesterday we did kick off

[18:37] Black History Month one day early in

[18:39] City Paris Hall saw some some folks that

[18:41] they were there yesterday so thank you

[18:43] for taking the time to be with us it was

[18:44] a very good celebration uh 104 Local

[18:47] Heroes here in Lafayette and I'm happy

[18:50] to hear that five more we will be

[18:52] recognized to include our colleague

[18:54] who's sitting in the back I have my

[18:55] contacts on so I see okay so I do

[18:58] appreciate your service and appreciate

[18:59] everyone that's um taking the time to to

[19:02] give such proper honor and Bishop Harvin

[19:05] did a really good job coordinating

[19:06] everything yesterday in the atrium we

[19:08] had a really good crowd so just thank

[19:09] you to everyone who who participated

[19:12] um all right we have budget to actual

[19:13] comparison of major Parish funds

[19:15] December 2022 preliminary thank you uh

[19:18] director tubes is behind me I'm holding

[19:21] on to her after the city council meeting

[19:23] she she doesn't know yet but no okay

[19:26] it's our last meeting and we're very sad

[19:27] but we do have so two Awards we'd like

[19:30] to highlight and our finance and

[19:32] Management Department goes above and

[19:34] beyond as we all know for our community

[19:35] and for our councils and for our

[19:37] Administration uh this year they have

[19:39] earned the prestigious Triple Crown

[19:41] award as it's dubbed they previously

[19:44] received and earned the distinguished

[19:46] budget presentation award this year it's

[19:49] the ninth consecutive year winning this

[19:52] award ninth consecutive year and tonight

[19:55] I'm honored to present them with two

[19:56] different Awards the certificate of

[19:59] achievement for excellence in financial

[20:00] reporting and this is the seventh

[20:03] consecutive year that our finance

[20:05] department has won this award and now

[20:08] also the award for outstanding

[20:10] achievement in popular annual financing

[20:12] reporting this is the Department's first

[20:14] year to win this award making them

[20:17] Triple Crown winner and this is the only

[20:19] correct me if I'm wrong only the second

[20:21] local government in the state of

[20:23] Louisiana to ever receive the Triple

[20:25] Crown award so I'm very honored and uh

[20:29] if we'd like we have our finance

[20:30] department or members of our finance

[20:31] department if you could come up with the

[20:33] council we'll take a few pictures

[20:36] foreign

[20:37] [Applause]

[20:41] ly missed this opportunity if y'all

[20:43] wouldn't have moved the meeting because

[20:45] of Mardi Gras I wouldn't have had this

[20:47] opportunity so

[20:49] um this Triple Crown award you may

[20:52] recall I have said it many times this

[20:54] will be the last time you ever hear this

[20:56] story right when I came here 12 years

[20:58] ago Lafayette consolidated government a

[21:02] large government in the state of

[21:03] Louisiana was only meeting the very

[21:06] minimum requirements required by state

[21:09] law for financial recording and when I

[21:13] came here I knew that wasn't good enough

[21:15] we had to set the standards higher and

[21:18] we did and uh while I will take all the

[21:21] credit from motivating the team and

[21:24] inspiring the team I could not do this

[21:26] by myself all these folks well they're

[21:29] not all here but these are a

[21:31] representation of all the folks in the

[21:33] finance department who have helped us

[21:35] achieve these goals covid helped us

[21:39] achieve the last goal so uh we had the

[21:42] popular annual financial report this is

[21:45] the first year we've received that and

[21:47] I'm really proud of that report because

[21:49] this is a report I didn't name the

[21:52] report okay I would have named it a

[21:54] citizen's Guide to the audit or

[21:56] something like that that is the formal

[21:58] name of it but it is a summarized

[22:02] Layman's version of the financial report

[22:04] because when anybody picks up an audit

[22:07] of this government it's overwhelming so

[22:10] you know with somebody who's interested

[22:12] in it would pick up this report it's

[22:15] really simple it's easy to understand

[22:17] and this hopefully would Inspire them to

[22:20] get more involved in government and then

[22:22] progress on to reading our financial

[22:24] report and our budget and during covid

[22:28] my staff was occasionally had to be

[22:31] quarantined for various reasons and so

[22:34] during that time we um I had given them

[22:38] the the choice to what projects to work

[22:40] on and what they could do while they

[22:43] were doing that that uh home

[22:46] that home

[22:50] I know I've forgotten what what what

[22:52] were you doing at home you were locked

[22:54] in at home she was quarantined and so

[22:57] Laura it Laura took this project up and

[23:00] I'm gonna say she did this project

[23:02] really completely by herself she had

[23:05] guidance from me but she took this

[23:07] project on and this was the last one

[23:09] that we needed in order to get the

[23:11] Triple Crown so I really want to thank

[23:14] Laura she was inspired she worked on it

[23:16] it's been a couple of years the first

[23:19] year we did it it came out too late you

[23:21] know we didn't meet all the deadlines

[23:22] and stuff but we thought it was good and

[23:25] we did put it on the internet and we

[23:27] were proud of it well this year it was

[23:29] all done on time and we sent it in and

[23:32] we're going to continuously they're

[23:34] going to continue and work on some

[23:36] improvements we're going to get the

[23:38] communications division involved to help

[23:41] make it more attractive and and give put

[23:44] some art to it because we're accountants

[23:45] we don't do that kind of stuff but she

[23:48] did a great job fantastic job job and it

[23:51] was awarded that that award this year so

[23:53] we are one when you look at all the

[23:55] governments in the state cities towns

[23:58] parishes school boards court systems we

[24:02] are the second local government in the

[24:05] state of Louisiana that has earned all

[24:07] three Awards so I really am proud of the

[24:10] team they deserve all the credit

[24:49] thank you Miss tubes and really

[25:01] congratulations to you and your entire

[25:03] team I think it's uh you know what a way

[25:05] to conclude your tenure here at uh at

[25:08] lcg with uh those Awards and uh I think

[25:11] it you know I don't think we can all

[25:12] sing your Praises enough so you know

[25:14] congratulations on those Awards and

[25:16] certainly congratulations on uh uh

[25:18] whatever Endeavors are next for you so

[25:20] sorry Mr Mayor president no that's okay

[25:23] Echo your sentiments Mr chair I want to

[25:25] congratulate Miss Laurie toups our

[25:27] amazing Chief Financial Officer you know

[25:30] thank you for your hard work dedication

[25:32] service to Lafayette for these past 12

[25:34] years over a span of three

[25:36] Administration multiple councils there

[25:39] are chapters chapters of awards and

[25:41] achievements Miss toups has earned over

[25:44] the years in Lafayette with Lafayette

[25:46] and achieved so much and I'll tell you

[25:48] Lafayette is a better place because of

[25:50] the service of miss toups her complete

[25:52] staff her finance department led by this

[25:54] wonderful wonderful public servant I'm

[25:57] just honored to serve with you we will

[25:59] have a party tomorrow a little

[26:00] celebration so we'll have a lot more to

[26:02] say then but I just want to take the

[26:04] time to recognize her in front of this

[26:06] wonderful Council and wonderful audience

[26:08] so thank you Mr chair that's all I have

[26:10] thank you

[26:13] Mr Gilbo thank you Mr chair Lori

[26:17] I'm not sure how one even begins to say

[26:20] congratulations and best wishes as you

[26:23] go

[26:24] into retirement

[26:26] um

[26:27] without a doubt your success

[26:29] your professionalism

[26:32] your hard work and dedication

[26:34] energy

[26:37] you've earned our greatest respect of

[26:39] all

[26:41] a lot of respect

[26:43] and because of your strong leadership

[26:46] and that strong step

[26:48] you certainly will well or the

[26:50] organization was well recognized for for

[26:53] those achievements so it's not only you

[26:55] Lori but it's that staff out there and

[26:58] we look forward to the continued success

[27:00] that you have brought to the table

[27:02] best wishes

[27:04] in your retirement

[27:06] you have made a real difference here at

[27:09] lcg and we appreciate it

[27:12] um

[27:14] I I I I you know it's so satisfying that

[27:18] you're able to retire with so many successes that we

[27:23] can all remember all that you can take

[27:26] with you congratulations thanks and best

[27:29] wishes Lord you always will have a home

[27:31] here thank you Mr gilba

[27:36] at this time we have one additional uh

[27:39] presentation

[27:40] um

[27:41] and I'll add this before we recognize

[27:43] everyone in a recent study it was

[27:45] reported that there are projected to be

[27:46] over 178

[27:49] 000 new technology jobs created just in

[27:52] 2023 with technology jobs growing at

[27:57] nearly two times the rate of other

[27:58] Industries

[28:00] in order to meet those needs that we've

[28:01] really seen for the last few years and

[28:04] 2013 members of the U.S House of

[28:06] Representatives began hosting

[28:08] district-wide Congressional app

[28:10] challenges for middle school and high

[28:12] school students encouraging them to

[28:13] learn to code and Inspire them to pursue

[28:16] careers in computer science Louisiana

[28:19] began the Congressional app challenge

[28:21] here in the third congressional district

[28:22] in 2016.

[28:25] this past year 15 students forming eight

[28:29] teams from the third congressional

[28:31] district participated in the

[28:33] Congressional app challenge with all

[28:35] eight of those teams coming from

[28:37] Lafayette Parish

[28:39] CGI one of the technology companies here

[28:41] in Lafayette partnered with New Vision

[28:43] leadership to coach and Mentor a number

[28:46] of those teams

[28:47] tonight we would like to recognize both

[28:50] the Congressional app challenge winner

[28:52] Mr Isaac Beverly from Lafayette High

[28:56] and go lions

[28:58] as well as all of the participating team

[29:00] members and teams mentors coaches and

[29:04] sponsors from New Vision leadership so

[29:06] if you guys are here from you

[29:09] participated in the Congressional app

[29:10] challenge if you were one of the coaches

[29:12] mentors team members sponsors we'd love

[29:16] to have you come up to the front now

[29:18] we'd love to recognize you and again we

[29:20] have another award we'd like to present

[29:22] to you guys tonight and maybe take

[29:24] another picture so at this time if you

[29:26] make your way to the front Mr Mayor

[29:28] president

[29:36] thank you guys can come up here

[29:41] okay don't be shy

[29:50] that's right

[30:01] and Kevin wasn't here when we changed

[30:03] the room

[31:19] again thank you to all of you who chose

[31:22] to come out tonight thank you to CGI uh

[31:24] for for sponsoring the teams thank you

[31:26] to all the mentors uh councilman Rubin

[31:29] councilman Lazard who helped with New

[31:30] Vision leadership uh this is crucial to

[31:33] developing a uh a Workforce for the the

[31:36] 21st century and a great part a great

[31:38] Testament to Lafayette Parish so thank

[31:40] you again for everything thank you to

[31:42] CGI for coordinating everything

[31:48] resolutions

[31:50] this is the public hearing and speaker

[31:52] sheets are available for anyone wishing

[31:54] to address the council the three-minute

[31:55] rule does apply Cindy please read Parish

[31:59] resolution 2 2023 a resolution of the

[32:02] Lafayette Parish Council acknowledging

[32:04] receipt of and approving the fiscal year

[32:06] 2023 budget submitted by the Lafayette

[32:09] convention and visitors Commission

[32:12] motion by councilman not cam

[32:14] a second by councilman Tabor

[32:16] any Council discussion

[32:19] seeing none Miss Arsenal any public

[32:20] comments no sir call for a vote Mr

[32:25] three yes District Four yes yes District

[32:28] Five

[32:29] the merchanted up is approved

[32:32] ordinances for final adoption

[32:36] this is a public hearing and speaker

[32:38] sheets are available for anyone wishing

[32:39] to address the council the three-minute

[32:41] rule does apply Cindy please read Parish

[32:44] ordinance 1 2023 in Orange of the

[32:46] Lafayette Parish Council amending the

[32:48] fiscal year 2223 capital budget of the

[32:51] Lafayette City Parish Consolidated

[32:53] Government by transferring two million

[32:55] five hundred thousand thousand dollars

[32:57] in American Rescue plan 21 Parish 651

[33:01] funds from the Q Road Extension project

[33:04] to the gal Road reconstruction project

[33:06] one million seven hundred thousand

[33:09] dollars and the Louisiana Avenue

[33:11] Extension project eight hundred thousand

[33:13] dollars and appropriating within the

[33:15] public works department

[33:17] need a motion in a second most of my

[33:19] councilman not care

[33:20] second by councilman Gilbo any Council

[33:22] discussion

[33:24] any public comments no sir let's call

[33:27] for a vote District Two yes District

[33:29] three yes District Four yes District

[33:31] Five

[33:33] one yes yes the motion to adopt is

[33:35] approved Parish harness II 2023 in order

[33:38] to Lafayette Parish Council I'm meaning

[33:41] the fiscal year 2223 capital budget of

[33:43] the Lafayette City Parish Consolidated

[33:45] Government by transferring four hundred

[33:47] thousand dollars in American Rescue plan

[33:49] 21 parish is 651 funds from the value of

[33:53] Vermillion flood control project to the

[33:55] Gale Road drainage project and

[33:57] appropriating within the public works

[33:58] department

[34:00] motion I need a motion in a second

[34:03] motion by councilman Tabor second by

[34:05] councilman gilbell in the council

[34:07] discussion

[34:08] seeing none Miss Arts now we do have one

[34:11] speaker Mr chair signed and Wayne Colvin

[34:21] good evening Wayne Calvin Lafayette

[34:23] Parish Mr Wayne can you raise the mic up

[34:25] just a little bit so we can hear you

[34:26] thank you all right I'll just speak

[34:28] louder oops here we go uh a couple of

[34:32] weeks ago I addressed y'all my concerns

[34:34] they are just having enough funds left

[34:35] over when this project is done or

[34:38] whatever results from it there

[34:41] um and I just want to give y'all an

[34:42] update there

[34:43] Sunday on my way to church there drive

[34:46] up Homewood the ditches are full and get

[34:49] to the property line and the water is

[34:54] halfway over the road and it's the

[34:55] property line between the edge of the

[34:57] Homewood that runs towards the lateral

[34:59] and it's uh it's blocked up somewhere

[35:02] now this is Sunday morning eight o'clock

[35:04] we had three inches of rain that's

[35:06] according to my rain gauge at the house

[35:08] here

[35:09] um

[35:10] so what other erosion took place

[35:13] throughout that we know we've been

[35:15] getting a lot of rain in the since it's

[35:16] been miserable weather but that's the

[35:19] way the weather is so

[35:22] um that being said

[35:24] this this homework property is a lot

[35:27] different than all the other uh little

[35:29] detention ponds that we have it's much

[35:32] larger it's 372 Acres of which the left

[35:35] I heard it's only 130 Acres of being put

[35:37] into ponds that's like 35 plus it's made

[35:41] up of about four pounds two little small

[35:44] ones to take care of the laterals one

[35:46] big one that's a retention Pond that

[35:48] drains off the river we hadn't handled

[35:50] anything like that so that makes it a

[35:52] completely different obstacle and in all

[35:54] the maintenance that goes with that

[35:56] there so that's some challenges that we

[35:59] need to face there with with that and

[36:01] maybe that's part of the issues with all

[36:03] of this

[36:05] um our River Road subdivision which I'm

[36:07] on the board of directors are really

[36:09] concerned about the constant threats we

[36:12] have from flooding because of the

[36:14] erosion and yes they've cleaned out the

[36:18] little roadside ditches but as we see

[36:20] they constantly fill up because you can

[36:22] see all the water draining Under the

[36:23] Milky color so I draw the parallel

[36:27] between this and Vermilion River Project

[36:29] up by Saint Martin Parish great that we

[36:33] dredge the river years ago but what did

[36:35] we do with small Bank maybe on the wrong

[36:37] side of the roof some people said so

[36:39] that blocked the natural drainage you

[36:41] know this project here dealing with

[36:44] drainage but maybe it didn't complete

[36:46] maybe we have an erosion problem we back

[36:48] to the same thing how we're going to

[36:49] deal with it there my concern is when

[36:52] all this is settled with all this

[36:54] litigation or the project gets complete

[36:56] you know all the Riverwoods people are

[36:58] still going to be able to to live with

[37:00] that there when are we going to take

[37:01] care of the bogs is there going to be

[37:03] enough money left over in the budget

[37:06] separate from Opera that maybe we won't

[37:09] get and be able to apply to this or from

[37:11] the state are we prepared to save

[37:14] something and miss toups and the rest of

[37:17] the accounting team when she leaves

[37:18] we'll be able to say hey we've got

[37:20] enough reserves to take care of this in

[37:22] the future such that this thing will go

[37:24] back to where it was and we have cane

[37:26] Fields maybe or at least we won't have

[37:29] water flowing back threatening us thank

[37:31] you thank you Miss Wayne no other

[37:34] speakers Mr chair

[37:35] let's call for a vote

[37:38] yes District Four yes District five

[37:41] district one yes District Two

[37:45] yes the motion turned up is approved

[37:49] Harris 3 2023 in Orange of the Lafayette

[37:52] Parish Council amending the fiscal year

[37:54] 2223 capital budget of the Lafayette

[37:57] City Parish Consolidated Government by

[37:59] transferring one million five hundred

[38:01] thousand dollars in American Rescue plan

[38:03] 21 Parish 651 funds from the Bayou

[38:07] Vermilion flood control project to the

[38:09] Louisiana Avenue Extension drainage

[38:11] project and appropriating within the

[38:13] public works department need a motion in

[38:15] a second

[38:16] motion but councilman not can a second

[38:18] by councilman Tabor any Council

[38:20] discussion

[38:21] seeing none Miss Arsenal any public

[38:23] comments we have one speaker signed Dan

[38:25] Wayne Colvin

[38:29] you say same comments for as the other

[38:31] one

[38:32] any other comments let's call for a vote

[38:34] Mr four

[38:36] yes District Five yes district one yes

[38:40] District Two yes District three yes the

[38:44] merchant to adopt is approved

[38:46] Parish ordinance for 2023 in Orange of

[38:49] the Lafayette Parish Council amending

[38:51] the fiscal year 2223 operating in

[38:53] capital budgets of the Lafayette City

[38:55] Parish Consolidated Government by

[38:57] switching funding of a state Grant match

[38:59] and capital projects between the parish

[39:02] general fund and the parish arpa fund

[39:04] totaling two million dollars need a

[39:07] motion in a second motion by councilman

[39:09] Gilbo

[39:10] second by councilman Tabor any Council

[39:12] discussion

[39:14] seeing none Miss Arsenal any public

[39:15] comments no sir let's call for a vote

[39:17] this live yes district one yes District

[39:21] Two yes District three yes District Four

[39:25] yes the motion to adopt is approved

[39:28] Parish ordinance 5 20 23 and orange of

[39:32] the Lafayette Parish Council amending

[39:34] the fiscal year 2223 capital budget of

[39:36] the Lafayette City Parish Consolidated

[39:38] Government by transferring twenty

[39:40] thousand one hundred thirty three

[39:41] dollars from fund 27622 line items

[39:44] utilities seventeen thousand nine

[39:47] hundred seventy two dollars and

[39:48] contractual Services two thousand one

[39:50] hundred sixty one dollars within the

[39:52] parks Arts Recreation and cultural

[39:55] Department need a motion in a second

[39:57] motion my councilman Tabor

[39:59] second by councilman Gilbo any Council

[40:01] discussion

[40:04] seeing none Mr snow any public comments

[40:06] no sir call for a vote district one yes

[40:09] District Two absolutely yes District

[40:11] three yes District Four yes District

[40:13] Five

[40:15] the motion to adopt is approved

[40:17] Parish ordinance 6 2023 in order to the

[40:20] Lafayette Parish Council amending the

[40:22] intergovernmental agreement between the

[40:24] Parish of Lafayette and the town of

[40:25] doosan to provide an additional payment

[40:27] to doosan in the amount of fifteen

[40:30] thousand dollars for Park improvements

[40:32] Motion in a second motion by councilman

[40:34] not care

[40:35] second by councilman Gilbo any Council

[40:38] discussion

[40:39] seeing none Miss Arsenal any public

[40:40] comments yes sir it's called for a vote

[40:43] District yes Mr yes just

[40:47] five

[40:50] is approved

[40:53] joint ordinances for final adoption this

[40:55] is a public hearing and speaker sheets

[40:57] are available for anyone wishing to

[40:59] address the council the three-minute

[41:00] rule does apply Cindy please read

[41:03] John Hornets won 2023 Angel honors of

[41:05] the Lafayette City Council in the

[41:06] Lafayette Parish Council amending the

[41:09] Lafayette City Parish Consolidated

[41:10] Government code of ordinances chapter 6

[41:12] article 3 restriction on retailers and

[41:15] Retail establishments specifically

[41:17] division two days and hours of sale to

[41:20] add a subsection C to section

[41:23] 6-94 need a motion in a second motion by

[41:27] councilman Gilbo second by the

[41:28] councilman Tabor any Council discussion

[41:32] seeing none Miss hard to know any public

[41:33] comments yes sir it's called for a vote

[41:35] District three yes District Four yes

[41:38] District Five no district one yes Mr

[41:42] District 2 yes the motion to adopt is

[41:45] approved

[41:46] join ordinance 2 2023 Angel honors of

[41:49] the Lafayette City Council in the

[41:51] Lafayette Parish Council and meeting the

[41:52] fiscal year 2223 operating budget of the

[41:55] Lafayette City Parish Consolidated

[41:57] Government by adjusting demanding tables

[41:59] and increasing the hourly pay rate of an

[42:02] accounting specialist within the office

[42:03] of finance and management accounting

[42:05] division

[42:07] need a motion in a second

[42:08] motion by councilman Gilbo second by

[42:11] councilman Tabor in the council

[42:13] discussion

[42:15] seeing none Miss Arsenal any public

[42:16] comments yes sir call for a vote

[42:18] District Four yes District Five yes

[42:21] district one yes District Two yes

[42:24] District three yes the motion to adopt

[42:27] is approved your Ordnance 3 2023 HR

[42:30] orders of the Lafayette city council and

[42:32] the Lafayette Parish Council providing

[42:34] for the abandonment of a 10 foot by a 15

[42:36] drainage 15 foot drainage servitude from

[42:39] Pearl service 4 dash

[42:42] parcels a-4-a and

[42:46] a-5-a of Country Lane Acres subdivision

[42:49] located at 6 000 and 6008 Landry Road

[42:52] need a motion in a second

[42:54] motion like councilman not can second by

[42:56] councilman Tabor

[42:58] Council discussion

[43:00] seeing nine Miss Arsenal any public

[43:01] comments no sir it's called for a vote

[43:03] Mr

[43:08] yes

[43:11] production to adopt is approved draw

[43:13] ordinance for 2023 HR oranges of the

[43:15] Lafayette City Council in the Lafayette

[43:17] Parish Council amending chapter 89 of

[43:19] the Lafayette City Parish Consolidated

[43:21] Government code of ordinances also known

[43:23] as the Lafayette development code LDC

[43:27] need a motion in a second

[43:29] motion like councilman Tabor

[43:31] second by councilman Gilbo any Council

[43:33] discussions Mr knocking

[43:37] this

[43:38] Simon can you come explain what changes

[43:41] we can expect

[43:49] hold on get by with hiding in the back I

[43:52] saw you walking inside

[43:53] Mary Slyman director of Community

[43:56] Development and planning so what exactly

[43:59] changes are are things that we can

[44:02] expect of this

[44:05] so I'm gonna go through all them are you

[44:06] I'm going to touch on some big ones the

[44:08] big ones do you have a question about a

[44:10] specific one no okay

[44:12] so

[44:13] um probably the the most changes you'll

[44:16] see are relative to a convenience store

[44:18] with fuel sales and truck stops

[44:21] um we we have learned

[44:23] um recently about some new Concepts in

[44:26] terms of

[44:27] it's not really a truck stop as we know

[44:29] it today or as the book knows it today

[44:31] but it's also a little bit more intense

[44:33] in a convenience store with fuel sales

[44:34] so we we looked at both of our

[44:37] definitions and where convenience store

[44:41] fuel sales was allowed and where truck

[44:43] stops were allowed and we tweaked

[44:46] um

[44:46] the definitions where the uses were

[44:49] allowed as well as we had to remove some

[44:52] language about you know what is a truck

[44:55] stop as far as additional amenities in

[44:58] article 5. so were these like we were we

[45:01] running into cases where people were

[45:03] trying to get a permit and we denied

[45:05] them because maybe the definition wasn't

[45:07] right or are you seeing new applicants

[45:10] coming in or new development and we're

[45:12] not we don't have the right

[45:15] so there is this New Concept which was

[45:17] attempted but when we looked at

[45:20] historically for Lafayette Parish what a

[45:22] truck stop is and what was permitted as

[45:25] a convenience store with fuel sales I as

[45:27] the Director used 8921 to make a

[45:30] determination and so now that we are

[45:33] we're in front of you today to take my

[45:36] interpretation and and make it part of

[45:39] the actual LDC and part of the the

[45:41] regulations instead of just an

[45:43] interpretation now typically when you

[45:45] say truck stop you think of what like I think of loves I think of

[45:50] Bucky's and all these other places so

[45:53] it is to

[45:55] prevent deny or just clarify what the

[45:59] definition is in a sense of what's

[46:01] allowed not allowed or can they both

[46:03] coexist like when you say concept talk

[46:05] to me what what so the concept the

[46:07] newest concept is is less intense than a

[46:10] loves right in the your typical truck

[46:12] stop with restaurants and showers and

[46:14] scales and until they're along I-10 is

[46:16] this or are you saying like within the

[46:18] city of Lafayette the parish I mean so our current definition of convenience

[46:23] store fuel sales did not delineate about

[46:26] truck diesel and when I say truck diesel

[46:28] I'm talking 18 wheelers okay okay so

[46:32] um but in a but a truck stop obviously

[46:34] as we know it is basically in essence

[46:37] what that what the definition had and

[46:39] then what the additional regulations had

[46:40] in 89.93 the New Concept is less intense

[46:44] than the truck stop as we know it

[46:46] um and and has less parking for 18

[46:48] wheelers but it does have fueling for 18

[46:50] wheelers

[46:51] um it does not have a restaurant but may

[46:53] have an expanded convenience store so it

[46:55] it's considered somewhat like a travel

[46:57] center

[46:59] um but again you know because our

[47:01] definition for convenience store fuel

[47:02] sales wasn't clay wasn't clear on truck

[47:05] fueling and the truck stop definition

[47:07] was a little bit too intense we needed

[47:10] to mold the two to better fit this New

[47:13] Concept and so that's what we're doing

[47:14] because

[47:16] my office and I think you would probably

[47:18] agree feels that you know we don't want

[47:21] somebody driving all the way into the

[47:23] middle of town to to fuel their fuel up

[47:25] their 18-wheeler right it's not the it's

[47:27] not the intent and maybe not you know

[47:29] with the neighborhood and right next

[47:30] door or behind it or within a close

[47:32] vicinity of it correct no I I agree so

[47:35] we want to protect our Road's already

[47:36] bad so I wanted 18 wheelers going about

[47:40] subdivisions or neighborhoods to fill up

[47:42] and then leave so

[47:43] okay thank you and we recognize the

[47:45] intensity especially you know at

[47:47] University with the existing truck stops

[47:49] so absolutely and we got to make sure

[47:51] our bridges are higher and trucks Don't

[47:52] damage stuff right yeah thank you all

[47:54] right no comments councilman

[48:00] I'm sorry councilman Reuben

[48:02] forgive me

[48:05] you know what it is is the hair

[48:07] anyway uh how you doing man so this

[48:11] particular

[48:13] um change

[48:14] how would it affect you and I spoke

[48:17] about

[48:18] the trucks out there there I'm sorry

[48:20] they don't call it a truck stop what

[48:22] were they calling it uh we'll just call

[48:24] it a travel center yeah a travel center

[48:26] right there on the corner of um

[48:28] Louisiana Avenue and I-10

[48:31] would they protect that particular area

[48:34] with this ordinance or what would it do right there with this

[48:39] language that you're talking it does it

[48:41] does because that corner was CH and that

[48:43] you know they were that's where a lot of

[48:45] the discussions around it is do we want

[48:47] that intensive abuse in the CH zoning

[48:49] District

[48:51] um or in even in cm because it's part of

[48:53] the um the changes in front of you

[48:56] tonight is to make unconditional and see

[48:58] them so

[48:59] this will this clears up all the

[49:01] confusion we had at that location

[49:04] okay thank you

[49:06] what any other comments

[49:08] I think that's it thank you mayor okay

[49:12] do we get the motion in the second we

[49:15] did so we did any other public comments

[49:17] no sir all right let's call for a vote

[49:19] district one yes this

[49:22] yes District Four yes District Five yes

[49:26] the merchanted office approved

[49:30] appointments by the council as a whole

[49:32] to boards and commission Cindy please

[49:33] read apply me to the parish Planning and

[49:36] Zoning commission for a five-year term

[49:37] effect of January 7th 2023.

[49:41] Mr Tabor like to nominate uh Brad du

[49:45] Young

[49:45] we have Brad a nomination for Brad

[49:47] Daniel

[49:49] Mr knockcam I'd like to second that

[49:55] and just for the record I think it's

[49:57] noted on your agenda that the Council

[50:00] Office did officially receive resumes

[50:02] from Brad duyon Delaney Moe Larson and

[50:06] Jacob Weaver that's right and there is

[50:07] no incumbent thank you all right we've

[50:10] received a nomination for Mr Brad duyon

[50:13] in the council discussion

[50:15] public comment no sir let's call for a

[50:18] vote District 2. district three do y'all

[50:22] District Four District Five

[50:25] district one New York is appointed

[50:28] appointments in Lafayette Parish Water

[50:30] Works District South board for the

[50:32] remainder of an unexpired five-year term

[50:34] through October 31st 2026. Apple

[50:37] customers reside within the Water Works

[50:39] District South Boundary

[50:42] the resume received for consideration is

[50:44] from Maisha Drexler there is no

[50:46] incumbent

[50:48] I'd like a nomination

[50:51] any Council discussion

[50:54] Miss Arsenal any public comments yes sir

[50:56] call for a vote

[50:58] District Drexler District Four

[51:04] two

[51:06] make sure Drexler is appointed

[51:09] introductory ordinances I need a motion

[51:12] in a second to introduce items 20-22 in

[51:15] globo

[51:18] a motion by councilman Rubin second by

[51:20] councilman notkin Cindy please read

[51:28] E3 capital budget of the Lafayette City

[51:31] Parish Consolidated Government by

[51:32] reducing the parish offered by you

[51:34] Vermilion flood control project by 500

[51:37] 000 in appropriating a new project for

[51:40] the replacement of a of a water district

[51:42] North water well

[51:44] Parish ordinance 8 2023 in order to the

[51:48] Lafayette Parish Council amending the

[51:49] fiscal year 2223 operating capital

[51:51] budget of the Lafayette City Parish

[51:54] Consolidated Government by increasing

[51:56] the use of fund ballots in fund 273

[51:58] storm water management Fund in the

[52:01] amount of 250 000 in appropriating

[52:03] within the public works department

[52:05] Capital Improvements division for the

[52:07] comprehensive stormwater plan Parish

[52:09] ordinance 9 2023 in order to the

[52:12] Lafayette Parish Council and meeting the

[52:13] fiscal year 2223 capital budget of the

[52:16] Lafayette City Parish Consolidated

[52:18] Government by transferring seven hundred

[52:19] thousand dollars and fund 260 from the

[52:23] Tolson Road Ridge replace project to the

[52:25] replaced route Bridge Project and

[52:28] appropriating within the public works

[52:30] department

[52:31] all right any Council discussion

[52:35] seeing none Miss Arsenal any public

[52:36] comments

[52:38] no sir all right let's call for a vote

[52:40] to introduce items 222 in globo District

[52:43] 4 yes District Five yes district one yes

[52:47] District 2.

[52:49] 63 yes the motion to introduce item 20

[52:52] through 22 in global is approved joint

[52:56] introductory ordinances I need a motion

[52:58] and a second to introduce items 24 and

[53:00] 25 in globo motion by councilman not

[53:02] cancer by councilman Tabor Cindy please

[53:05] read draw on at 6 2023 HR on into the

[53:08] Lafayette City Council on the Lafayette

[53:09] Parish Council amending the fiscal year

[53:11] 2223 operating budget and demanding

[53:14] tables of the Lafayette City Parish

[53:15] Consolidated Government by increasing

[53:18] the hourly pay rate of the investment

[53:19] officer position within the office of

[53:21] finance and management accounting

[53:23] division

[53:24] draw on a 7 2023 a joints of the

[53:27] Lafayette City Council in the Lafayette

[53:29] Parish Council amending the fiscal year

[53:31] 2223 operating in capital budgets of the

[53:34] Lafayette City Parish Consolidated

[53:35] Government by recognizing revenues in

[53:38] the amount of one million six hundred

[53:40] thousand dollars received from the

[53:41] Federal Highway Administration approving

[53:44] the use of existing funds in the amount

[53:46] of four hundred thousand dollars for the

[53:48] FED for the required local match

[53:51] appropriating within the traffic roads

[53:52] and bridges Department traffic

[53:54] engineering division elderizing the

[53:56] Lafayette mayor president to execute a

[53:58] contract with the Louisiana Department

[54:01] of Transportation and development and

[54:03] the Acadiana Planning Commission

[54:05] Metropolitan planning Organization for

[54:08] the Lafayette Parish non-state pavement

[54:10] marking project h015018

[54:15] any Council discussions

[54:18] seeing nine Miss Arsenal any public

[54:20] comments no sir let's call for a vote

[54:22] just five

[54:25] one

[54:26] two yes District three yes District Four

[54:29] yeah

[54:30] the motion introduce items 24 and 25 in

[54:32] global is approved

[54:35] comments from the public

[54:37] this is the time to speak about topics

[54:39] that are not included as agenda items

[54:41] topics should be related to the Parish

[54:43] of Lafayette and are within the

[54:45] legislative power of the parish council

[54:47] no debating or confrontational

[54:49] statements will be allowed for

[54:51] efficiency and to allow other citizens

[54:53] the opportunity to speak the

[54:55] three-minute rule will be in effect once

[54:57] the three-minute timer starts you are

[54:59] asked to continue your comments to

[55:00] completion as the intent is not to have

[55:03] a question and answer session and should

[55:05] you have any questions please submit

[55:07] them in writing to the clerk of the

[55:08] council for a response by the

[55:10] administration and or the appropriate

[55:12] lcg official Miss Arsenault call for

[55:15] comments we do have two speakers signed

[55:18] in the first of which is Janice green

[55:20] and she will be followed by Mary Lee of

[55:22] garcio

[55:27] please state your name for the record

[55:28] good evening Janice green

[55:32] today is the start of black history

[55:34] month and I find it fitting for me to

[55:37] stand on this platform to paint homage

[55:39] to a great ancestor to kuna Melania El

[55:43] Shabazz who was a strong Warrior for the

[55:47] black community even though he is

[55:49] physically gone his Spirit of goodness

[55:52] and the love he had for the rise of his

[55:55] people

[55:56] will forever be a tremendous influence

[55:59] on the conscious black people who knows

[56:02] we are the original man and woman of the

[56:05] earth anything else is the kind of man

[56:08] and a kind of woman I want to read one

[56:11] of his writings that I find to be

[56:13] profound

[56:15] and resonate even in his absence

[56:18] brothers and sisters

[56:21] every time I speak publicly some say

[56:24] that I am a little touch in the head

[56:27] some say that I am boat

[56:30] some say I might be intelligent if I

[56:33] wasn't crazy but none has called me a

[56:36] liar

[56:37] I know that my words and the manner in

[56:41] which I deliver those words to you

[56:44] sometimes appear harsh

[56:46] but I know no matter how I say it to you

[56:51] if I speak the truth some will become

[56:54] offended regardless

[56:56] because the truth will challenge your

[56:59] value system that the white man give you

[57:02] I love you

[57:03] but I'm not in the making business

[57:06] I'm not in the Negro enhancement

[57:09] business but I will not permit your fear

[57:12] of Truth make me a conspirator

[57:16] and pimp for the white man spreading his

[57:18] lies among my black family I read the

[57:23] stand before you as a true teller only

[57:25] once and have you ostracized me for the

[57:29] remainder of my time on God's Earth than

[57:32] to be a popular liar in your face every

[57:36] day during the work of our oppressor

[57:39] brothers and sisters I will leave you

[57:42] with one more truth

[57:44] if you were black and African yesterday

[57:47] you are certainly black and African

[57:49] today and unless you do something

[57:51] unnatural to yourself you will be black

[57:54] and African tomorrow

[57:56] to anyone

[57:59] who truly wants to know what the needs

[58:02] of the community black communities are

[58:04] here's your blueprints black I am Cajun

[58:08] creel I am not thank you

[58:11] next speaker is Marilee Garcia

[58:23] good evening Mary lib Garcia Lafayette

[58:26] Parish City

[58:28] I'm here to inform you about a special

[58:31] program that we're working on

[58:34] together that went through the women of

[58:37] wisdom the wow group and the Louisiana

[58:41] Department of Health Region 4.

[58:44] it's come it came to my attention as

[58:47] I've watched the statistics and the

[58:49] horrible stories about drug over

[58:52] overdoses that we there's a real need

[58:56] for education but I didn't know how to

[58:59] pursue this as an as a member of the

[59:02] community I approached Phyllis Mouton

[59:04] the president of the women's group about

[59:08] the idea and she encouraged me and so I

[59:10] began working on it and what we have now

[59:13] is a is the first public

[59:17] program on Fentanyl and opioid drugs

[59:22] that has been held there have been many

[59:24] programs that have been conducted for

[59:26] targeted groups but there's been nothing

[59:28] that really that was offered to the

[59:31] general public so we have a program date

[59:34] time and place of March 22nd that's a

[59:39] Wednesday but I don't think it's one of

[59:41] your meeting dates from 5 30 to 7 30 at

[59:44] the downtown convention center

[59:47] the Stacy Conrad who many of you know

[59:49] with Region 4 and Keith Talamo with the

[59:54] Lafayette coroner's office will actually

[59:56] present a 60-minute program and then

[59:59] we'll open the floor up for questions

[1:00:02] from the audience we have a wonderful

[1:00:05] committee we've been meeting in your

[1:00:06] briefing room thank you very much for

[1:00:08] that opportunity

[1:00:10] we're getting our judges on board the

[1:00:13] committee is growing we're just you know

[1:00:15] I don't really have a final list because

[1:00:18] I get new members every every day

[1:00:21] there's so much interest in trying to

[1:00:23] help with this program

[1:00:24] it's going to be a template hopefully

[1:00:27] for other cities outlying cities both

[1:00:30] within the parish as well as within the

[1:00:32] seven Parish region of region four

[1:00:36] um the we do have a the second of our

[1:00:39] planning meetings next Friday Friday a

[1:00:42] week February the 10th from 9 to 11 in

[1:00:46] your briefing room and I invite all of

[1:00:50] you to attend so that you can see the

[1:00:53] quality and the sincerity and the

[1:00:55] expertise that is being brought to the

[1:00:57] planning of this program uh it's a it's

[1:01:00] a great group lots of representation

[1:01:02] from across the community Acadian

[1:01:04] companies UL

[1:01:06] churches you you have it but I will

[1:01:09] leave some information with Veronica so

[1:01:13] she can share it and then we'll have a

[1:01:15] more formal press release for you coming

[1:01:17] but I do invite you to attend and I

[1:01:20] thank you for your support because we

[1:01:22] all end this together thank you and Mr chair five citizens who

[1:01:29] called in in opposition to the jail

[1:01:31] proposal on Willow

[1:01:34] thank you

[1:01:35] with no additional comments I adjourn

[1:01:37] the parish council regular the Paris

[1:01:39] Council regular meeting

[1:01:41] [Applause]

[1:12:27] foreign

[1:16:24] oh he should stay on

[1:16:29] I just put those on here and leave the

[1:16:31] clerk

[1:16:32] staff

[1:16:33] okay good evening I'd like to call

[1:16:36] everyone uh welcome you to this

[1:16:38] evening's Lafayette city council meeting

[1:16:40] for February 1st 2023

[1:16:43] will have the invocation by uh

[1:16:46] councilman I can and the pledge by

[1:16:49] councilwoman a there

[1:17:02] and our friends and our family close

[1:17:04] together

[1:17:05] please guide us in your wisdom

[1:17:09] to Grace in our heart

[1:17:11] remember to treat each other for dignity

[1:17:13] and respect

[1:17:14] and to understand that we all have a

[1:17:17] meaning in this

[1:17:18] well I have a reason for this

[1:17:20] we all have a goal in our lives

[1:17:23] and divine and seek you in any way we

[1:17:27] can so that in the end we'll all reach

[1:17:29] that final goal which is our true

[1:17:30] destination we ask this in Jesus Christ

[1:17:33] Our Lord amen amen

[1:17:36] thank you sir

[1:17:38] to the flag of the United States of

[1:17:41] America and to the Republic for which it

[1:17:44] stands one nation under God indivisible

[1:17:47] with liberty and justice for all

[1:17:51] thank you Andy Liz

[1:17:58] we welcome you to Lafayette city council

[1:18:00] meeting as presiding officer and chair

[1:18:02] I'd like to announce the following this

[1:18:05] is a public hearing to address the

[1:18:06] Council on any items on this agenda

[1:18:09] please fill out the speaker form to

[1:18:11] submit for your information to the clerk

[1:18:13] prior to the call of the agenda item or

[1:18:16] you will not be given the opportunity to

[1:18:18] speak staff assistance is available if

[1:18:21] needed

[1:18:23] items for submission to the council

[1:18:25] should be added to the council clerk Mr

[1:18:27] Veronica Williams

[1:18:28] seated directly to my left

[1:18:32] when addressing the council please state

[1:18:34] your name and title for the official

[1:18:36] record

[1:18:38] the three-minute rule will be in effect

[1:18:41] no debating or confrontational

[1:18:42] statements will be allowed

[1:18:44] the front row to my left is for media

[1:18:47] only food and drinks are not allowed in

[1:18:50] the council Auditorium please silence

[1:18:53] all phones and electronic devices

[1:18:57] meeting procedures are by resolution and

[1:18:59] not by Robert's Rules of Order

[1:19:02] all documents with reference to meetings

[1:19:05] can be found on the lcg website

[1:19:08] and the council encourages your

[1:19:10] involvement in boards and commissions if

[1:19:12] interested please call 337-291

[1:19:16] 8800

[1:19:18] due to the Mardi Gras holidays Council

[1:19:21] meetings for February will be on the

[1:19:23] first and third Wednesdays instead of

[1:19:25] the typical first and third Tuesdays

[1:19:28] meetings will return to the regular

[1:19:31] first and third Tuesdays in March

[1:19:34] item number nine Council ordinance

[1:19:38] 003-2023

[1:19:40] Benoit falgoo Drive rezoning

[1:19:43] councilmember Pat Lewis is requesting an

[1:19:45] amendment to change the zoning

[1:19:47] designation from rm1 residential mix to

[1:19:52] cm1 commercial mix

[1:19:56] item number 12 console ordinance zero six twenty twenty three veteran cea

[1:20:04] Council chairs requesting that the

[1:20:06] ordinance be deferred for one month

[1:20:08] until March 7th to allow additional time

[1:20:11] to receive information

[1:20:15] on funding the purpose and uses

[1:20:17] associated with the Lafayette Veterans

[1:20:19] Center

[1:20:20] also as it relates to this ordinance

[1:20:22] legal is requesting an amendment to the

[1:20:24] ordinance and cea to correct the

[1:20:27] municipal address of the Lafayette

[1:20:28] Veterans Center from 525 to 527

[1:20:33] Evangeline Drive

[1:20:35] item number 14 Fire Department Training

[1:20:39] Center roof

[1:20:40] the administration

[1:20:43] is requesting an indefinite deferral to

[1:20:46] allow for the completion of the bid

[1:20:48] process

[1:20:50] for a more accurate project amount

[1:20:54] would like to wish a happy birthday to

[1:20:56] Jeremy Sweeney senior Council

[1:20:58] administrator

[1:21:00] Administrative Assistant who will

[1:21:02] celebrate his birthday

[1:21:04] on February 4th

[1:21:06] and would also like to wish a happy

[1:21:08] birthday to his sidekick with Cindy a

[1:21:12] bear

[1:21:13] present with us this evening Council

[1:21:15] Administrative Assistant who will

[1:21:16] celebrate her birthday on February 6th

[1:21:20] like to wish a happy birthday also to

[1:21:24] councilman Pat Lewis

[1:21:28] which he will also celebrate on February

[1:21:30] 6th

[1:21:31] and

[1:21:34] last but certainly not least

[1:21:37] I'd like to wish a happy birthday to

[1:21:40] councilwoman Liz a bear

[1:21:42] who will be celebrating her birthday on

[1:21:45] February 9th

[1:21:49] [Applause]

[1:21:52] console announcements

[1:22:01] any cons okay

[1:22:04] yes sir you're up I just want to make

[1:22:06] sure that the public was aware that

[1:22:09] their applications being accepted

[1:22:10] throughout Lafayette Parish for the

[1:22:13] Lafayette emergency assistance program a

[1:22:15] lead program which is available to

[1:22:17] assist qualified low and modern income

[1:22:19] households with paying rent

[1:22:21] and overdue rent as well as current and

[1:22:23] overdue utility payments those who need

[1:22:26] assists are encouraged to apply

[1:22:29] there's 21 million dollars in emergency

[1:22:31] rental assistance out there to be

[1:22:33] utilized and another 4.88 million that

[1:22:37] has been uh applied to that

[1:22:40] um you can apply through I'm sure the see how to apply smile Community

[1:22:45] Action Agency would be a place to go to

[1:22:48] either online or their location at 501

[1:22:51] St John Street but anyway I wish that

[1:22:54] anybody who was in need to please go

[1:22:55] apply it's out there please go get the

[1:22:57] money thank you

[1:23:01] any other Council announcements

[1:23:03] uh

[1:23:06] Mr chair you got something uh yes sir I

[1:23:09] think you're on okay

[1:23:11] um just wanted to let with this being

[1:23:13] black history month I just wanted to let

[1:23:14] everybody know that the African-American

[1:23:16] Heritage Foundation has released a

[1:23:19] month-long list of activities locally

[1:23:22] here in Lafayette uh in celebration of

[1:23:25] black history month I would provide each

[1:23:27] of you and I have some extra copies for

[1:23:29] anyone who would like a copy

[1:23:31] um I would have I would provide a copy

[1:23:34] to each a few

[1:23:36] um also the American Heritage Foundation

[1:23:38] gala will be held February 25th and the

[1:23:42] parade will be held on February 26th

[1:23:45] um just a side note included among the

[1:23:47] five honorees is your Council chair

[1:23:51] Glenn lazor who will be honored in the

[1:23:54] area of politics and for his work along

[1:23:57] with Janelle shagwa uh and Senior and

[1:24:00] the senior citizen program also being

[1:24:03] honored among the five is Chris

[1:24:05] Arsenault my husband under culture for

[1:24:08] his work in the community

[1:24:10] so and I'll be giving you know

[1:24:13] [Applause]

[1:24:16] thank you madam uh you say Madam chair

[1:24:18] thank you thank you man thank you

[1:24:20] [Laughter]

[1:24:31] very much

[1:24:38] thank you V

[1:24:39] ee uh I just wanted to uh recognize

[1:24:43] someone this is uh first day of black

[1:24:46] history month and the mayor is going to

[1:24:48] speak on uh the kickoff that was done at

[1:24:51] City Hall on yesterday uh I really just

[1:24:55] want to acknowledge

[1:24:57] uh the loss of a Trailblazer

[1:25:02] Mr Joseph Dennis

[1:25:05] Mr Dennis the native of Lafayette

[1:25:09] uh Mr Dennis was 94 years old

[1:25:14] haven't been born on December 20

[1:25:16] December 17 1928

[1:25:19] and uh

[1:25:21] passed away on January 22nd 2023.

[1:25:25] uh I'm going to be very brief because if

[1:25:28] I talked about everything that Mr Dennis

[1:25:31] did and all the contributions he made

[1:25:34] uh to this community

[1:25:37] State and Nation we would be here for a

[1:25:40] couple of hours in any event Mr Dennis

[1:25:44] was a native of Lafayette uh

[1:25:48] was a veteran of the Korean War and

[1:25:50] received the Purple Heart for sir for

[1:25:52] his service

[1:25:53] during the Korean War

[1:25:55] but as far as Lafayette is concerned

[1:25:59] when Mr Dennis return

[1:26:02] from his stent in the service

[1:26:05] he found conditions in Lafayette as they

[1:26:08] were at that time that weren't very pleasant

[1:26:14] for black citizens

[1:26:17] so Mr Dennis took it upon himself

[1:26:21] to make a change

[1:26:24] he was the plaintiff in various lawsuits

[1:26:29] that ultimately led to

[1:26:32] integration of public service and the

[1:26:35] right to run for political office as

[1:26:37] well as to register to vote

[1:26:39] uh in in Lafayette City and Parish

[1:26:44] uh

[1:26:46] as a result of his well let me just be

[1:26:48] brief

[1:26:51] Mr Dennis became a plane to be a

[1:26:53] successful legal action to reapportion

[1:26:55] the school board

[1:26:56] which ultimately voted to have one seat

[1:27:00] on the board for a black board member as

[1:27:01] a result Mr AJ Tony shaston became the

[1:27:05] first black elected official in the

[1:27:07] history of Lafayette Parish since

[1:27:09] reconstruction his actions also led to

[1:27:13] black officials being elected to the

[1:27:15] Lafayette City Council

[1:27:18] and also the police jury

[1:27:22] as a result of his actions

[1:27:25] uh individuals like myself councilman

[1:27:30] Lewis and councilman Rubin have the

[1:27:33] right to run for

[1:27:35] and sit on this esteemed body

[1:27:38] so I just wanted to give that

[1:27:39] recognition to uh to Mr Dennis thank you

[1:27:50] okay appreciate that uh moving on

[1:27:55] mayor Guillory

[1:27:56] your report

[1:27:58] thank you Mr chair and and thank you for

[1:28:01] taking the time to to recognize and like

[1:28:04] you said a Trailblazer in our community

[1:28:07] um yesterday we had the distinct honor

[1:28:09] and purposefully did a day early to kick

[1:28:12] off our recognition of Black History

[1:28:15] Month here in Lafayette Parish a

[1:28:16] month-long celebration and educational

[1:28:19] period and I thank you to the chair and

[1:28:21] councilman McCook and other council

[1:28:23] members that took the time to be with

[1:28:24] this side there I believe I saw a few

[1:28:26] members of the community that are here

[1:28:28] tonight that were also with this

[1:28:30] yesterday in attendance and we also

[1:28:32] recognized for

[1:28:34] um Warriors you know for leaders in in

[1:28:36] our community we had a lady Miss

[1:28:38] Northeast 100 years old she just

[1:28:40] celebrated her birthday 65 years of

[1:28:43] service to our wonderful University we

[1:28:45] had a member of my youth advisory

[1:28:47] Council and I'm referencing both for a

[1:28:50] reason who's uh 17 year old 16 or 17

[1:28:52] years old and to see

[1:28:54] their accomplishments in our community right here in Lafayette is

[1:28:59] it's just remarkable just four examples

[1:29:01] of of the greatness of our community and

[1:29:03] we're certainly better today than we

[1:29:06] were 100 years ago but doesn't mean that

[1:29:07] we need to be complacent in our strive

[1:29:09] for greatness and equality and making

[1:29:12] sure that everybody has a seat at the

[1:29:14] table and an equal opportunity no matter

[1:29:16] where you're from or where you live or

[1:29:17] what you look like in this wonderful

[1:29:18] Parish so thank you to everybody that

[1:29:21] participated and certainly I've never

[1:29:24] been more proud to be a member of

[1:29:26] Lafayette Community and I hope everybody

[1:29:28] here can say the same so thank you

[1:29:31] though and thank you Mr chair again we

[1:29:33] have budget to actual comparison of

[1:29:35] major city funds December 2022

[1:29:37] preliminary director toups is behind me

[1:29:39] if you have any questions and on that

[1:29:40] note we have several several

[1:29:42] announcements in our finance department

[1:29:44] our finance and Management Department

[1:29:46] goes above and beyond for our great

[1:29:49] community and in Lafayette consolidated

[1:29:51] government this year they have earned

[1:29:52] the prestigious Triple Crown award they

[1:29:56] previously received and earned the

[1:29:58] distinguished budget presentation award

[1:30:00] uh this is their ninth year ninth year

[1:30:03] in a row that this department has won

[1:30:05] this award it's a very a very hard War

[1:30:07] to achieve so nine years in a row

[1:30:08] congratulations and tonight I'm honored

[1:30:11] to present them with two different

[1:30:12] Awards the certificate of achievement

[1:30:15] for excellence and financial reporting

[1:30:17] this is their seventh year in a row to

[1:30:19] receive this award and the award for the

[1:30:22] first time for outstanding achievement

[1:30:24] in popular annual Finance report uh

[1:30:27] reporting against the first year that

[1:30:29] this department has won this award but

[1:30:31] having all three makes them the Triple

[1:30:33] Crown winners and we are the only the

[1:30:36] second government in the state of

[1:30:38] Louisiana and Ms toups can highlight

[1:30:40] what that means but that's more than

[1:30:42] just City governments Paris governments

[1:30:44] police juries it includes school boards

[1:30:47] and other political subdivisions only

[1:30:49] the second one in the history of

[1:30:51] Louisiana that is a huge accomplishment

[1:30:53] and that that being said call up

[1:30:56] director tubes

[1:30:57] [Applause]

[1:31:15] moved and so I'm here and able to tell

[1:31:18] you about our Triple Crown I mentioned

[1:31:21] it to you a couple of years ago that I

[1:31:23] hope to be coming here with that triple

[1:31:25] crown award and I'm proud to say that

[1:31:28] we've done it I'm looking around we have

[1:31:31] uh we had a few of our accounting and

[1:31:33] finance Folks at the earlier meeting

[1:31:35] they all have families and children's

[1:31:37] and some have lots of volunteer

[1:31:40] activities so I'm not sure that they

[1:31:42] were able to stay for the city council

[1:31:44] meeting but I'm really proud to say that

[1:31:46] we've earned these Awards and this will

[1:31:49] be my last time you hear this story so

[1:31:52] um but when I came to Lafayette 12 years

[1:31:55] ago Lafayette was meeting only the very

[1:31:58] minimum basic requirements of

[1:32:01] governmental financial reporting we

[1:32:04] didn't go beyond the minimum that was

[1:32:05] required and I wasn't raised that way

[1:32:09] and so when when I when I came here that

[1:32:13] wasn't good enough we had to work it

[1:32:15] worked for to follow best practices and

[1:32:18] it really has paid off for the city so

[1:32:21] we've worked and earned these Awards

[1:32:22] it's a government Finance officers set

[1:32:25] some best practices for your budget for

[1:32:28] your for your audit report and this

[1:32:30] third report that we just recently won

[1:32:32] called the popular annual financial

[1:32:34] report I didn't name it I didn't choose

[1:32:36] that name that's the formal name of it

[1:32:38] but I'm really proud of that one that

[1:32:41] report is a simple easy to read report

[1:32:45] it is designed to get the layperson

[1:32:48] involved in their government finance and

[1:32:52] layperson is going to pick up an audit

[1:32:54] report and they're going to get

[1:32:55] overwhelmed with it and and I understand

[1:32:57] that but we have rules and and lots of

[1:33:00] information we have to put in that

[1:33:02] annual comprehensive financial report so

[1:33:05] this third report is a summary

[1:33:08] layperson's version it's a lot easier to

[1:33:10] understand and while I'm very proud to

[1:33:14] say that we've earned all of these

[1:33:17] Awards under my guidance and I have

[1:33:21] empowered my staff I've LED them and

[1:33:25] motivated them the staff has earned

[1:33:28] these Awards in particular this final

[1:33:30] award Laura gretner worked on this award

[1:33:34] all by herself

[1:33:36] when when covet first hit and we had

[1:33:40] various instances where employees had to

[1:33:42] be quarantined a lot of my employees

[1:33:45] chose to do special projects while they

[1:33:47] were at home instead of using sick time

[1:33:50] or or are not getting paid so Laura

[1:33:53] worked on this project a couple of years

[1:33:55] ago and she did a great job she did a

[1:33:58] fabulous job the first year we knew that

[1:34:01] we weren't qualified to earn this award

[1:34:03] uh if we issued it late but the second

[1:34:06] year we we did Issue at one time and she did a fantastic job with it we hope

[1:34:13] to see some improvements in the future

[1:34:15] we're going to send it to the

[1:34:16] Communications Department let them put

[1:34:19] some nice graphics and make it a little

[1:34:21] bit more attractive which is designed to

[1:34:23] get more people involved to read the

[1:34:25] document but following earning all these

[1:34:28] Awards and following these best

[1:34:29] practices I started to say this earlier

[1:34:32] has really benefited the city of

[1:34:35] Lafayette also when I came 12 years ago

[1:34:38] the city of Lafayette had eight million

[1:34:42] dollars in their general fund they used

[1:34:44] 50 percent of their fund ballots and

[1:34:48] they only had 15 days worth of operating

[1:34:52] money in that general fund following

[1:34:55] these best practices including all this

[1:34:58] additional information in our financial

[1:35:00] statements and in our budgets bring this to your attention each year

[1:35:05] several times a year and with the help

[1:35:08] of the councils we were able to increase

[1:35:10] that fund balance to almost 70 million

[1:35:14] dollars where it is today and it's a

[1:35:16] nice good strong healthy fund balance so

[1:35:18] the city really did pay off by us

[1:35:21] working and earning these Awards because

[1:35:23] it provides more transparency and more

[1:35:25] information so I'm really proud to have

[1:35:28] led the team to do this it's not my work

[1:35:31] it's the team's work the employees are

[1:35:33] proud of it just just as I am and I know

[1:35:36] that they're going to continue to work

[1:35:38] for these Awards so I'm just happy that

[1:35:40] I was here to get to tell you that we

[1:35:43] finally earned the Triple Crown so

[1:35:47] thank you

[1:35:54] sister

[1:35:55] just us let's go down and take a picture

[1:35:58] we're going to come down

[1:36:38] foreign

[1:37:15] it should be

[1:37:20] I didn't turn them off

[1:37:22] I think we're good thank you for that I

[1:37:25] think the ca have turned my mic off

[1:37:28] I should have let in with this I want to

[1:37:30] thank everybody for taking the time to

[1:37:32] be with us it's always rewarding when we

[1:37:34] have such a big crowd at council meeting

[1:37:35] so thank you for making the time to be

[1:37:37] with us I know the council appreciates

[1:37:39] and values your input I know I certainly

[1:37:41] do the administration to us so thank you

[1:37:42] for that I know everyone's busy second

[1:37:44] thing and the last but certainly not

[1:37:46] least it is um

[1:37:49] it's a sad night because the lady behind

[1:37:52] us the lady that you just saw our CFO

[1:37:54] our Chief Financial Officer is retiring

[1:37:57] from Lafayette consolidated government

[1:37:59] Miss Laurie toups and she has served our

[1:38:02] community for 12 years she's also had

[1:38:04] some experience in other other

[1:38:06] government bodies and she's eligible to

[1:38:08] retire and she's going to spend some

[1:38:09] time with her family and I'm the third

[1:38:12] mayor president that she's served with

[1:38:14] three administrations multiple councils

[1:38:16] and you know I'll tell you I've learned

[1:38:19] so much from all our directors learned

[1:38:21] so much from our employees more than 2

[1:38:22] 000 employees I really do not think that

[1:38:25] there is a director or a teammate that I

[1:38:28] have that I've learned more from than

[1:38:30] Lori tubes and and I mean that and on

[1:38:33] the first day of office January 6 2020 I

[1:38:36] sat down newly elected mayor president

[1:38:39] never been in office before sat around

[1:38:40] these very learned and experienced

[1:38:43] directors and I'm going to each one

[1:38:45] saying okay now look we're going to

[1:38:46] change the culture we're going to find a

[1:38:47] way to say yes we're going to find

[1:38:48] sometimes you you got to say no I get it

[1:38:50] but we're going to have good customer

[1:38:52] service things like that and I went

[1:38:53] around and I stopped at Lori I said

[1:38:56] except you you say no if you say no

[1:39:00] we're shutting it down and she has done

[1:39:02] an excellent job of protecting the

[1:39:05] finances of our wonderful City in Parish

[1:39:07] I mean you saw the example the fund

[1:39:09] balance couldn't do it with our

[1:39:10] teammates here and look both councils

[1:39:12] and um just Lori you're going to be

[1:39:14] missed she's a very modest person she

[1:39:17] probably doesn't even like she's

[1:39:18] probably cringing back there with me

[1:39:20] saying all this but our government is in

[1:39:23] such such a better position now than um and it wasn't bad when she took

[1:39:28] over but it's it's much better now than

[1:39:29] it was when you when you did take the

[1:39:32] position of CFO we love you we

[1:39:34] appreciate you and we'll have a lot more

[1:39:35] to say tomorrow at your retirement

[1:39:36] ceremony so thank you and if you could

[1:39:38] please join me around Applause to send

[1:39:40] off our CFO

[1:39:41] [Applause]

[1:39:48] thank you Mr chair I appreciate the time

[1:39:54] certainly hey moving on uh executive

[1:39:58] session Cindy please read

[1:40:01] wow Lafayette City Parish Consolidated

[1:40:03] Government versus Eugene and Beverly

[1:40:05] leday 15th Judicial District Court

[1:40:08] docket number 2021 2502 division F state

[1:40:12] of Louisiana Parish of Lafayette hey

[1:40:14] Paul could you please give us uh the

[1:40:16] reasoning for going into executive

[1:40:18] session yes sir Mr chairman this matter

[1:40:20] involves pending litigation in which lcg

[1:40:22] is a party and because of the nature of

[1:40:25] the claims and defenses asserted it's my

[1:40:28] opinion that discussion of litigation

[1:40:30] and Open Session will have a detrimental

[1:40:31] effect on the litigation or bargaining

[1:40:33] position of lcg for that reason it's my

[1:40:36] opinion that an executive session is

[1:40:38] permissible and appropriate for

[1:40:39] discussion of the litigation and I

[1:40:42] recommend that the council go into

[1:40:43] executive session for that purpose

[1:40:46] I have a motion by councilman Narcan a

[1:40:49] second by councilwoman a bear uh Miss

[1:40:51] arson only public comments yes sir call

[1:40:54] for the vote to go in the executive

[1:40:56] session Mr

[1:40:57] yes District yes District 3

[1:41:10] . we will be back shortly

[1:41:15] hopefully

[1:43:39] foreign

[1:44:14] you know

[1:44:59] foreign

[1:46:49] at this point I'll entertain a motion to

[1:46:51] return from executive session

[1:46:54] moved by councilwoman Cooks second by

[1:46:56] councilwoman a bear

[1:46:58] there's Austin only public comments no

[1:47:01] sir call for the vote to return from

[1:47:03] executive session District Two

[1:47:09] oh District three yes District Four yes

[1:47:12] District Five yes District One

[1:47:15] yeah

[1:47:25] the motion to return from executive

[1:47:27] session is approved

[1:47:32] okay at this point entertain a motion

[1:47:34] and a second to accept legal's

[1:47:36] recommendation

[1:47:38] in this matter moved by councilwoman a

[1:47:40] bear second by councilwoman cook Miss

[1:47:43] Arkansas Public comments no sir call for

[1:47:46] the vote Mr three yes Bishop floor yes

[1:47:49] District Five

[1:47:50] yes district one yeah Mr

[1:47:54] District to accept legal recommendation

[1:47:56] is approved

[1:47:58] this is a public hearing and speaker

[1:48:00] sheets are available for anyone wishing

[1:48:02] to address the council the three-minute

[1:48:04] rule will apply Cindy please read City

[1:48:06] resolution 12023 a resolution of the

[1:48:09] Lafayette city council authorizing a

[1:48:11] submission of an application with

[1:48:13] Louisiana Highway Safety commission for

[1:48:15] a fiscal year 2024 overtime Traffic

[1:48:18] Safety enforcement grant for the

[1:48:20] Lafayette Police Department

[1:48:23] move by councilwoman Cooks second by

[1:48:25] councilman Lewis

[1:48:29] any Council discussion

[1:48:31] any public comments no sir call for the

[1:48:34] vote District Four yes District Five

[1:48:37] yes district one yes District Two yes

[1:48:41] District three yeah promotion to adopt

[1:48:44] is approved joint resolution 2 2023 a

[1:48:47] resolution of the Lafayette city council

[1:48:48] granting a waiver of an exemption from

[1:48:51] the requirements of section

[1:48:54] 6-36a1 on the Lafayette City Parish

[1:48:57] Consolidated Government code of

[1:48:58] ordinances relative to the holding of an

[1:49:00] alcohol beverage license at the premises

[1:49:02] of La Debs La Debs LLC establishment to

[1:49:07] be operated at 2201 Moss Street in the

[1:49:09] city of Lafayette Louisiana

[1:49:14] motion by councilwoman a bear second by

[1:49:17] councilman nikan

[1:49:19] any Council discussion

[1:49:22] Ms Arsen only public comment no sir

[1:49:25] oh

[1:49:26] uh let me

[1:49:30] know I understand that this um

[1:49:39] all right this Lounge is basically

[1:49:42] directed across the street from an early

[1:49:45] school or Early Childhood school is that

[1:49:47] correct

[1:49:48] is Mayor still here

[1:49:51] but but there's no opposition

[1:49:54] okay all right

[1:49:56] that's correct and dollars operation

[1:49:59] don't conflict so no no no no actually

[1:50:03] I'm sorry but there's no opposition at

[1:50:05] all just an ownership change and there's

[1:50:08] no conflict of ours or anything that's

[1:50:10] one of the good things about it

[1:50:11] everything as I appreciate is saying in

[1:50:13] order it's literally just an ownership

[1:50:14] change which triggers a new permit

[1:50:16] that's correct thank you so much yes I'm

[1:50:19] done

[1:50:20] you still want a pet

[1:50:23] you want to cancel out

[1:50:26] okay uh we have a motion in a second

[1:50:32] uh any public comments yes Sirens call

[1:50:35] for the vote District Five

[1:50:37] yes District One

[1:50:40] District team yes District three

[1:50:42] District Four yes the motion to adopt is

[1:50:45] approved

[1:50:46] ordinances for final adoption this is a

[1:50:49] public hearing and speaker sheets are

[1:50:50] available for anyone wishing to address

[1:50:52] the council a three-minute rule will

[1:50:54] apply Cindy please read City Ordinance

[1:50:57] one 2023 in order to Lafayette city

[1:50:59] council authorizing the Lafayette City

[1:51:01] Parish Consolidated Government to sell

[1:51:03] 33 Glock 22 Gen 4 handguns with

[1:51:06] magazines and four o'clock 35 Gen 4

[1:51:08] handguns with magazines which are no

[1:51:10] longer needed for public purposes to

[1:51:12] practical Tactical clothing and gear

[1:51:14] Incorporated LLC for a total bid price

[1:51:17] of nine thousand ninety nine dollars as

[1:51:19] for the attach the list guns

[1:51:23] promotion by councilwoman Cooks second

[1:51:25] by councilman I can any Council

[1:51:27] discussion

[1:51:29] any public comments no sir call for the

[1:51:32] vote District One

[1:51:33] yes District Two yes District three yes

[1:51:36] District Four yes five

[1:51:39] yes the motion to adopt is approved city

[1:51:42] ordinance 3 2023

[1:51:45] in order to the Lafayette city council

[1:51:47] and meaning the Lafayette development

[1:51:48] code so as to reclassify their property

[1:51:50] of case number01

[1:51:53] 2022.0037 811 Benoit falgoo Drive

[1:51:56] rezoning located generally north of

[1:51:59] Martin Luther King Jr Drive West of

[1:52:01] North San Antoine Street and south of

[1:52:03] Interstate 10 being rezoned from

[1:52:06] residential mix to mixed-use

[1:52:07] Neighborhood

[1:52:10] motion my councilwoman a bear second by

[1:52:13] councilman Lewis

[1:52:14] uh Council discussion councilman lures

[1:52:17] you up yes this is the uh item right

[1:52:20] there that um I want to make Amendment

[1:52:24] okay from makes neighborhood to CMM

[1:52:27] commercial mix uh the gentleman that

[1:52:30] he's here now he has a few the residents

[1:52:32] live around that at all

[1:52:34] supporting his uh rezoning I mean you

[1:52:37] know for the amendment uh right there we

[1:52:40] talked you just mentioning where it is

[1:52:41] it's on San Antonio

[1:52:43] it's a major road in fact North San

[1:52:46] Antoine will be passing right on the sun

[1:52:47] right on the side of there it'll be a

[1:52:50] good investment for him he's interested

[1:52:51] in putting a restaurant there a short

[1:52:53] order areas laundromat would have you

[1:52:55] and the way it is right now with the

[1:52:57] Zone they have he cannot do that so I'm

[1:52:59] asking the you got to support my

[1:53:01] constituent you have people there how

[1:53:03] many is here now to uh and support what

[1:53:05] you want to do so all these people live

[1:53:07] in that neighborhood is would like to

[1:53:08] support so

[1:53:10] unless y'all would like to speak to him

[1:53:11] I would ask your God to support this

[1:53:13] reason uh this rezone

[1:53:19] okay did we get a motion on the

[1:53:21] amendment or I think we got emotional

[1:53:23] got a motion in a second

[1:53:32] we're erroneously put on your chair

[1:53:35] agenda just to be clear and further

[1:53:37] official record in the viewing audience

[1:53:39] is to change the zoning designation from

[1:53:41] m in mixed-use neighborhood to

[1:53:44] commercial mixed so it's it's from

[1:53:48] mixed-use neighborhood

[1:53:50] okay but that was an error on the

[1:53:52] staff's part okay thank you at this

[1:53:55] point I'll entertain a motion on the

[1:53:58] amendment am I correct

[1:54:03] second by councilwoman cook

[1:54:07] any discounts or discussion on the

[1:54:09] amendment

[1:54:12] Miss arson I need public comments on the

[1:54:14] amendment

[1:54:15] we do have people sign in speaker signed

[1:54:18] in to speak and I'm not sure you'll get

[1:54:21] an opportunity to speak on the ordinance

[1:54:23] in a few minutes but the question the

[1:54:26] chair is asking are there any public

[1:54:28] comments with reference to the amendment

[1:54:30] changing it from mixed-use neighborhood

[1:54:33] to commercial uh

[1:54:35] commercial mixed to commercial mix if

[1:54:38] you would like to speak to the amendment

[1:54:40] only that Amendment you may speak to

[1:54:44] that Amendment you could come forward

[1:54:46] I'm gonna give you an opportunity though

[1:54:48] if you signed in in a few minutes to

[1:54:49] speak to the actual ordinance in its

[1:54:51] entirety

[1:54:53] no speakers Mr chair no speakers okay

[1:54:55] call uh call for the vote uh to amend

[1:54:59] District Two yes District three

[1:55:02] District Court yes District Five

[1:55:06] yes district one yes the motion

[1:55:09] tournament is approved

[1:55:16] so at this point uh I don't understand a

[1:55:19] motion on the Ordnance as amended

[1:55:22] um is that you will get you could start

[1:55:25] comments from the Council on the

[1:55:27] ordinance as amended and then you would

[1:55:29] get public comment on the ordinance as

[1:55:30] amended okay

[1:55:32] Council discussion

[1:55:34] only ordinance as amended

[1:55:36] any public comments yes sir we do have

[1:55:39] speakers signed in as amended yes sir we

[1:55:42] do have two speakers who did not wish to

[1:55:45] speak in support of the ordinance we do

[1:55:48] have uh three speakers signed in to

[1:55:50] speak tonight the first of which is

[1:55:52] Claude Alexander III

[1:55:55] you could come forward sir and he will

[1:55:57] be followed by Anthony reddix

[1:56:03] good evening board members my name is

[1:56:07] Claude Alexander III

[1:56:09] alone my wife Yvonne Alexander we've

[1:56:12] been married for over 20 years and we've

[1:56:15] been staying at the residence of 241

[1:56:17] townhome Loop for over 15 years

[1:56:20] I would like to thank y'all council

[1:56:23] members once again

[1:56:24] for allowing me to speak about my

[1:56:27] concern about my property at 811 been

[1:56:29] where I fell got ruled that I purchased

[1:56:31] last year

[1:56:33] and resorting it to become a business

[1:56:36] area

[1:56:38] I intend to have a small business such

[1:56:41] as a store

[1:56:43] Washateria shot all the restaurant

[1:56:45] selling food and also planning on having

[1:56:49] a summer program for the kids

[1:56:52] but in order for me to do that

[1:56:54] I come to my board members for help

[1:56:58] and asking y'all to change it from in

[1:57:01] one to cm1

[1:57:04] by starting a business

[1:57:07] here

[1:57:08] will also show younger entrepreneurs

[1:57:12] that dig can be successful legally

[1:57:15] I would serve as an example of a

[1:57:18] law-abody citizen

[1:57:20] by doing good things in my neighborhood

[1:57:24] and Community the right way

[1:57:28] this will show my children and others

[1:57:32] that our community and perishing wants

[1:57:36] everybody

[1:57:37] to have an equal chance to succeed

[1:57:40] regardless of your race

[1:57:43] in religion

[1:57:45] and I want to thank y'all once again for

[1:57:47] your time

[1:57:49] and wishing that y'all can hear me out

[1:57:52] to try to make a change and to start

[1:57:55] something new thank you sir

[1:58:02] next speakers Anthony redicks followed

[1:58:05] by tonito B Cole the final speaker

[1:58:17] good evening Council thank you and

[1:58:20] uh audience I like to say I'm in support

[1:58:24] of uh just rezoning it could be better

[1:58:27] for the neighborhood as well as for all

[1:58:30] those who are coming by to see that

[1:58:32] because the passing Road and I believe

[1:58:34] that it will help the residents because

[1:58:36] I've been here for about two and a half

[1:58:38] years now and uh my family members have

[1:58:41] been in that house for quite some time

[1:58:43] and we believe that it will help the

[1:58:45] neighborhood you know raise up you know

[1:58:47] from where it's always been it's time to

[1:58:49] try to improve things and I believe this

[1:58:51] gentleman here can do that with what

[1:58:53] he's trying to do I want to thank you

[1:58:55] all for giving him the opportunity to

[1:58:57] try to revitalize this neighborhood

[1:58:58] because this neighborhood sometimes can

[1:59:00] be a little touchy but I believe it's

[1:59:02] going in the right direction so I want

[1:59:04] to thank you all Council and uh those

[1:59:07] who are in support of this uh rezoning

[1:59:09] thank you have a pleasant day

[1:59:15] a tornado be cold

[1:59:17] and if I pronounce your first name

[1:59:19] incorrectly I apologize

[1:59:22] and as he comes up I I just found a

[1:59:25] whole stack of course there there were

[1:59:27] nine citizens who did not wish to speak

[1:59:29] who's in attendance who signed in and

[1:59:31] supported the ordinance

[1:59:33] good evening Council my name is tanito

[1:59:35] Arco Raphael and I also like to thank

[1:59:38] you and thank the community for

[1:59:40] supporting Mr Alexander I myself also

[1:59:43] think it's a great idea that he has came

[1:59:45] up with to do this and like the

[1:59:47] gentleman said earlier and the mayor

[1:59:50] said earlier it'll show the younger

[1:59:52] generation of children and newer

[1:59:55] entrepreneurs that we may develop that's

[1:59:57] going to look at him and see there is

[1:59:59] opportunity there because a lot of

[2:00:01] people pass through and pass by and they

[2:00:04] never see opportunity they only look up

[2:00:06] to the opportunity that is illegally

[2:00:08] gained he's doing it on a legal system

[2:00:11] and it's so wonderful to see that you

[2:00:14] all are giving him that chance because a

[2:00:17] lot of times we are denied and we are

[2:00:20] happy to see that that change is here

[2:00:22] and being that it is Black History Month

[2:00:25] this young man has come and stepped up

[2:00:28] and we really appreciate that

[2:00:30] opportunity that you have given them and

[2:00:32] he and his wife have been there and they

[2:00:35] are such a great support to the

[2:00:37] community and I just feel myself since

[2:00:40] I've known him I've been here since 1993

[2:00:42] I'm from Oakdale Louisiana so I'm an

[2:00:44] implant but I love the community I fell

[2:00:46] in love with Lafayette fell in love with

[2:00:48] my wife here with the USL here then they

[2:00:51] changed it to UL yeah so it's just

[2:00:54] wonderful being in this community and it

[2:00:57] also feels great to see everyone here in

[2:01:00] support of him and I just would like to

[2:01:02] continue to have people come up and come

[2:01:06] up with new ideas and keep our community

[2:01:09] thriving and that's the whole point of

[2:01:11] this neighborly love Community love

[2:01:14] Lafayette love so thank you again for

[2:01:16] his opportunity and have a wonderful

[2:01:18] night thanks for the letting this be

[2:01:19] thank you

[2:01:21] [Applause]

[2:01:24] no other speakers Mr chair yeah

[2:01:28] oh no thank you Mr chair uh I just want

[2:01:31] to say I know everybody up here I'm sure

[2:01:34] supports it but I want to thank Mr

[2:01:37] Claude

[2:01:38] for bringing this forward and doing

[2:01:40] something in this neighborhood

[2:01:43] his residence backs up to this property

[2:01:46] and the change he's already made and

[2:01:49] hasn't even broke ground yet is

[2:01:51] tremendous he has done so much just to

[2:01:53] clean up the property that's there if

[2:01:55] you look next door to where it was it's

[2:01:57] a mess it's it's a trash collection but

[2:02:01] where his property is what he has done

[2:02:03] to clean that up it's like night and day

[2:02:05] it literally look at what he's done

[2:02:07] versus right next door of the lot it's

[2:02:09] just like night and day so Claude I want

[2:02:11] to thank you for taking the chance and

[2:02:13] moving forward with this and showing

[2:02:16] people there's opportunity out there I

[2:02:18] used to work with Carter I had to

[2:02:20] confess and I've been knowing him for

[2:02:21] quite a few years and he's always been a

[2:02:23] man of integrity and uh and I know this

[2:02:26] will be a successful business down the

[2:02:28] road and thank you for bringing that to

[2:02:30] our community and to your neighborhood

[2:02:32] quote take care and I wish you luck with

[2:02:34] him thank you

[2:02:40] I just like to add that when when this

[2:02:43] road was originally built there have

[2:02:46] been talk for years about building

[2:02:48] Service Roads along the interstate uh in

[2:02:51] Lafayette and opening up these

[2:02:54] undeveloped tracks of land for

[2:02:56] development and and and this road

[2:02:58] basically serves as the service road for

[2:03:03] I-10

[2:03:04] that's that that's why it was built in

[2:03:08] the first place

[2:03:09] so Claude I certainly uh want to thank

[2:03:12] you for for and I know you live there so we know it's going to be a wonderful

[2:03:17] project because you're not going to

[2:03:18] build something that's going to have a

[2:03:20] detrimental effect on your personal

[2:03:21] property

[2:03:23] and it's going to have a negative impact

[2:03:24] on your family in your neighborhood so I

[2:03:26] certainly want to Echo uh the

[2:03:29] compliments and and thank you and wish

[2:03:31] you the best and success moving forward

[2:03:34] all right that being said we'll call for

[2:03:36] a vote from the Council on the to adopt

[2:03:39] the ordinance as amended District three

[2:03:42] yes

[2:03:46] the fun District Two yes the motion to

[2:03:49] adopt as amended is approved

[2:03:52] the ordinance

[2:03:54] [Applause]

[2:04:01] city ordinance for 2023 in Orange of the

[2:04:03] Lafayette city council and meaning to

[2:04:05] Lafayette development code so I asked to

[2:04:06] reclassify the property of case number

[2:04:08] zero in

[2:04:10] 2022.0047 224 North College Road

[2:04:13] rezoning located generally north of Mill

[2:04:16] Boulevard East of North College Road and

[2:04:19] south of West Clement Street being

[2:04:21] resumed from residential single family

[2:04:22] to mcsuse Neighborhood

[2:04:25] most of my councilwoman ain't there

[2:04:26] second by councilman Lewis any Council

[2:04:28] discussion

[2:04:30] any public comments no sir call for the

[2:04:32] vote District three you

[2:04:34] yes

[2:04:36] district one yeah District Two yes the

[2:04:39] motion to adopt is approved City

[2:04:41] Ordnance 5 2023 in order to Lafayette

[2:04:44] city council amending the Lafayette

[2:04:46] development code so as a reclassified

[2:04:48] case number 01

[2:04:50] 2022-0048 569 North Pierce Street and

[2:04:53] 125 Gulf Street administrative rezoning

[2:04:56] located generally north of Madeline

[2:04:58] Avenue West of North Pier Street and

[2:05:01] South of West Gilman Road mean resume

[2:05:04] from industrial Light to residential

[2:05:06] single family

[2:05:07] uh moved by councilman I can't second by

[2:05:11] councilwoman cook any Council discussion

[2:05:13] any public comments yes sir call for the

[2:05:16] vote District Four yes District Five yes

[2:05:18] district one yes District Two yes

[2:05:21] District three yes

[2:05:23] the motion turned off is approved City

[2:05:25] oriented 6 2023 in order to the

[2:05:28] Lafayette city council authorizing the

[2:05:29] Lafayette mayor president to enter into

[2:05:31] a Cooperative Endeavor agreement between

[2:05:33] the city of Lafayette American Legion

[2:05:36] Post Number 241 and its auxiliary

[2:05:39] members buy and through the Louisiana

[2:05:41] Department of the American Legion and

[2:05:44] Amvets Louisiana 2007 relative to the

[2:05:47] operation of a Lafayette Veterans Center

[2:05:51] moved by councilwoman a bear second by

[2:05:54] councilman knocking

[2:05:57] there's a proposed amendment to correct

[2:05:59] the municipal address for the Lafayette

[2:06:01] Veterans Center from 5 25 to 527

[2:06:05] Evangeline drive as well as a requests

[2:06:09] to defer

[2:06:13] at this point I'll entertain a motion

[2:06:17] and a second to amend

[2:06:19] and we'll have a brief conversation on the uh proposed deferral

[2:06:36] most of my accounts a woman a bear

[2:06:39] second by councilwoman cook

[2:06:43] any Council discussion on the amendment

[2:06:46] say bear Europe

[2:06:49] we can go to the vote go to vote sorry

[2:06:50] go oh yeah go to the vote yeah okay

[2:06:59] yes we did have one speaker signed in

[2:07:03] um so we want to see if uh Rudy if you

[2:07:06] would like to speak to that Amendment

[2:07:07] which only corrects the address from 525

[2:07:10] to 527 but you will get the opportunity

[2:07:13] yeah

[2:07:15] okay okay

[2:07:18] so no speakers Mr chair

[2:07:22] man

[2:07:23] okay

[2:07:25] so we call for a vote on the amendment

[2:07:28] yes sir

[2:07:29] pick five

[2:07:31] yes district one yes District Two yeah

[2:07:34] District three yes yes District Four yes the motion sermon the address from

[2:07:39] 525 to 527 Evangeline Drive is approved

[2:07:46] be where I go through

[2:07:51] okay we are back to the ordinance as

[2:07:54] amended ordinance as amended Council

[2:07:56] discussion Council discussion

[2:08:00] you

[2:08:01] uh mayor president peaches at a bunch

[2:08:05] okay

[2:08:11] thank you Mr chair I just want to say we

[2:08:15] have several gentlemen in the audience

[2:08:16] that worked very hard on this uh even

[2:08:18] before this Administration this Council

[2:08:20] so I just want to tell these gentlemen

[2:08:22] thank you for all your efforts thank you

[2:08:24] for what you do I know the intent behind

[2:08:26] the Lafayette Veterans building

[2:08:28] essentially is what it would um would be

[2:08:30] referred to as is to impart Bridge a gap

[2:08:34] you know as a veteran I can tell you and

[2:08:35] especially someone that's gone overseas

[2:08:37] we appreciate the VA appreciate the VA

[2:08:39] system but there there is a gap and if

[2:08:42] it wasn't for local leaders such as this

[2:08:45] particular post and the other American

[2:08:46] Legion posts and the other veteran

[2:08:48] associations a lot of our veterans

[2:08:50] community would be lacking needs and

[2:08:52] sometimes it's it's as easy as just

[2:08:54] walking a veteran through the process

[2:08:56] other times it's it's going to advocate

[2:08:58] for them so we have we're very fortunate

[2:09:01] to have a vacant building in our city

[2:09:03] the city owns it it's just sitting there

[2:09:05] so very thankful for this particular

[2:09:07] organization to step up and and and take

[2:09:09] the lead and carry the Battle Flag for

[2:09:11] us

[2:09:12] um I can understand the council would

[2:09:14] have questions uh our Deputy Chief of

[2:09:16] Staff Jamie on Joe is in the audience uh

[2:09:18] he's actually taken point from the

[2:09:20] administration's standpoint I know he's

[2:09:22] spoken to several council members so I

[2:09:24] would I would ask that we not delay uh

[2:09:26] this is a very vital service to our

[2:09:28] community especially our veterans

[2:09:29] community and um Jamie possibly could

[2:09:31] answer any questions that the council

[2:09:33] may have of course I always respect your will if you do decide to defer we

[2:09:37] will do our best to answer questions in

[2:09:38] that time period and I thank you for

[2:09:40] your consideration

[2:09:42] thank you

[2:09:45] no I mean that I obviously support this

[2:09:48] project Rudy reached out and whenever we

[2:09:50] first got into office on this term and

[2:09:52] he's informed me he's worked with a

[2:09:54] couple of administrations trying to get

[2:09:55] this off the ground so thank you for

[2:09:57] that Rudy for all your work in the

[2:09:58] administration for taking and running it

[2:10:00] within Jamie I know you worked

[2:10:02] tirelessly on this

[2:10:04] um I did have a couple of uh veterans

[2:10:06] groups reach out to me wishing that they

[2:10:09] could have brought in been brought in or

[2:10:10] on the early days of the conversation

[2:10:12] but once we sort of explained uh the

[2:10:15] intent and what this is meant to be for

[2:10:17] they were completely on board they just

[2:10:19] asked moving forward let's bring every

[2:10:21] all the different groups of the table

[2:10:22] which I I will get with I'll share their

[2:10:25] numbers with you Rudy and with Jamie to

[2:10:27] make sure that they're involved and then

[2:10:29] we're also having discussions about the

[2:10:31] Veterans Day Parade that we had never

[2:10:34] realized we didn't have an official

[2:10:35] Veterans Day Parade in Lafayette so

[2:10:37] we're working on that this year as well

[2:10:38] so I look forward to a lot of

[2:10:40] collaborations between all the groups

[2:10:42] and I asked everyone to support this

[2:10:46] thank you and thank you again to the

[2:10:47] administration

[2:10:51] anyone else

[2:10:52] okay so when when I well first of all uh

[2:10:57] I am certainly in support of any

[2:11:00] services that are provided to Veterans

[2:11:02] being one myself okay so let's get that

[2:11:06] out front Okay and uh when I originally

[2:11:10] uh made the request to defer

[2:11:14] it was actually at the request of some

[2:11:18] of the other veterans group that

[2:11:20] councilwoman a bear uh references uh

[2:11:26] because a they had no knowledge of it

[2:11:29] and and B didn't have a voice

[2:11:32] in the conversation and the services

[2:11:34] that that would be offered at this

[2:11:38] facility so had nothing to do with being

[2:11:41] opposed to you all gentlemen or to or to

[2:11:46] this facility

[2:11:48] I'm a strong advocate for services for

[2:11:51] veterans and in fact I'm a part of

[2:11:55] the organization

[2:11:57] uh volunteer veterans serving others

[2:12:01] that's proposing to do

[2:12:04] the uh the upcoming parade

[2:12:07] and have a meeting scheduled with the

[2:12:09] mayor president on tomorrow I understand

[2:12:11] at one o'clock tomorrow

[2:12:13] so let's get that straight up front

[2:12:17] um

[2:12:19] so that that was the that that was the

[2:12:23] reason

[2:12:25] for my requests

[2:12:27] for the deferral so I was you know

[2:12:30] acting on behalf of

[2:12:32] actually some other veterans groups so I

[2:12:35] do have a couple of questions though

[2:12:38] uh but but I'll defer to

[2:12:42] no go ahead no you go

[2:12:47] okay uh

[2:12:52] Rudy I don't mean to put you on the spot

[2:12:53] but can you come up please

[2:12:55] okay

[2:13:03] either one they're both hot

[2:13:09] if if if you need both uh can you please

[2:13:12] introduce yourself and yes sir which

[2:13:14] wouldn't happen too

[2:13:16] um Rudolph Anthony Rudy Borg senior uh

[2:13:19] sir 21 and a half years in the Army I

[2:13:21] was put out the service due to an

[2:13:22] accident that compounded injuries

[2:13:24] received in Vietnam on my second tour

[2:13:26] and uh after coming home I found out

[2:13:29] that

[2:13:30] I was shortchanged thirty percent of my

[2:13:33] service connected disability for about

[2:13:34] three and a half years

[2:13:36] and thanks to an elderly gentleman who

[2:13:38] was same thing happened to him many

[2:13:41] years before

[2:13:42] he found out about it and he helped me

[2:13:45] and after that we started working

[2:13:46] helping other veterans who were

[2:13:48] shortchanged on their benefits and since

[2:13:50] then I know I've been doing that since

[2:13:51] 1983.

[2:13:54] okay I retired from uh local government

[2:13:56] actually City Parish government with 18

[2:14:00] years in Paris and City Paris government

[2:14:02] in 2002 and uh I helped for me actually

[2:14:07] I wrote a grant for Saint Michael's

[2:14:10] homeless veteran shelter where the St

[2:14:12] John men's shelter is sure and we have a

[2:14:15] 12 bed facility there and getting ready

[2:14:17] to add to it yes sir and we had a 24 bed

[2:14:21] approval then right but the diocese did

[2:14:24] not want that much responsibility at the

[2:14:26] time

[2:14:27] so I thought that if they didn't want to

[2:14:30] care for enough of the homeless vets I

[2:14:32] go elsewhere and try to help veterans

[2:14:33] and that's what I did

[2:14:35] so I'm here and about 10 to 12 years ago

[2:14:40] I got with Mr Joey Darrell their

[2:14:43] president then and he in his second term

[2:14:46] he said Rudy you're right we need a

[2:14:48] veteran facility where we can help

[2:14:50] veterans file for their claims not not

[2:14:52] to take over from the Louisiana

[2:14:53] Department of Veterans Affairs

[2:14:55] but to help them formulate get the

[2:14:58] information they they needed to be able

[2:15:01] to process their claim and get their

[2:15:03] compensation that's that's rightfully

[2:15:04] theirs

[2:15:06] because having served for 14 years on

[2:15:09] the Louisiana Department of Veterans

[2:15:10] Affairs and six of those years as

[2:15:12] chairman for the state I found out that

[2:15:15] our vax in all the 64 parishes they do a

[2:15:18] good job

[2:15:20] but they don't take the patience to work

[2:15:23] with that veteran that serves some 10 20

[2:15:26] 30 years earlier

[2:15:28] where I do I'm 80 years old and I'm

[2:15:31] still going strong

[2:15:32] okay and so

[2:15:35] having worked on this for the last 10 or

[2:15:37] 12 years having worked on this for three

[2:15:39] administrations uh I'm here to answer

[2:15:41] any questions you may have

[2:15:43] we formed on the

[2:15:45] 12 years ago we formed a veterans

[2:15:48] advisory committee to Merit Darrell

[2:15:52] and that that included all six veteran

[2:15:56] organizations that does not have a

[2:15:58] building or a home to meet at

[2:16:00] and we started looking

[2:16:02] two years later when uh someone and

[2:16:05] administration wrote a letter to the VA

[2:16:07] Hospital sentiment said they could not

[2:16:09] get any additional space at the War

[2:16:13] Memorial building which I was involved

[2:16:15] in that as well

[2:16:17] we asked mayor Darrell if we could have

[2:16:20] the the VA side of it just that VA

[2:16:22] portion to do a veteran Center and a

[2:16:25] homeless and not a homeless but a

[2:16:28] veteran service center and a veteran

[2:16:30] meeting place at the same time for these

[2:16:32] five six organizations that did not own

[2:16:34] a home

[2:16:35] and we've been looking ever since okay

[2:16:38] and you know I'll gladly tell you the

[2:16:41] all the organization that was part of

[2:16:43] this committee and advisory to Mayor

[2:16:45] Darrell's committee and D Stanley who

[2:16:47] was the CAO at the time

[2:16:49] uh but when we came down to this

[2:16:52] situation here when I spoke to the mayor

[2:16:55] president uh Josh

[2:16:58] he asked with veteran organizations

[2:17:00] you're looking at that would have you

[2:17:01] know meeting place what are you going to

[2:17:03] do as far as helping veterans get how

[2:17:05] many hours a week you're going to do to

[2:17:07] help veterans get their service

[2:17:08] connection disability and their comp I

[2:17:11] told him as much as necessary if it's

[2:17:13] five days a week we would help them five

[2:17:15] days a week

[2:17:16] there's three of us that have been

[2:17:17] processing claims anywhere from 10 to 32

[2:17:21] years

[2:17:22] and we will be there to help these

[2:17:24] veterans get their claims done as much

[2:17:25] as possible we will not lie for them

[2:17:28] we'll write the service that they did

[2:17:30] accordingly to their records

[2:17:34] and and I just feel that every veteran

[2:17:37] organization was asked if they wanted to

[2:17:38] participate

[2:17:39] the six veteran organizations were

[2:17:42] personally told by me they're commanders

[2:17:44] or or their secretary adjective as we

[2:17:46] call them and I said look we're going to

[2:17:48] have to have an insurance policy on this

[2:17:50] building

[2:17:51] first and foremost and probably other

[2:17:53] expenses it will be shared by every

[2:17:56] organization that's going to participate

[2:17:58] in that building

[2:18:00] two of the organizations rejected

[2:18:03] they said well why it's a city building

[2:18:05] well you know what we need to take care

[2:18:07] of our own as well okay and we get no

[2:18:09] compensation not one penny for what we

[2:18:12] do to help veterans

[2:18:14] and I'm proud to say that a veteran

[2:18:18] thanks the week of Thanksgiving in

[2:18:20] November

[2:18:21] received the check in Baton Rouge for

[2:18:23] 286 thousand dollars

[2:18:26] 14 years I've been helping that man

[2:18:30] and yes he did buy me a breakfast and a

[2:18:32] cup of coffee

[2:18:35] so I I would I would hope Mr chair that

[2:18:38] you and the council see fit not to defer

[2:18:41] because every every veteran organization

[2:18:44] knew what we were doing

[2:18:46] they decided yes or no if they wanted to

[2:18:48] participate with that you know their

[2:18:51] fair share of the responsibilities of

[2:18:53] cleaning the painting The paying of the

[2:18:55] bills that we needed to do

[2:18:59] so certainly uh certainly I'm very

[2:19:01] familiar with you

[2:19:03] and all the work that you have done uh

[2:19:06] in our community and in this area and I

[2:19:09] want to applaud you and everyone else

[2:19:11] affiliated with that so I want to thank

[2:19:14] you for that and applaud you for your

[2:19:16] services uh in that regard what are some

[2:19:20] of the services that will be provided at

[2:19:22] the uh at the center the main service

[2:19:24] center is going to be that when a

[2:19:25] veteran thinks that he has a disability

[2:19:27] compensation coming to him that he will

[2:19:29] come over there and talk to us matter of

[2:19:31] fact I met with a gentleman this morning

[2:19:33] uh at a diner I do that most of the time

[2:19:36] at restaurants or in cafes or at my

[2:19:38] house

[2:19:39] and it's just that I'm not as needed as

[2:19:42] my wife used to be and she passed away a

[2:19:44] year and a half ago so my house is not

[2:19:46] that clean as it should be when my wife

[2:19:49] took care of that part for us okay

[2:19:51] so that would be three days a week for

[2:19:54] sure we would have it listed post it

[2:19:57] talked about on AOC talk about here and

[2:20:00] say look we'll take a claim we'll review

[2:20:03] a claim for appeal or reconsideration

[2:20:05] whatever have you

[2:20:07] we have the three of us have knowledge

[2:20:10] that we do these these hearings we have

[2:20:12] knowledge on what agent orange covers

[2:20:15] what you know the pact act as they call

[2:20:17] the burn pit act does now I'm proud to

[2:20:21] say I'm wearing a red hat tonight for

[2:20:23] the American Legion but I've also

[2:20:24] belonged to the

[2:20:26] Disabled American Veterans special force

[2:20:29] Association Veterans of Foreign Wars and

[2:20:32] Amvets as well so it's going to be a

[2:20:35] Consolidated effort in many of those

[2:20:36] organizations that have an organization

[2:20:38] here but no home but you're going to get

[2:20:41] at least 24 to 30 hours a week out of

[2:20:43] the three of us voluntarily

[2:20:46] what we're going to do is we're going to

[2:20:47] take whatever the veteran comes to us

[2:20:50] and tells us that he needs we're going

[2:20:52] to look at his father we'll tell him

[2:20:53] what he has to go get how he has to get

[2:20:55] it and in many cases we're going to go

[2:20:58] ahead and do it for him if we can

[2:21:01] but that takes you know we got to put

[2:21:03] internet into the building as well uh

[2:21:05] you know telephone system in there so we

[2:21:08] have a number to go by so they're not

[2:21:09] going to call me 24 7.

[2:21:12] a lot of people are doing that now

[2:21:15] okay councilwoman cookie we're up oh

[2:21:17] thank you I just Rudy I I want to say

[2:21:20] thank you I mean I know you I've known

[2:21:21] you for some time now I know your heart

[2:21:23] and you are doing this you know like you

[2:21:25] said no compensation but you're doing

[2:21:27] this just out of the kindness of your

[2:21:29] heart because you're so dedicated to to

[2:21:31] these these group of individuals and and

[2:21:33] I think the concern was that it wasn't

[2:21:35] we weren't it wasn't inclusive of

[2:21:37] everyone but you have you have cleared

[2:21:40] that up I mean basically you have

[2:21:41] included all the veterans in the

[2:21:43] community oh six veterans and they have

[2:21:44] an opportunity to use the use the

[2:21:46] facility if they need to use the

[2:21:47] facility

[2:21:48] um and hopefully we'll contribute buy-in

[2:21:51] and contribute as well that's I know

[2:21:53] that's what you're looking for as well

[2:21:54] but well we did our fair share I got you

[2:21:56] in the military we covered each other's

[2:21:59] back

[2:22:00] but we also got paid by Uncle Sam right

[2:22:02] okay right here and we have to reach in

[2:22:04] our pocket

[2:22:06] and I think it's only fair and

[2:22:07] appropriate that every veteran

[2:22:09] organization pay the Spain same fair

[2:22:11] share amount

[2:22:13] you know I I guess it's not it's not

[2:22:15] rude it's building it's not Rudy's

[2:22:16] organization please understand that

[2:22:18] I've known Pat for 40 years okay uh how

[2:22:22] to think will tell him tell you the same

[2:22:24] thing I believe that we need to be

[2:22:27] equal and equally be fair to all

[2:22:30] veterans I think it's I think it's a

[2:22:33] good project and I think it's a good I

[2:22:34] like the idea that you will now have a

[2:22:36] space that you have a place to do what

[2:22:38] you've been doing for the last 30 years

[2:22:39] here and there you have a place to do it

[2:22:41] now so yeah I would ask I would I am in

[2:22:44] support of this I just uh thank you I

[2:22:46] want to thank you for doing it

[2:22:48] thank you councilman Lewis

[2:22:50] hello there Rudy how you been man it's

[2:22:52] been Obama been kicking not too high not

[2:22:55] too hard yeah so I want to feel a while

[2:22:57] so I just want to make sure I'm clear

[2:22:58] you see it reach out to all six six

[2:23:01] veteran organizations that do not have a

[2:23:03] home now even those veteran

[2:23:05] organizations that have a home those

[2:23:07] veterans and those posts as we call them

[2:23:10] were chapters they can come talk to us

[2:23:12] about their disability it's not a

[2:23:14] veteran function it's an individual

[2:23:16] function and that is the three days a

[2:23:19] week we do individual veterans who need

[2:23:21] assistance in a claim

[2:23:24] thank you that's it

[2:23:27] anything else any other Council

[2:23:29] discussion

[2:23:32] Mr chair before y'all make me sit down

[2:23:35] and shut up I want to say thank y'all

[2:23:37] because you know no it's just true uh

[2:23:40] you know but I I do have to have give

[2:23:42] kudos because having worked for a parish

[2:23:45] president for quite a few years and I

[2:23:48] couldn't I did not feel it would be

[2:23:49] appropriate to ask for a building then

[2:23:51] and although I was doing the same thing

[2:23:53] I'm doing now then but not as often uh

[2:23:56] working for the you for the

[2:23:59] administration I could not ask for a

[2:24:00] place so when I retired I asked Joey

[2:24:03] Darrell he was the next male President

[2:24:06] we had after I retired and have been

[2:24:08] doing it ever since but the thing is

[2:24:11] the last three Administrations

[2:24:14] the only one that stood up and said

[2:24:16] let's find you a building

[2:24:20] and he is a fellow veteran maybe he

[2:24:22] understood it better but you know what

[2:24:24] Walter Cuomo was a master guardsman uh

[2:24:28] Douglas straps was an Air Force member

[2:24:31] okay so we had mayor presidents and

[2:24:34] mayors that were veterans but we never

[2:24:36] got the help we needed okay

[2:24:38] this gentleman over here I don't know if

[2:24:41] he's a good mayor president you're going

[2:24:42] to have to tell me that okay but I'm

[2:24:44] going to tell you in my eyes he's the

[2:24:46] best that I've seen in the last 20 years

[2:24:49] and and that says a lot to him so thank

[2:24:51] you Mr Mayor president we're going to

[2:24:54] have that conversation on the side okay

[2:24:57] thank you Mr chair I'll go sit down and

[2:25:02] I do thank y'all for allowing me to

[2:25:03] speak and tell you what we're doing and

[2:25:05] that used to be my girlfriend when I

[2:25:08] worked like this

[2:25:12] thank you

[2:25:16] sit down I'd like to ask for every

[2:25:19] veteran in this audience would you

[2:25:21] please stand up

[2:25:23] every bedroom would you please stand

[2:25:26] [Applause]

[2:25:34] no we we're good okay thank you sir

[2:25:36] thank you Ms Williams at this point do

[2:25:39] we entertain public comments uh we did

[2:25:41] have one speaker but he said he was

[2:25:42] going sit down Rudy board

[2:25:45] we did have five minutes

[2:25:48] we did have five citizens who did not

[2:25:51] wish to speak sign in in support of the

[2:25:53] ordinance uh Rudy actually we gave you

[2:25:56] 15 so you know

[2:26:00] yeah

[2:26:01] okay uh look like I said I had some some

[2:26:07] concerns uh

[2:26:09] and you know I mean it was never my

[2:26:12] intent to

[2:26:14] hold up this project uh by any means

[2:26:18] um

[2:26:20] but at this point I will I you know my

[2:26:24] questions have been answered and uh

[2:26:27] I do have some more but I can follow up later with with you and

[2:26:32] the crew it's not a problem so at this

[2:26:34] point I will withdraw my motion to defer

[2:26:38] and we are back on the ordinance as

[2:26:40] amended back on the ordinance as amended

[2:26:43] any Council discussion

[2:26:46] any public no sir we do public comments

[2:26:49] on the audience as amended okay so we'll

[2:26:51] call for a vote on the ordinance as

[2:26:53] amended district one yes District Two

[2:26:56] yes District three yes District Four yes

[2:26:59] to five yes the merchant showed up as

[2:27:02] amended is approved city ordinance 7

[2:27:05] 2023 in honors of the Lafayette city

[2:27:07] council I mean in the fiscal year 22-23

[2:27:09] operating budget and Manning tables at

[2:27:12] the Lafayette City Parish Consolidated

[2:27:13] Government by increasing revenues in the

[2:27:16] amount of 625 thousand dollars received

[2:27:19] from the United States Department of

[2:27:20] Justice for the 2022 cops hiring program

[2:27:23] to hire five new police officers and

[2:27:26] authorizing the transfer of matching

[2:27:28] funds in the amount of 360 386

[2:27:32] 091.50 from City general fund 101 and a

[2:27:36] preparation within the Lafayette Police

[2:27:37] Department

[2:27:39] most of my accounts a woman a bear

[2:27:41] second by councilman Lewis

[2:27:43] any Council discussion

[2:27:46] any public comments yes sir

[2:27:49] call for vote to adopt the ordinance

[2:27:51] District 2 yes this District three yes

[2:27:54] the four yes District Five

[2:27:57] yes district one yes the motion turned

[2:28:00] off is approved city ordinance 9 2023 in

[2:28:04] order to the Lafayette city councilman

[2:28:06] in the fiscal year 2223 operating budget

[2:28:08] and adjusting demanding tables of the

[2:28:10] Lafayette City Parish Consolidated

[2:28:12] Government by using prior year fund

[2:28:14] balance in the amount of 11 517 for

[2:28:18] salary adjustments within the utilities

[2:28:20] department

[2:28:24] moved by councilwoman Cooks second by

[2:28:26] councilwoman a bear any Council

[2:28:28] discussion any public comments no sir

[2:28:31] call for the vote District three yes

[2:28:33] District Four yes District Five yes

[2:28:35] district one District Two yes the motion

[2:28:38] to adopt is approved city ordinance 10

[2:28:41] 2023 in ordinance of the Lafayette city

[2:28:43] council I mean in the fiscal year 22-23

[2:28:46] capital budget of the Lafayette City

[2:28:48] Parish Consolidated Government by

[2:28:50] increasing the use of retained earnings

[2:28:52] Reserve in the amount of seven hundred

[2:28:54] thousand dollars and the use of bonds in

[2:28:57] the amount of seven million nine hundred

[2:28:59] thousand dollars and appropriating

[2:29:00] within the utilities department

[2:29:03] moved by councilman I can second by

[2:29:05] councilwoman cook

[2:29:07] any Council discussion

[2:29:09] any public comments no sir call for the

[2:29:12] vote District Four yes District Five

[2:29:15] yes District One

[2:29:19] uh just move on yes yes District three

[2:29:24] yes the motion to adopt is approved uh

[2:29:28] this is a public hearing and speaker

[2:29:29] forms are available for anyone wishing

[2:29:31] to address the council the three-minute

[2:29:33] rule will apply Cindy please read draw

[2:29:35] Ordinance one 2023 ornaments of the

[2:29:37] Lafayette City Council in the Lafayette

[2:29:39] Parish Council amending the Lafayette

[2:29:41] City Parish Consolidated Government code

[2:29:43] of ordinances chapter 6 article 3

[2:29:45] restriction on retailers and Retail

[2:29:48] establishments specifically division two

[2:29:51] days and hours of sale to add accept

[2:29:53] Section C to section 6-94

[2:29:57] motion by councilwoman a bear second by

[2:30:00] councilman Lewis any Council discussion

[2:30:03] Resorts and only public comments yes sir

[2:30:06] call for the vote District Five yes

[2:30:09] district one yes District

[2:30:14] the motion to adopt is approved draw

[2:30:17] ordinance 2 2023 HR ordinance of the

[2:30:19] Lafayette City Council on the Lafayette

[2:30:20] Parish Council amending the fiscal year

[2:30:23] 2223 operating budget of the Lafayette

[2:30:25] City Parish Consolidated Government by

[2:30:28] adjusting the Manning tables and

[2:30:29] increasing the hourly pay rate of an

[2:30:31] accounting specialist within the office

[2:30:33] and finance and management accounting

[2:30:35] division second moved by councilwoman

[2:30:38] Cooks second by councilman I can any

[2:30:41] Council discussion no sir any public

[2:30:43] comments

[2:30:46] district one yes District Two yes

[2:30:49] District three yes this strip for yes

[2:30:52] District Five yes the merchant to adopt

[2:30:55] is approved draw ordinance 3 2023 HR

[2:30:58] honors of the Lafayette City Council in

[2:31:00] the Lafayette Parish Council providing

[2:31:02] for the abandonment of their 10 foot and

[2:31:04] a 15 15 foot drainage servitude on

[2:31:07] parcels

[2:31:09] 4a-4-a and

[2:31:11] a-5-a of Country Lane Acres subdivision

[2:31:14] located at 6 000 and 6008 Landry Road

[2:31:18] motion by councilwoman a bear second by

[2:31:21] councilman Lewis any Council discussion

[2:31:24] any public comments no sir call for the

[2:31:26] vote District Two

[2:31:29] District Four yes District Five yes

[2:31:32] District One

[2:31:33] the motion to adopt is approved John

[2:31:36] Hornets score 2023 age all earnings of

[2:31:38] the Lafayette City Council in the

[2:31:40] Lafayette Parish Council amending

[2:31:42] chapter 89 of the Lafayette City Parish

[2:31:44] Consolidated Government code of

[2:31:45] ordinances also known as the Lafayette

[2:31:47] development code LDC

[2:31:53] most of my councilwoman Avera second by

[2:31:56] councilman I can't any Council

[2:31:58] discussion

[2:31:59] any public comments yes sir call for the

[2:32:01] vote District three yes District Four

[2:32:04] yes District Five yes district one yes

[2:32:07] District Two yes the motion to adopt is

[2:32:10] approved

[2:32:11] this is a public hearing and speaker

[2:32:13] sheets are available for anyone wishing

[2:32:15] to address the council the three-minute

[2:32:17] rule does apply Cindy please read

[2:32:21] a bill of City Planning Commission

[2:32:22] action West in Heights lot 22A Block 14

[2:32:25] case number 2022 103 he

[2:32:30] at this point I'd like to call Mary

[2:32:35] and Neil yeah okay

[2:32:39] either one or both

[2:32:47] president

[2:32:49] yeah it's up there

[2:33:27] so I thought I thought they thought yeah

[2:33:37] sorry yeah

[2:33:40] I thought they turned it on

[2:33:43] all right Neil Europe

[2:33:45] all right well good evening council

[2:33:46] members we're here for the appeal of

[2:33:49] case number

[2:33:51] 2022-38- PC which is West End Heights

[2:33:54] lot 22A block 14. this is a property

[2:33:58] that fronts West University at 1927. it

[2:34:03] also has

[2:34:05] access to Jean Street on its northern

[2:34:08] portion and also duclow on on the rear

[2:34:12] edge of the lot right now that lot

[2:34:15] consists of several small 25-foot lots

[2:34:18] that are all looking to be combined into

[2:34:20] one lot for commercial purposes

[2:34:27] how many separate lots are there Leo

[2:34:31] well I'd bring it up the next slide we

[2:34:33] can count them uh one two three four

[2:34:35] five six seven eight nine 10 11 12 13 14

[2:34:38] 15 16 about 16 or 17 individual 25 foot

[2:34:42] Lots

[2:34:45] okay go go ahead see so it comprises

[2:34:48] 1.14 Acres again it's a commercial

[2:34:51] plating that was proposed

[2:34:55] um the zoning here is commercial mixed

[2:34:57] one

[2:34:58] um so any of those uses are currently

[2:35:00] allowed in this particular area

[2:35:11] here's a closer look into the uh into

[2:35:15] the platting itself you can see kind of

[2:35:18] a little bit of a layout of the site

[2:35:19] plan for what it may be planned there

[2:35:22] that was part of the application

[2:35:27] and just a kind of a general overview

[2:35:28] here that this preliminary plot was

[2:35:32] heard in front of the City Planning

[2:35:34] Commission and was denied preliminary

[2:35:37] plant approval by that commission the

[2:35:40] owner developer is the one that is

[2:35:42] lodging this appeal of that denial

[2:35:45] um again it's a proposed commercial

[2:35:46] development on one lot

[2:35:48] the developer did request a waiver at

[2:35:51] the Planning Commission meeting and that

[2:35:52] was Prohibition of a double fronted lot

[2:35:55] again this lot is uh fronts or front

[2:35:58] University but has access to Jean and

[2:36:00] duclow and I'm imagining whatever

[2:36:03] they're going to build there may want

[2:36:06] more than one access uh maybe on jaw

[2:36:10] possibly on Duke Club but certainly it's

[2:36:12] Frontage is University

[2:36:14] um

[2:36:15] overall a lot of the public comment uh

[2:36:17] and it was considerable amount of public

[2:36:19] comment quite a few speakers

[2:36:21] there was a lot of concerns about

[2:36:23] additional traffic that a development

[2:36:25] could bring into the neighborhood itself

[2:36:27] into the West End and into Oak Lawn

[2:36:29] there were some mentions about possibly

[2:36:32] uh depending on what would build there

[2:36:34] some unwanted activity

[2:36:37] and also the proximity of a gas station

[2:36:40] which is you know what we believe may be

[2:36:43] developed there to residential areas and

[2:36:46] that was on multiple fronts both

[2:36:48] environmental and just general concern

[2:36:51] overall

[2:36:53] and so with that said I'll take any

[2:36:55] questions you said that all the Lots

[2:36:58] currently have the same rezoning zoning

[2:37:01] designation

[2:37:03] that is that is correct all of those

[2:37:05] lots are commercial mixed one but uh

[2:37:08] before we get a little too deep into the zoning discussion I I do want to let

[2:37:12] you know that whenever you come to

[2:37:14] planning property zoning is not a

[2:37:15] consideration for plotting a property it

[2:37:18] is strictly just the conditions of

[2:37:20] development that are put on that

[2:37:22] particular plot since zoning is already

[2:37:25] fixed for that particular plot it is

[2:37:27] known that that is the zoning and its

[2:37:30] Associated uses for that particular uh

[2:37:32] piece of property so for the Planning

[2:37:36] Commission side of things and and the

[2:37:37] staff you know for us use is already

[2:37:39] established it's now just getting a

[2:37:42] legal lot of record for you to be able

[2:37:43] to come and pull a building permit

[2:37:45] okay and and just give me just a second

[2:37:48] okay and what was the uh we we know what

[2:37:51] the plan and what the commission's

[2:37:53] decision was but what was the staff's

[2:37:57] recommendation

[2:37:58] so the staff recommended approval of

[2:38:00] preliminary plat subject to all of the

[2:38:02] conditions that were provided in the

[2:38:04] staff report the only

[2:38:07] condition uh or which the waiver was

[2:38:09] requested again was that a Prohibition

[2:38:12] on double fronted Lots

[2:38:15] but staff recommendation was to approve

[2:38:17] preliminary plant approval

[2:38:22] director of Community Development

[2:38:23] planning

[2:38:24] recommendations for Planning Commission

[2:38:26] are a little bit different than zoning

[2:38:27] Commission because we we make

[2:38:30] recommendations based on the the

[2:38:33] developer agreeing to follow the

[2:38:34] regulations set forth in the Lafayette

[2:38:36] development code so it you know that's

[2:38:39] where the recommendation in terms of

[2:38:40] zoning we look at a lot of different

[2:38:42] things and whether or not it's good for

[2:38:44] the neighborhood and all those things

[2:38:45] that happen when we talk about use right

[2:38:47] but for Planning Commission it's

[2:38:49] everything is recommended so long as

[2:38:51] they follow all of the conditions before

[2:38:53] them right and those conditions come

[2:38:55] from all of the Departments of lcg as

[2:38:57] well as some external agencies as well

[2:39:00] and so at you know part of the packet

[2:39:02] for the appeal here includes the staff

[2:39:04] report uh you know those things are

[2:39:06] usually seven or eight pages long with

[2:39:08] all the rules and and uh and regulations

[2:39:11] to follow along with any things that

[2:39:13] need to be fixed on the plats when we

[2:39:14] review them and comments that may come

[2:39:17] also

[2:39:19] it's okay councilman I can

[2:39:21] I was just uh excuse me curious Mr

[2:39:25] labaugh form Miss Simon the residential

[2:39:29] lots basically along due close okay

[2:39:32] they're all been rezone commercial one

[2:39:35] all those lots is which I was saying

[2:39:37] correct correct they were part of the um

[2:39:39] when it was Chase Bank so that's been

[2:39:42] since then Bank existed that those lots

[2:39:44] have been Zone commercial one

[2:39:47] that's correct all of those properties

[2:39:49] between duclow and University which is

[2:39:51] the majority of what this development is

[2:39:53] looking to Plat

[2:39:55] um are all cm1 oh cm1 but yeah so that's

[2:39:59] been 30 40 years probably at least it's

[2:40:02] been a considerable amount of time yeah

[2:40:06] exactly how long though

[2:40:09] like that time I'm sure that bank's been

[2:40:12] there as long as I can remember why did

[2:40:15] the bank not ever put all that in one

[2:40:17] line

[2:40:18] do you have any idea it it built before

[2:40:21] there were there were um requirements

[2:40:23] and so what it was is considered

[2:40:25] grandfathered uh because it was

[2:40:27] established it was there for an extended

[2:40:29] period of time uh and and certainly

[2:40:31] predates the LDC predates to UDC

[2:40:34] um and probably fits somewhere in the

[2:40:36] middle of our original subdivision

[2:40:37] regulations uh way way back when so that

[2:40:41] bank got 17 tax bills every year well no

[2:40:46] offer yeah the tax assessor considers it

[2:40:48] one person yeah he considers it one

[2:40:49] parcel in taxes as such yes but that is

[2:40:52] different from our offices consideration

[2:40:54] of a legal out of record right it's the

[2:40:56] same concept and we see this throughout

[2:40:58] the urban core of the city right that

[2:41:01] some of your houses are probably mine

[2:41:03] included or probably built across 20

[2:41:06] multiple 25 foot Lots it's not uncommon

[2:41:08] for us to see that in the urban core so

[2:41:11] the owner of this property have has

[2:41:14] every right to develop it within the

[2:41:17] parameters of the CM Zone cm1 Zone and

[2:41:20] restrictions correct and he's bought this and his

[2:41:24] whole request today is just to make

[2:41:27] these 17 Lots one lot as it should have

[2:41:31] been done years and years ago would that

[2:41:33] be correct assessment

[2:41:35] that is what is before you in the

[2:41:37] Planning Commission that was what was

[2:41:38] before the plan as far as when it should

[2:41:40] have been done that's a matter of

[2:41:41] whatever but it needs to be done today

[2:41:44] apparently whether it was this developer

[2:41:47] or another the requirement would have

[2:41:48] been to them to consolidate all these

[2:41:50] Lots into one lot now to be able to pull

[2:41:52] a permit this plotting is important to

[2:41:56] him into one lot for what reason I mean

[2:41:58] it's been existing so long with 17 Lots

[2:42:01] why does he have to platter this one lot

[2:42:04] now what's the importance of that to

[2:42:06] Neil's comment just a second ago we

[2:42:09] won't issue a building permit unless it

[2:42:11] is considered a legal lot of record so

[2:42:14] if they're making any alterations to the

[2:42:15] building outside of interior Renovations

[2:42:18] they will need a building permit and we

[2:42:20] will look at cladding to ensure that the

[2:42:22] property is plotted correctly so it's a matter of our regulations that he

[2:42:26] has to have it as one lot so that we can

[2:42:29] regulate him into Construction

[2:42:32] does that make sense through permitting

[2:42:34] yes yes that's correct so that gives us

[2:42:37] the opportunity to say no you can not

[2:42:40] have a dual front to this building if it

[2:42:43] gives us opportunity to say those things

[2:42:45] that we need to say to control what he

[2:42:47] does on that building that would be an

[2:42:49] assessment correct assessment

[2:42:52] in other words she wanted egress and and

[2:42:55] Ingress and egress on two fronts

[2:42:58] basically wanted to create two fronts

[2:43:00] that that lot is that correct right

[2:43:02] that's what the waiver's for yeah and

[2:43:04] the way that was part of what the waiver

[2:43:06] was but that gives us the opportunity as

[2:43:08] one plaid to say no we found these

[2:43:11] restrictions and these guidances

[2:43:13] according to our cm1 zoning

[2:43:16] now

[2:43:17] when he purchased this lot

[2:43:20] he's been given letters of approval

[2:43:22] saying that what he wanted to do moving

[2:43:25] forward his planning was going to be

[2:43:27] approved it was within the zoning

[2:43:29] regulations that's correct so zoning

[2:43:32] verification letters are only are I mean

[2:43:34] they're good for that period of time

[2:43:36] right and so so long as you know it's I

[2:43:40] think the letter even says you know it's

[2:43:42] a cm1 zoning District so correct when

[2:43:44] they come in to permit the the and apply

[2:43:47] for the building permit the regulations

[2:43:49] for CM at the time will apply to that

[2:43:53] building permit and that's what we will

[2:43:54] review as part of the commercial plan

[2:43:56] review correct that's that is outside of

[2:43:59] what the Planning Commission is tasked

[2:44:02] with doing which is to to combine the 17

[2:44:04] Lots into one I'm right but given that

[2:44:07] information that the zoning was the same

[2:44:09] for everything the plighting was his

[2:44:11] responsibility to get that done

[2:44:14] and it gave him the idea that all this

[2:44:18] can move forward just as long as he can

[2:44:19] get the plotting done

[2:44:21] basically he can move forward with this

[2:44:22] project once the platin is complete he

[2:44:25] can pull the permits and get everything

[2:44:26] rolling

[2:44:27] sure but I mean if you know if they take

[2:44:30] two years to develop something and they

[2:44:32] have a two-year-old zoning verification

[2:44:33] letter they're still going to be held to

[2:44:35] the standard you know at the time that

[2:44:37] the permit I'll ever run across a

[2:44:40] situation where a a property owner in a

[2:44:44] situation like this or a case like this

[2:44:46] has been denied replied in to make it

[2:44:48] one lot have you ever seen that is is

[2:44:50] that common we've had denials before

[2:44:53] um

[2:44:55] they run for various reasons but um they

[2:44:58] do happen

[2:44:59] and uh you know whether they're two lots

[2:45:02] three lots or four Lots being combined

[2:45:04] into one I mean they do happen on

[2:45:05] occasion you've seen most of them yeah

[2:45:07] most of them do but you know right I

[2:45:11] think this is I think this is the the

[2:45:13] first one that's had so many Lots at one

[2:45:15] time uh looking to be combined uh you

[2:45:17] know into one

[2:45:18] in front of you guys so if there was a

[2:45:22] denial of this re-platting

[2:45:25] is there any liabilities for the lcg in

[2:45:29] this case I mean I'm not going to answer

[2:45:30] that question no I'll defer you too

[2:45:33] legal for that then we have Paul we have

[2:45:36] Greg here

[2:45:39] someone

[2:45:43] uh you're not uh

[2:45:47] come on yeah you are

[2:45:50] can you repeat the question yes sir I'd

[2:45:53] be happy to

[2:45:55] um being as he's taken all the steps

[2:45:57] moving forward to do what he needs to do

[2:46:00] to

[2:46:01] go forward with his investment and his

[2:46:03] development

[2:46:04] the only thing that's holding him back

[2:46:06] at this point from pulling the permit is

[2:46:08] the plotting replied in the lots and the

[2:46:11] one

[2:46:12] is there any liability that the city

[2:46:14] would have to not

[2:46:16] allow this reply to take forward I mean

[2:46:19] it would definitely kill the project it

[2:46:21] sounds like

[2:46:22] because he wouldn't be able to build a

[2:46:24] new building

[2:46:25] he would have to remodel the existing

[2:46:28] and his whole premise of the investment

[2:46:30] is to be able to reply and tear down and

[2:46:33] rebuild

[2:46:35] that would the city have any liability

[2:46:37] if this replied him was denied

[2:46:39] well

[2:46:41] a bifurcated answer to that question

[2:46:44] okay the first part is that question is

[2:46:46] too broad and general for me to answer

[2:46:48] specifically but the second part I think

[2:46:51] will answer your question better and

[2:46:54] that is what I can tell you is what the

[2:46:56] standards for approval on pulmonary

[2:46:58] planning are that translate over to you

[2:47:01] in the appeal and that is yes one of the

[2:47:05] requirements in

[2:47:08] getting pulmonary plot is you check all

[2:47:11] the boxes that the Lafayette development

[2:47:13] code requires of you in the development

[2:47:16] right and in the platting process

[2:47:19] however there's also a second factor and

[2:47:23] it's not one or the other it's both and

[2:47:26] that is you also have to be satisfied as

[2:47:29] the approving agency you the council or

[2:47:32] the Planning Commission in their role

[2:47:35] that the plot is consistent with the

[2:47:37] comprehensive plan

[2:47:38] now we all know the comprehensive plan

[2:47:41] is about that thick right and it talks

[2:47:44] about

[2:47:45] goals objectives development policies

[2:47:47] whatever and so you apply those in an

[2:47:52] analysis to the facts of this particular

[2:47:54] development or plot and if you find one

[2:47:58] or more reasons that say it's not

[2:48:01] consistent with the comprehensive plan

[2:48:03] then you have a justifiable reason to

[2:48:06] deny that pulmonary plot

[2:48:09] if you find it consistent and you find

[2:48:11] they've checked all the boxes then it's

[2:48:14] more reasonable that you would grant

[2:48:16] that

[2:48:17] I'm not sure if that answers your

[2:48:19] question well that that's definitely a

[2:48:21] good legal answer thank you

[2:48:25] does anybody else have any questions

[2:48:33] Barry I wanted to I know that the

[2:48:34] Planning Commission denied the plot and

[2:48:37] I know it's can you just refresh my

[2:48:39] memory as to their reasoning why they

[2:48:41] denied the plot

[2:48:43] it's in the minutes yeah I know I just

[2:48:45] want to hear it again okay I'm sorry

[2:48:47] yeah so they would like it to be yeah

[2:48:50] for the the three that voted to deny uh

[2:48:54] the the reasons were misuse of the

[2:48:56] property

[2:48:57] uh it's negative impact uh to the

[2:49:00] neighboring community and University

[2:49:02] corridor plan

[2:49:03] and the final one was the concerns of

[2:49:05] residents those were the reasons for

[2:49:07] denial which must be given uh at

[2:49:09] Planning Commission meetings okay

[2:49:11] and I guess the concern I I do have

[2:49:14] about this development is is my

[2:49:16] understanding that the if we it's going

[2:49:18] to be a gas station as well in a

[2:49:19] convenience store potentially but the

[2:49:22] pumps are going to be on on the back

[2:49:25] side of my understanding from did I read

[2:49:27] that wrong

[2:49:27] do we have any is this just I mean is

[2:49:30] this

[2:49:31] speculation or is this something that I

[2:49:33] guess it's at this point of speculation

[2:49:35] because we haven't approved the plot yet

[2:49:36] but

[2:49:37] so

[2:49:39] what was presented to the Planning

[2:49:40] Commission is what we saw you want to

[2:49:42] put the screen prior yeah let me see

[2:49:43] that again so that this is the you know

[2:49:46] for tonight this is the most

[2:49:50] um descriptive of what you have so far

[2:49:52] and I'll remind you that the applicant

[2:49:54] is the developer and may be able to

[2:49:55] answer some of your questions okay

[2:49:58] is is can you redline me because I can't

[2:50:01] read that from here yeah so it looks

[2:50:04] like uh they're keeping most components

[2:50:06] of the existing building and appears

[2:50:08] maybe the the gas canopy uh would be a

[2:50:11] little bit towards the rear of the

[2:50:12] property

[2:50:13] um again University will be at the top

[2:50:15] right of the screen with duclow uh at

[2:50:18] the bottom with the residents at the

[2:50:19] bottom yeah with the residents uh all

[2:50:21] here across the street and so yeah so

[2:50:24] this is looks like this is where the

[2:50:25] fueling Bays may be located

[2:50:28] again these you know these kinds of

[2:50:30] things are subject to change

[2:50:32] when actual permitting comes in but uh I

[2:50:35] mean generally this is the idea that

[2:50:37] they have okay and to be clear on that

[2:50:39] too because

[2:50:41] the site plan for consideration during

[2:50:43] our plotting process in-house you know

[2:50:46] to make our comments that go on the on

[2:50:48] the action letter

[2:50:50] um but once those comments are made in

[2:50:51] the preliminary plot is granted this

[2:50:55] will will likely change based on what

[2:50:57] they have to do to meet the drainage

[2:50:58] requirements open space requirements

[2:51:00] that type of thing Landscaping setbacks

[2:51:03] you know that's why I will say you know

[2:51:04] it's probably best to get that answer

[2:51:06] from the developer because this is all

[2:51:07] subject to change okay

[2:51:10] all right thank you

[2:51:11] so a couple questions and and the first

[2:51:14] one's real simple uh Paul you you

[2:51:17] brought up the uh comprehensive plan

[2:51:20] simple question

[2:51:23] is this consistent with the

[2:51:24] comprehensive plan

[2:51:31] so the comprehensive a portion of the

[2:51:34] comprehensive plan is the zoning right

[2:51:36] and we know that it is owned

[2:51:38] appropriately I'm sure that if one reads

[2:51:40] the book from front to back someone

[2:51:42] could find ways that it may not be so in

[2:51:46] that matter I'm going to potentially

[2:51:47] defer to maybe the people you hear from

[2:51:49] tonight

[2:51:51] um because in all Candor and honestly I

[2:51:54] have not read the book from front to

[2:51:55] back and I don't know it verbatim to be

[2:51:57] able to tell you nobody has it's not or

[2:51:59] it is and this is why right

[2:52:01] so I will let you make that

[2:52:04] determination once you hear public

[2:52:05] comment

[2:52:06] so it it I don't know about the other

[2:52:09] council members but but for me when

[2:52:12] these things arrive before us

[2:52:15] you know there's a lot of speculation on

[2:52:17] you know it may be done this way it may

[2:52:19] be done that way

[2:52:21] we really don't know

[2:52:23] right correct so it's almost like we're

[2:52:26] shooting darts in the dark if you will

[2:52:29] and and and we're being asked to to make

[2:52:32] these very important decisions without

[2:52:35] having enough

[2:52:36] concrete information before us in my

[2:52:38] opinion because to me

[2:52:41] that could make a difference

[2:52:44] in terms of

[2:52:46] where the potential location of the gas

[2:52:48] pumps are going to be

[2:52:51] so I will remind you that as as part of

[2:52:53] plotting we generally don't

[2:52:56] allow let use be a driving Factor

[2:52:59] because planning is establishing the

[2:53:01] boundaries of a piece of property okay

[2:53:03] and the zoning District

[2:53:06] is what determines what uses could

[2:53:08] potentially go there so

[2:53:11] I understand and uh certainly

[2:53:14] um can sympathize but

[2:53:16] we're talking about plotting which is

[2:53:18] establishing boundaries which doesn't

[2:53:20] generally take into account use

[2:53:25] generally okay okay

[2:53:28] not really but anyway

[2:53:30] okay uh I know we got a lot of public

[2:53:33] comments so we're going to move on to

[2:53:35] public comment and then if we I'll

[2:53:37] certainly give council members an

[2:53:38] opportunity to wrap up if they'd like

[2:53:40] after public comments uh Miss Williams

[2:53:47] are you all finished Neil Mary that's

[2:53:50] our presentation we were just here for

[2:53:51] questions yep okay

[2:53:54] still stick around well you might want

[2:53:55] to just

[2:53:56] camp out right there maybe I don't know

[2:53:58] so you want them

[2:54:00] all right Miss Williams uh Miss Arsenal

[2:54:02] I'm sorry public comments yes sir um and

[2:54:05] I don't know usually when we have

[2:54:07] disappeal we have the appellant well

[2:54:10] would you like to come up well and and

[2:54:12] yeah and uh it certainly didn't mean to

[2:54:16] uh you know to disregard you but yes if

[2:54:19] you were like Andre matinee yes yes sir

[2:54:26] I'm Andre martini and now I represent

[2:54:29] the applicant

[2:54:31] um

[2:54:33] what I would like to say is the

[2:54:35] applicant has been working

[2:54:37] with the staff

[2:54:39] for about 10 months on this project like

[2:54:43] y'all mentioned previously he um had a

[2:54:46] zoning verification letter prepared

[2:54:48] which approved everything for it

[2:54:51] and then they did have a pre-development

[2:54:53] meeting with the lcg staff

[2:54:57] interning this project

[2:54:59] and then after that they did get the

[2:55:02] site plan approved by the lcg staff

[2:55:06] so you know the applicant's been working

[2:55:09] diligently with the city

[2:55:11] and the staff to you know follow all the

[2:55:15] requirements the guidelines and

[2:55:16] everything and you know do everything

[2:55:20] that he should do

[2:55:23] um

[2:55:26] we you know he

[2:55:29] got to the point where y'all mentioned

[2:55:32] earlier where he's got to plant the

[2:55:34] boundaries of the property and take the

[2:55:36] 12 lives and make them into one lot

[2:55:40] one thing I would like to mention is

[2:55:44] if he denied approval

[2:55:48] on the lot

[2:55:50] the way the regulations are written is

[2:55:53] he can't he can't go back to the

[2:55:54] Planning Commission

[2:55:56] you know he only the the property

[2:55:58] becomes uh a blighted cropping and can't

[2:56:02] be developed

[2:56:03] as far as the regulations are concern

[2:56:07] um

[2:56:16] okay

[2:56:17] um tonight

[2:56:19] we are requesting approval of the survey

[2:56:22] in the plot it's not an approval of the

[2:56:25] type of construction for this property

[2:56:28] but we are asking that you please grain

[2:56:31] or wave of the double Frontage condition

[2:56:34] that limits access to the property if

[2:56:37] this property was planted in two lots

[2:56:41] they would each have a driveway and then

[2:56:44] traffic would require across access

[2:56:46] between the properties

[2:56:48] so as Neil mentioned they were looking

[2:56:51] at having a driveway on University and

[2:56:53] driving on Jean Street

[2:56:56] so which would allow for better traffic

[2:56:59] flow and it would you know if the

[2:57:02] property it would be used as a

[2:57:05] medical office building or professional

[2:57:08] offices the city would be requiring two

[2:57:11] driveways and they'd be requiring cross

[2:57:13] access

[2:57:16] um

[2:57:19] okay but generally the city's traffic

[2:57:22] department and the dotd prefer that

[2:57:25] access to be to the minor streets

[2:57:27] instead of traffic coming out on

[2:57:29] University they would prefer the traffic

[2:57:32] to come and go along John's stream so

[2:57:37] but um you know we we don't want to see

[2:57:41] this properly condemned you know if the

[2:57:44] plaque denied

[2:57:45] and so

[2:57:47] um

[2:57:48] you know the applicant working with the

[2:57:51] staff and

[2:57:53] he wants to do the right thing and um

[2:57:57] you know he put money a lot of money

[2:58:00] into the project and we hate to see you

[2:58:02] know everything

[2:58:04] you know just not happen so

[2:58:08] thank you

[2:58:10] certainly Andy I'm sorry

[2:58:13] um thank you sir

[2:58:17] so basically

[2:58:18] all this is about is is making it from

[2:58:22] 12 or 17 Lots whatever it is into one

[2:58:24] line and salt Zone commercial correct

[2:58:27] that's right yeah and I understand that

[2:58:30] basically if this isn't done

[2:58:33] that property will never change it will

[2:58:35] always be what it is or run down Bank

[2:58:38] falling apart it'd be a vacated property

[2:58:41] yeah

[2:58:43] um now if it is replied into one lot at

[2:58:49] that point what happens next where do we

[2:58:51] what's the next step would be to apply for a

[2:58:56] building permit and go through the

[2:58:58] commercial plan review

[2:59:00] and work with the staff with meeting all

[2:59:03] the requirements for a building permit

[2:59:06] so he would still be subject to all the

[2:59:09] zone and regulations of the cm1 next up

[2:59:12] to a residential single family yeah

[2:59:17] whether it be buffer zone privacy fence

[2:59:20] Ingress egress everything else that goes

[2:59:22] with it in landscaping you know yeah

[2:59:25] okay

[2:59:27] um

[2:59:27] and if he had just boggles my mind if he

[2:59:31] doesn't get this plaid approval

[2:59:33] that property just sits there

[2:59:36] that way hold on everyone people behind

[2:59:39] you you'll get your chance to speak

[2:59:42] people behind you think that is not the

[2:59:44] case could you explain that please

[2:59:49] I'm trying to explain yeah if it's not

[2:59:51] granted replaying yeah yeah

[2:59:57] regulations thing uh section 89 57 G1

[3:00:03] states that it denied the applicant

[3:00:05] cannot commit you know for another

[3:00:08] application you know the um

[3:00:11] I mean Bobby is 10 years 15 download

[3:00:16] even if he wants to sell those 12 lots

[3:00:19] to another perspective developer

[3:00:23] and we still have to be redone as one

[3:00:26] lot and could that new developer owner

[3:00:28] possibly apply

[3:00:30] oh Mary can you uh

[3:00:33] yeah I'm I'm not sure about that it says

[3:00:37] um yeah you can't you can't do anything

[3:00:41] with him he can't do anything with it as the owner of that property today he

[3:00:45] can't do a thing with it right except to

[3:00:47] possibly put whatever you know so

[3:00:51] but Mr chairman I think I can clear up some things please so on

[3:00:58] the question of reapplication

[3:01:00] um

[3:01:01] Mr montenier is is somewhat correct that

[3:01:05] 8957 G1 does say

[3:01:08] uh when the commission is denied a

[3:01:10] subdivision proposal no reconsideration

[3:01:13] of an application will be granted and

[3:01:16] then it says unless and there's

[3:01:20] four or three circumstances under which

[3:01:22] an application a re-application for

[3:01:25] subdivision of a property that's been

[3:01:27] denied once or twice or whatever can be

[3:01:30] considered or reconsidered and those

[3:01:34] conditions are the applicant certifies

[3:01:36] that circumstances and or conditions

[3:01:39] have changed or altered which is pretty

[3:01:42] Broad

[3:01:43] or the applicant certifies the data used

[3:01:46] and provide are provided an analysis of

[3:01:48] the subdivision was it accurate or that

[3:01:51] could not have been aware of the

[3:01:52] inaccuracy and number three additional

[3:01:54] information has become available which

[3:01:56] was not available when the public

[3:01:58] hearing occurred so there are a number

[3:02:01] of

[3:02:02] situations within which even though this

[3:02:05] particular subdivision and look I'm not

[3:02:07] advocating for one way or the other but

[3:02:10] it's not an absolute truth that that

[3:02:12] property can never be reapplied for for

[3:02:15] subdivision right it's if it meets one

[3:02:18] or two or three of those three

[3:02:20] conditions I just read then certainly it

[3:02:23] would be reconsidered for application of

[3:02:26] subdivision

[3:02:28] when you see the possibility of those

[3:02:30] one of those conditions being met but um

[3:02:34] I have the conditions here but uh

[3:02:38] I can't I mean we're not doing anything

[3:02:40] inaccurate so I can't you know certify

[3:02:42] that it's inaccurate and

[3:02:45] um

[3:02:47] you know circumstances or conditions

[3:02:49] have changed I mean I can see the

[3:02:51] weather's changed but I can't say

[3:02:53] you know condition change if you want to

[3:02:57] work with the property I mean this is

[3:02:59] supposed to be about planning it's not

[3:03:01] supposed to be about building used to

[3:03:03] the property and so um

[3:03:06] you know I think the applicant has

[3:03:08] worked you know he

[3:03:11] he's trying to do the right thing and

[3:03:13] follow all the rules and regulations and

[3:03:15] then you know after you put a

[3:03:18] considerable amount of money into the

[3:03:20] project you know

[3:03:22] we end up in this situation

[3:03:26] okay thank you thank you

[3:03:29] uh so so Paul I just want to follow up

[3:03:31] on on the uh comment you just made as as

[3:03:34] far as it pertains to uh exceptions if

[3:03:37] you will

[3:03:38] uh and and Mary can you uh chime in here

[3:03:42] please

[3:03:55] so I'm reading directly from the uh

[3:03:59] I guess is the staff notes the reason

[3:04:01] for appeal

[3:04:02] uh and at the end it says lastly 89 57 G

[3:04:07] prohibits the applicant from reapplying

[3:04:09] for Planning Commission approval of the

[3:04:12] 1.14 acre lot in the future to sell the

[3:04:15] property or to develop the property for

[3:04:17] a commercial use other than a

[3:04:19] convenience store with gasoline sales

[3:04:21] this present prevents future development

[3:04:24] by the owner can you kind of

[3:04:28] explain that for us or

[3:04:32] um

[3:04:33] maybe

[3:04:35] um so so consider circumstances and or

[3:04:38] conditions could potentially be if the

[3:04:41] use changes and he's now going to put a

[3:04:43] restaurant there right we would still

[3:04:44] require the plotting but the site plan

[3:04:47] is likely to change

[3:04:50] um there could be it could become an

[3:04:51] office building could

[3:04:53] probably won't go back to being a bank

[3:04:55] because he wouldn't need a building

[3:04:56] permit for that but there could be some

[3:04:59] other use where he would do something

[3:05:01] similar take the building and adopt it

[3:05:03] to a new use which would change the site

[3:05:05] plan which I could potentially see there

[3:05:08] arguing that the circumstances and or

[3:05:10] conditions have been changed or altered

[3:05:13] right and that um and that we would

[3:05:16] allow it to be replotted I would

[3:05:19] probably not make a decision until I see

[3:05:21] something and confer with legal just to

[3:05:24] make sure that we all are in agreements

[3:05:25] agreement that the it does meet a but

[3:05:31] there could be some potential changes

[3:05:34] you know that the case looks different

[3:05:36] than it does today it could be he

[3:05:39] doesn't use the back portion along do

[3:05:40] Club maybe they sell it and they'll use

[3:05:42] the front portion I mean there's you

[3:05:44] know a myriad of different

[3:05:47] opportunities there that could be could

[3:05:50] be looked into

[3:05:57] doesn't totally but I I I know you I

[3:06:00] know you're giving your best explanation

[3:06:02] without having the next idea in front of

[3:06:05] me it's the best I can give you yeah

[3:06:08] I'm just concerned about that really and

[3:06:13] you know just just the clear language I

[3:06:16] mean you know the statement Andre

[3:06:18] statement is correct right that we are

[3:06:20] going to reply require plotting for a

[3:06:22] building permit to be obtained for that

[3:06:25] property right as it sits today with the

[3:06:28] boundaries and all of the lots that you

[3:06:30] see right so we we don't disagree that

[3:06:33] this property is going to need to be

[3:06:35] plotted in the future unless it remains

[3:06:37] a bank or something that can go into the

[3:06:39] bank building as is right so you know

[3:06:43] Andre is correct in that what what the

[3:06:46] application looks like could potentially

[3:06:47] be different or it could be the same but

[3:06:49] today what's before you is

[3:06:52] the application you see in this with the

[3:06:54] attach site plan

[3:06:56] you bring up a really interesting point

[3:06:58] is that let's say this this project gets

[3:07:00] denied and we don't they don't move

[3:07:03] forward with the gas station is this

[3:07:04] something that lcg can replant because

[3:07:07] as we talked about the tax assessor

[3:07:08] recognizes this is one property it

[3:07:11] appears by visual to be one property is

[3:07:16] to avoid this from coming up again is

[3:07:18] there a way that we lcg could re-plot

[3:07:20] this as it as its intention or does the

[3:07:22] lot owner have to plot it the property

[3:07:26] owner has to okay we don't do any

[3:07:28] administrative plotting like we do

[3:07:30] administrative rezonings okay

[3:07:40] absolutely thank you Andrea my question

[3:07:45] would be all my concerns how long have

[3:07:47] the applicant been dealing with you guys

[3:07:49] for this planning process

[3:07:51] his timeline is correct he had the

[3:07:53] pre-development meeting and obtained the

[3:07:55] zoning verification

[3:07:57] um

[3:07:58] you know but when someone comes into a

[3:08:00] pre-development meeting you know we talk

[3:08:01] we look at the zoning District we look

[3:08:03] at the regulations we advise them on

[3:08:05] things they may want to be aware of I.E

[3:08:08] the plotting in this case potentially

[3:08:10] maybe drainage requirements or you know

[3:08:12] other things that they need parking

[3:08:14] things that they need to take into

[3:08:15] consideration before making any formal

[3:08:18] type of application with us whether that

[3:08:19] be a plotting application a a building

[3:08:22] permit application and that's the

[3:08:24] purpose of the pre-development meeting

[3:08:25] is to to let them know you know this is

[3:08:28] what you need to do to start checking

[3:08:29] the boxes to get through our processes

[3:08:31] so they have a timeline don't have a

[3:08:33] timeline no there's no time we'll do a

[3:08:35] pre-development meeting at any point in

[3:08:37] time and then it may take you a year two

[3:08:39] years three years or never right to

[3:08:41] actually come to us and start the actual

[3:08:45] process moving forward

[3:08:46] so the pre-development meeting is just

[3:08:48] that it's just to come and learn what's

[3:08:50] ahead for you to make a decision if you

[3:08:52] want to move forward or not it was not

[3:08:53] necessarily a guarantee

[3:08:55] no and the regulations could always

[3:08:57] change right so

[3:08:59] that somebody could come in and sit with

[3:09:01] us today and we tell you one thing and

[3:09:03] then something drastic happens and we

[3:09:05] make some drainage regulation changes

[3:09:07] again as I mentioned earlier you're

[3:09:09] bound by the regulations at the time of

[3:09:11] application not at the time that you

[3:09:13] talk to us whenever that was right so

[3:09:17] it's just a process going through you

[3:09:18] guys pre a pre-preminary uh plan so

[3:09:23] that's what they did not plan this all

[3:09:26] right the pre-development meeting is to

[3:09:28] say this is the spot I'm looking at this

[3:09:29] is the use I'm considering this is a

[3:09:32] general site plan that I think I'm going

[3:09:34] to do here and we bring everybody to the

[3:09:37] table lus traffic drain Public Works my

[3:09:41] staff and we we kind of talk about you

[3:09:43] know you're going to need x amount of

[3:09:45] parking spots you're going to need to

[3:09:46] think about these things from maybe the

[3:09:48] building code perspective

[3:09:50] um drainage so it's just it's just an

[3:09:52] information gathering tool for the

[3:09:55] developer to to know what they're

[3:09:56] getting into what they'll need to do to

[3:09:58] meet our regulations

[3:10:02] you're up

[3:10:03] I'd like to hear from I know we all have

[3:10:06] a lot of questions as I'd like to hear

[3:10:07] from the we have 15 speakers let's go

[3:10:10] ahead and get started with them next yes

[3:10:13] so we can hear from them and then we can

[3:10:15] always come revisit I'll just let Mary

[3:10:17] finish her comments

[3:10:21] we'll call for the speakers Mr Arsenal

[3:10:25] yes sir

[3:10:26] um we had 120 citizens call or email the

[3:10:30] Council Office in opposition to the

[3:10:33] appeal we had 27 citizens who did not

[3:10:36] wish to speak sign in in opposition to

[3:10:39] the appeal we had two citizens sign in support of the appeal we did have 15

[3:10:44] speakers but with Mr montane speaking

[3:10:46] already we have 14 remaining speakers

[3:10:48] the first of which is Anna Anna Laura

[3:10:52] Edmonston and she will be followed by

[3:10:55] Francis tropinier

[3:10:59] and you can come to either Mike but both

[3:11:03] mics are available

[3:11:07] good evening Council

[3:11:10] man speaking on the half

[3:11:12] behalf is the vote Pond neighborhood in

[3:11:13] Myrtle Place Elementary nearby

[3:11:15] Elementary School

[3:11:17] that couldn't be here tonight because

[3:11:19] for obvious reasons they have small

[3:11:21] children

[3:11:23] my name is Anna Laura edmiston I'm a

[3:11:26] resident of Oakland neighborhood and I

[3:11:29] have two children that attend Myrtle

[3:11:30] Place Elementary we regularly walk with

[3:11:33] our kids to and from school as do many

[3:11:35] Myrtle Place families

[3:11:38] to tell you a bit about myself I was

[3:11:40] born and raised in Lafayette I'm third

[3:11:42] generation graduate of the University of

[3:11:43] Louisiana Lafayette

[3:11:45] I'm a local Grammy nominated musician

[3:11:47] artist educator and I'm passionate about

[3:11:51] the efforts that I see taking place to

[3:11:53] improve the beauty and quality of life

[3:11:54] in my hometown

[3:11:57] so passionate that I convinced my

[3:11:58] Canadian husband to move here to

[3:12:01] um to leave his family to raise our

[3:12:03] family

[3:12:05] I'd be lying if I said that I don't

[3:12:07] contemplate this decision on a regular

[3:12:09] basis can Lafayette compete with

[3:12:11] breathtaking Four Seasons in Eastern

[3:12:13] Canada better Public Schools overall

[3:12:16] better and safer infrastructure

[3:12:18] continuous sidewalks connecting bypass

[3:12:21] but my answer is yes Lafayette can compete

[3:12:26] but will it choose to will our leaders

[3:12:28] make a conscious Choice day in and day

[3:12:30] out to dedicate themselves in every

[3:12:32] single decision that they make to

[3:12:34] creating a more beautiful and vibrant

[3:12:35] Lafayette

[3:12:36] plans like the University Avenue

[3:12:38] Corridor study provide me with hope it

[3:12:41] means that time and money are being

[3:12:42] spent planning to improve the quality of

[3:12:45] life and overall charm and beauty of our

[3:12:47] city

[3:12:48] but planning isn't enough

[3:12:51] plans must be respected this is why I

[3:12:53] reject this appeal and I stand by the

[3:12:55] decision of the Planning and Zoning

[3:12:57] commission to deny the plotting of the

[3:12:59] properties in the corner of Sean and

[3:13:00] University

[3:13:02] as an active member of my community I've

[3:13:04] been witness to many conversations about

[3:13:06] Talent retention in Lafayette

[3:13:08] if we want to retain young talent and

[3:13:10] continue to attract companies that

[3:13:12] create jobs and generate more wealth in

[3:13:13] our community then we must invest

[3:13:15] strategically in our city

[3:13:19] in every decision that you make please

[3:13:22] ask yourselves will this decision

[3:13:24] support Local Economic Development

[3:13:25] efforts will this increase mobility and

[3:13:28] safety for our citizens our children for

[3:13:30] people with disabilities

[3:13:32] will this development help in reducing

[3:13:34] pedestrian and bicycle injuries and

[3:13:36] fatality rates well this decision make

[3:13:38] Lafayette a place where people want to

[3:13:41] live where people want to stay where

[3:13:44] people want to raise their family or

[3:13:46] will it drive out the very people who

[3:13:49] hold the future of our city in their

[3:13:51] hands

[3:13:52] thank you

[3:13:54] next next speaker

[3:13:57] is Francis trapinet followed by Margaret

[3:14:00] vories

[3:14:04] I have a petition with over 75 people

[3:14:08] from the neighborhood

[3:14:10] my name is Francis

[3:14:14] Street and I'm a retired teacher from

[3:14:17] Myrtle Place Elementary that I was there

[3:14:19] for 16 years

[3:14:21] my concern about this

[3:14:24] possibility this developer as many

[3:14:28] businesses with gas station liquor store

[3:14:31] and tobacco place I sure don't want that

[3:14:35] in my neighborhood

[3:14:37] the traffic safety for the children is

[3:14:41] one of my main concerns because the kids

[3:14:44] ride their bikes on duclow they walk on

[3:14:47] the clothes because the parking plays

[3:14:50] for the bicycle on the campus is the

[3:14:53] entrance on duclow

[3:14:55] so that business whatever they decide to

[3:14:58] do duclow was a neighborhood they

[3:15:02] changed that to a parking lot the the

[3:15:06] cars will be different this time the

[3:15:09] traffic

[3:15:10] the pollution the pollution of the sound

[3:15:13] and the noise that will be happening

[3:15:16] with a business that is 24 7.

[3:15:19] the air because of the gas pollution

[3:15:23] uh losing the big oak trees the

[3:15:26] historical oak trees and the pine trees

[3:15:29] and too much blacked up parking lot

[3:15:33] do close its part and this is a postcard

[3:15:36] from Lafayette

[3:15:39] Consolidated Government we're part of

[3:15:42] the historical Cultural District

[3:15:45] having something like that is not going

[3:15:48] to improve

[3:15:50] the university Corridor that's supposed

[3:15:53] to be

[3:15:55] improving the arrival in our city

[3:16:00] that's why I'm so against it

[3:16:03] if we could consider different type of

[3:16:06] business

[3:16:08] Urgent Care a fitness center since

[3:16:11] Lourdes is shutting down

[3:16:15] um Legal Office for lawyers or a daycare

[3:16:20] something that will help improve the

[3:16:24] neighborhood we sure don't need that

[3:16:26] type of business

[3:16:29] especially if the traffic increase on

[3:16:32] duclow

[3:16:34] please keep the zoning residential mixed

[3:16:38] residential on that part

[3:16:41] and I will give you the petition thank

[3:16:44] you

[3:16:45] next speaker is Margaret Voorhees

[3:16:47] followed by Jill La Rossini

[3:16:51] hello my name is Margaret fories and I

[3:16:55] live in my dream Cottage at 228 duclow

[3:16:58] Street

[3:16:59] I'm here today to ask that you uphold

[3:17:02] the decision to deny the replatting and

[3:17:05] more importantly the waiver request

[3:17:08] I can understand wanting to combine all

[3:17:10] of these Lots together that makes sense

[3:17:12] but once my understanding is that once

[3:17:16] those lots are combined they would only

[3:17:18] be allowed to have egress and Ingress so

[3:17:22] much of them correctly off of University

[3:17:24] which is a major thoroughfare that makes

[3:17:28] sense

[3:17:29] they're asking that once it's replotted

[3:17:32] that they be allowed to have it on Jean

[3:17:35] and du close

[3:17:36] I have some photographs here of what

[3:17:39] Duplo looks like it's an 18 foot wide

[3:17:42] Street

[3:17:43] there's not room for cars to be parked

[3:17:46] and and 18-wheelers the tankers that

[3:17:50] will be filling the tanks will they also

[3:17:52] be coming down my street

[3:17:55] um the oak canopy is amazing people from

[3:17:59] all over the world come and visit and

[3:18:02] they were here for the film festival

[3:18:04] this week and commented on how beautiful

[3:18:06] our neighborhood is when they walked

[3:18:08] through it those oak trees will be

[3:18:10] destroyed

[3:18:12] um and I understand that I choose to

[3:18:14] live in town and expect to hear city

[3:18:17] noise I actually love sitting in my

[3:18:20] backyard and watching the birds and the

[3:18:22] squirrels and hearing the sirens that's

[3:18:25] all part of the fabric of where I chose

[3:18:27] to live

[3:18:29] um

[3:18:29] and I understand that that the business

[3:18:31] person who the glomax has a right to

[3:18:34] open a business as long as they're

[3:18:36] following the codes we're not taking

[3:18:38] anything away if you don't grant them

[3:18:42] the waiver if they expected the waiver

[3:18:44] that's on them

[3:18:46] but if they bought this property knowing

[3:18:49] that if they re-plotted they would only

[3:18:51] have access through University then that

[3:18:54] is all their owed

[3:18:56] in all those conversations that had to

[3:18:59] have come up

[3:19:00] they're not owed the waiver

[3:19:03] our property rights can be protected at

[3:19:06] this time

[3:19:07] the residents rights need to be

[3:19:09] protected at this time

[3:19:11] the investment we made in our homes can

[3:19:14] be protected at this time

[3:19:16] by not allowing them the waiver

[3:19:19] replatting to me I I'm gonna admit that

[3:19:22] makes sense it's a bunch of little

[3:19:23] pieces but they don't have to have the

[3:19:26] waiver as well I would appreciate your thoughtful

[3:19:31] consideration of all of these things

[3:19:32] thank you

[3:19:34] next speaker next speaker

[3:19:37] followed by Gisele Menard

[3:19:40] my name is Jill laroscini I live on Jean

[3:19:42] Street I've been there for 26 years my

[3:19:45] children are grown and when we moved in

[3:19:47] it wasn't a lot of growing families but

[3:19:50] delightfully that neighborhood has

[3:19:52] returned to many many growing families

[3:19:55] I taught for 17 years at the University

[3:19:58] of Louisiana at Lafayette in the College

[3:20:00] of Nursing in a community health nursing

[3:20:02] course my students had to do community

[3:20:05] as client assessments where they looked

[3:20:08] into a neighborhood a city a region and

[3:20:11] they looked at all the strengths and

[3:20:12] then they looked at what would improve

[3:20:14] what are the challenges never in that

[3:20:17] time was a convenience store added as an

[3:20:21] improvement

[3:20:22] in fact convenience stores are the

[3:20:26] fourth fourth most common

[3:20:29] location for violent crime

[3:20:32] I'm very concerned for the growing

[3:20:34] families in this neighborhood this

[3:20:36] corner is two tenths of a mile from

[3:20:38] Myrtle Place Elementary School

[3:20:41] and we do have a lot of Runners walkers

[3:20:45] pedestrians that corner is a scary scary

[3:20:49] Corner if you're a pedestrian I go

[3:20:52] another route I rarely go on Jean and

[3:20:54] University because of all the

[3:20:56] pedestrians I work the emergency rooms a

[3:20:58] long time I do not want to be that

[3:21:00] driver that inadvertently hits somebody

[3:21:04] and in this next part I'll talk about

[3:21:05] it's not easy to talk about I don't talk

[3:21:08] about it publicly a lot but I'm a

[3:21:10] forensic nurse now

[3:21:12] uh more specifically I'm a sexual

[3:21:15] assault nurse examiner these books this

[3:21:18] notebook package that I hold each page

[3:21:21] represents a woman an adolescent a child

[3:21:25] or a man who was sexually assaulted that

[3:21:29] I took care of in the emergency room I

[3:21:31] take call for a three Parish area nine

[3:21:34] different emergency rooms

[3:21:36] and the histories that I have to

[3:21:39] document about what happened to the

[3:21:40] person as I do that forensic medical

[3:21:43] exam

[3:21:45] all too frequently a convenience store

[3:21:48] is mentioned I cannot give details I am

[3:21:51] abide to confidentiality agreements but

[3:21:56] there are convenience stores near my

[3:21:59] home that I do not go to anymore based

[3:22:01] on

[3:22:02] what I know happened there

[3:22:05] I'm really

[3:22:08] I really think that we can look at

[3:22:09] prevention this is a old residential

[3:22:13] neighborhood

[3:22:14] long-standing residential neighborhood

[3:22:16] and I do want to say I I've been to that

[3:22:19] bank my parents moved here after Katrina

[3:22:21] and I would go with them regularly to

[3:22:23] that bank I don't see it as a

[3:22:25] dilapidated

[3:22:27] building in fact to have a medical

[3:22:30] conference a medical whatever there

[3:22:32] would be great or PT or child care I do

[3:22:36] have a front page of some social science

[3:22:39] research that I emailed to all of you

[3:22:41] and I will give her the copy to

[3:22:44] distribute thank you thank you

[3:22:47] next speaker next speaker

[3:22:49] [Applause]

[3:22:51] next speakers Gisele Menor followed by

[3:22:53] Hermann mirror

[3:22:54] thank you for hearing me tonight

[3:22:57] um

[3:22:58] the the comprehensive plan was mentioned

[3:23:01] just a little while ago I brought a copy

[3:23:03] of plan Lafayette which I have been

[3:23:05] going through I'm a community activist

[3:23:08] many of you know me I've been around for

[3:23:10] a long time

[3:23:11] fighting to save some blighted

[3:23:14] neighborhoods near downtown

[3:23:17] um Oaklawn is not one of those blighted

[3:23:19] neighborhoods and if if you guys make

[3:23:22] the wrong decision on I shouldn't say

[3:23:25] wrong decision if you vote in favor of

[3:23:27] allowing something like a gas station

[3:23:30] with convenience store to happen here I

[3:23:33] believe that puts us in the wrong

[3:23:35] trajectory to have yet another

[3:23:38] neighborhood that struggles with blight

[3:23:40] because the first thing that happens

[3:23:42] when blight happens when there's a bad

[3:23:45] investment

[3:23:46] and we all agree that it's in this

[3:23:49] document that many of the things the

[3:23:51] problems we've had over the years have

[3:23:53] happened because of bad decisions we

[3:23:55] made for you know allowing certain types

[3:23:58] of businesses in our main corridors

[3:24:00] we're not thinking of the families that

[3:24:03] live there sometimes we're just thinking

[3:24:04] of okay well it's zoned correctly so

[3:24:07] let's go you know and those this

[3:24:10] document as well as all the other

[3:24:13] documents that are supposed to govern

[3:24:15] our development and Redevelopment I

[3:24:18] think are often overlooked and I know

[3:24:21] I'm the emotional one in the bunch I

[3:24:24] always am you know Mr Glenn knows me and

[3:24:26] Mr Patton knows me pretty well too I I

[3:24:29] can get very emotional when I'm talking

[3:24:31] about the passion of the people and our

[3:24:34] people don't deserve to be overlooked

[3:24:36] here

[3:24:37] um

[3:24:38] if we allow this you know to to become a

[3:24:42] gas station or convenience store what

[3:24:45] we're doing is you know saying well we

[3:24:47] don't really care about the canopy of

[3:24:49] trees the uh the blight and all of that

[3:24:52] and you know what happens next Duke

[3:24:54] turns into rental only not owner

[3:24:57] occupied because there's too much

[3:24:59] trouble living there so you know then it

[3:25:03] transfers to the next Street Adrian

[3:25:06] another beautiful street with canopies

[3:25:09] of Oaks and so it just that's how blight

[3:25:11] happens I've gone to a lot of meetings

[3:25:13] in my 14 years of advocacy and I've seen

[3:25:16] how it happens but I've also seen about

[3:25:19] smart growth and comprehensive planning

[3:25:22] and caring decisions and that's what

[3:25:24] we're asking you for tonight A caring

[3:25:26] decision

[3:25:28] in favor of us who live in Oak Lawn and

[3:25:30] want to see something better we've we've

[3:25:33] relish the fact that we could have

[3:25:35] something new there that would enhance

[3:25:38] the neighborhood such as what other

[3:25:40] people have mentioned a grocery store

[3:25:42] you know we're in a place of

[3:25:44] um a food desert we would love to have a

[3:25:47] true grocery store if that would be a

[3:25:49] possibility not just a convenience store

[3:25:52] but with vegetables and really good

[3:25:54] products that are local thank you is

[3:25:58] Herman mear here

[3:25:59] yes okay Herman mirror followed by

[3:26:03] Ronald Frank Kinsel II

[3:26:07] good evening

[3:26:10] as I've listened to local agency

[3:26:13] Representatives talk about discussions

[3:26:15] and meetings that have gone on for quite

[3:26:17] some time and all the different

[3:26:19] authorities that were consulted

[3:26:21] something was missing and that was these

[3:26:24] people no one talked to any of these

[3:26:27] residents about what the impact of this

[3:26:30] development would have on real people

[3:26:33] who have invested their lives and their

[3:26:37] economic investment in their properties

[3:26:40] on in Oak Lawn subdivision

[3:26:43] now my concern right now is about the

[3:26:46] health hazards that uh gas station would

[3:26:50] represent the request by glomax to

[3:26:54] consolidate these Lots into one plat in

[3:26:57] order to operate what I understand would

[3:26:59] be a gas station uh causes me great

[3:27:02] concern because of the environmental

[3:27:04] hazards represented by gas stations they

[3:27:07] pose health risks to people who live in

[3:27:09] nearby homes businesses and schools you

[3:27:12] know when gas is pumped

[3:27:15] into an automobile

[3:27:17] uh there are vapors that are discharged

[3:27:21] the the most hazardous ones a carcinogen

[3:27:24] called Benzene uh is released into the

[3:27:27] air

[3:27:28] it is also released from underground

[3:27:30] fuel storage tanks

[3:27:32] the the filters that in place have been

[3:27:34] proven not to be effective 100 of the

[3:27:36] time so 24 hours a day these Vapors are

[3:27:39] released in the neighborhood and

[3:27:41] research shows that the presence of

[3:27:43] benzene can be detected as far as 500

[3:27:47] feet away from a gas station and for

[3:27:49] this reason cities across the country

[3:27:53] mandate now for the construction of new

[3:27:57] gas stations 500 foot buffer zones

[3:28:01] to protect the people that live in areas

[3:28:05] adjacent to the gas station

[3:28:08] Benzene is associated with higher risks

[3:28:11] of Leukemia and immune system depression

[3:28:13] it can increase the risk of certain

[3:28:16] cancers by up to 40 percent when you

[3:28:20] inhale the vapors of the Benzene will then attack the liver

[3:28:26] kidneys lungs heart and brain

[3:28:30] building a gas station on the corner of

[3:28:33] University Avenue and Jean Street would

[3:28:35] pose a serious risk to the health of

[3:28:39] residents who live in adjacent

[3:28:41] neighborhoods for this reason it is

[3:28:44] important that you support

[3:28:47] the health of Lafayette residents and

[3:28:50] reject this appeal to overturn the

[3:28:52] Planning and Zoning commission's

[3:28:54] decision thank you

[3:28:56] next speaker is Ronald Frank Kinsel II

[3:29:01] followed by Liam sharami

[3:29:04] good evening ladies and gentlemen my

[3:29:07] name is Frank Kinsel I go by Frank my

[3:29:10] first name is Ronald I know Mr Pat Lewis

[3:29:12] we've been dealing each with each other

[3:29:15] for several years now through the

[3:29:17] neighborhoods

[3:29:19] um my I know this is not about whether

[3:29:23] or not the applicant has a right to have

[3:29:26] a convenience store on the property I

[3:29:28] know it's Zone CM Mr leboeuf

[3:29:31] um may be able to correct me on this but

[3:29:34] the unified development code was adopted

[3:29:37] in 2010

[3:29:39] um

[3:29:40] see him that's when the commercial mixed

[3:29:44] designation

[3:29:46] became a viable

[3:29:49] tag for the property prior to that and I

[3:29:53] wish I had a copy of it I didn't know

[3:29:55] this was going to come up but it was the

[3:29:57] municipal code

[3:29:58] and that was a different designation of

[3:30:01] zoning prior to 2010. the only reason I

[3:30:05] really know this is I was a property

[3:30:08] investor

[3:30:09] and I bought some property with a zoning

[3:30:13] designation

[3:30:15] and in 2017

[3:30:17] after the unified development code was

[3:30:20] established the city came through and

[3:30:22] proceeded to rezone

[3:30:25] properties

[3:30:26] therefore

[3:30:28] a pretty significant piece of property

[3:30:31] that my partner and I invested in

[3:30:34] was up for a declassification from an

[3:30:38] industrial Light industrial zoning to a

[3:30:41] mixed Neighborhood use and we owned 25

[3:30:45] 000 square feet of Warehouse under roof

[3:30:48] and 1.6 acres of property near downtown

[3:30:51] Lafayette luckily there was a Brownfield

[3:30:55] next door that the city agreed to let us

[3:30:58] keep our industrial designation

[3:31:01] um

[3:31:01] also with another piece of property

[3:31:04] which is my shop

[3:31:06] I bought that under the GB designation

[3:31:09] which is General business and when the

[3:31:12] city came through and rezoned Freetown

[3:31:16] my classification of property use was

[3:31:19] brought down to mixed neighborhood it it

[3:31:22] transferred to commercial heavy in the

[3:31:24] unified development code but

[3:31:28] I was told it was for the best interest

[3:31:30] of the neighborhood well that's not how

[3:31:32] I bought the property I bought it as a

[3:31:33] GB it had a lot more uses than I can

[3:31:36] actually use it for now

[3:31:38] so I guess what I'm trying to say is

[3:31:40] sometimes this should have been looked

[3:31:43] at when the city moved over to unified

[3:31:45] development code

[3:31:47] that this it should have been a step

[3:31:50] down into the neighborhood in a lighter

[3:31:53] use

[3:31:54] um that's that's kind of the gist of it

[3:31:57] if that makes sense that's all I have to

[3:32:00] say thank you very much thank you uh

[3:32:02] Leon sheremy

[3:32:04] [Applause]

[3:32:08] good evening respected City Council

[3:32:11] Members my name is Leanne sheremy I live

[3:32:13] at 400 Adrian my home is actually at the

[3:32:16] corner of Adrian and Jean I'm here this

[3:32:20] evening to voice my concerns for the

[3:32:21] property at University and John in the

[3:32:24] fall of 2022 I received the standard

[3:32:26] letter from the city as a resident who

[3:32:28] lives by the property now owned by

[3:32:31] glomax but the letter did not state a

[3:32:34] business name or what the business would

[3:32:35] be at the time of the zoning and

[3:32:38] commission meeting on December 19th the

[3:32:40] representatives for the proprietor of

[3:32:42] this property stated a few times that

[3:32:44] the proprietor still had not decided

[3:32:46] what to do with this property however as

[3:32:49] I learned this evening

[3:32:51] um that the reporting would lead to a

[3:32:54] gas station convenience store it seems

[3:32:57] to be the plan

[3:32:59] so as a resident of this neighborhood

[3:33:01] around this property we already have a

[3:33:03] convenience store in the form of a

[3:33:05] Family Dollar I conveniently can go over

[3:33:08] and get milk sugar beer cigarettes as

[3:33:11] well as school supplies Home Goods

[3:33:13] I live behind this store I receive a lot

[3:33:16] of car traffic coming out of the

[3:33:18] shopping center as well as foot traffic

[3:33:20] going and coming from this store my yard

[3:33:23] also receives a lot of the garbage

[3:33:25] dropped on the ground from the snacks or

[3:33:27] cigarettes purchased it's not ideal but

[3:33:30] the way it is now it's manageable

[3:33:33] I do not want to live near a business

[3:33:35] that would make this worse for me or my

[3:33:37] neighbors we do not need another

[3:33:39] convenience store

[3:33:40] another argument presented at the zoning

[3:33:43] and planning commission was that the gas

[3:33:45] station convenience store at the corner

[3:33:46] of University in St Landry that it's

[3:33:48] near a neighborhood and no one from that

[3:33:50] neighborhood complains about that

[3:33:51] business well I actually used to live

[3:33:54] near that business as well and because

[3:33:56] of the issues it presented traffic being

[3:33:58] one of them I avoided it at all cost I

[3:34:02] know where I currently live now on

[3:34:03] Adrian is a convenient cut through to

[3:34:06] University eras Landry and Cameron I

[3:34:10] experienced through traffic at varying

[3:34:12] speeds now as a resident there as I said

[3:34:15] before it's not ideal but it's

[3:34:18] manageable as it is now we do not need

[3:34:22] another gas station

[3:34:24] this proprietor is not invested in our

[3:34:27] city he doesn't know about our thriving

[3:34:28] neighborhood in the heart of Lafayette

[3:34:30] but I do that's why I chose to live

[3:34:34] there and why I'm here tonight on a

[3:34:36] school night

[3:34:37] respective City Council Members I asked

[3:34:40] today that you reject the appeal and

[3:34:42] support the existed ruling of the

[3:34:43] Planning and Zoning commission thank you

[3:34:45] so much for your time

[3:34:47] Timothy Michael followed by Renee Sonya

[3:34:52] Timothy Michael

[3:34:54] or Michael

[3:34:56] okay thank you followed by Renee sonje

[3:35:06] good evening Council my name is uh Tim

[3:35:09] Michael I've lived on duclow street for

[3:35:11] 32 years two different houses but the

[3:35:14] one I'm in now been there for 30 years

[3:35:18] I've got two two things that I want to

[3:35:22] talk about and the first is we're going

[3:35:23] to go back to I think was the second

[3:35:25] speaker or the forensic nurse and she

[3:35:28] was talking about crime

[3:35:30] I haven't been able to do as much

[3:35:32] research as I wanted but from Arizona

[3:35:34] State University uh it's the department

[3:35:37] of public policy

[3:35:39] did a report on robbery of convenience

[3:35:44] stores and I I wanted to put one tidbit

[3:35:48] out of that

[3:35:51] and and the reason I'm doing this

[3:35:52] because it shows the crime that's going

[3:35:54] to come in with a convenience store employees suffer from

[3:35:59] a high rate of workplace homicide we

[3:36:02] don't need that

[3:36:04] second only to taxi cab drivers this is

[3:36:08] National now doesn't reflect Lafayette

[3:36:10] but it's the general thing

[3:36:13] the second is

[3:36:16] from uh like a journal for convenience

[3:36:19] store and petroleum retailers

[3:36:22] and

[3:36:24] the title of their article in their own

[3:36:27] journal convenience stores are the

[3:36:28] fourth most common location for violent

[3:36:32] crime

[3:36:33] and gas station

[3:36:35] gas stations are in their separate

[3:36:38] section in their seventh

[3:36:40] a long time ago the four corners area

[3:36:43] was the Bastion of the city everybody

[3:36:45] went to Toby's and went to Jacobs and

[3:36:48] which was before my time and then it

[3:36:51] turned to

[3:36:53] crime prostitution they would drop them

[3:36:55] off in front of my house uh drug dealing

[3:36:58] all that that kind of got cleaned up and

[3:37:01] we finally starting to see some movement

[3:37:03] we got two auto stores on one corner and

[3:37:06] we got the new Coca-Cola Housing

[3:37:09] Development

[3:37:10] they're all nice well-kept

[3:37:12] establishments we don't need to revert

[3:37:15] back we don't need to that crime to come

[3:37:19] back into Lafayette and talking about

[3:37:21] Circle K across the street I've got a

[3:37:23] very good friend that has a business

[3:37:24] very close

[3:37:26] just in the cold spell

[3:37:29] he had problems with the homeless that

[3:37:31] hang out sleeping in his Stoops of his

[3:37:34] business defecating lighting fires

[3:37:39] I don't need anybody coming to my house

[3:37:41] I've had it one time and it very came

[3:37:44] very close came to a bad situation uh

[3:37:47] fortunately the police showed up quick

[3:37:49] enough before he got into my house I

[3:37:51] don't want that by my house anymore

[3:37:53] that's all this is going to attract

[3:37:56] my second thing

[3:37:58] um and this is the one I really uh

[3:38:00] embalmed at myself because I didn't get

[3:38:02] to to research it more

[3:38:05] all of those small Lots we're talking

[3:38:07] about are residential lots

[3:38:09] I'm done sorry

[3:38:12] Nick speakers Renee sonier followed by

[3:38:15] Stephanie Courtney Dugan

[3:38:22] good evening I'm Renee sonier and I'm a

[3:38:25] resident of Oak Lawn neighborhood I live

[3:38:27] on Myrtle place across the street from

[3:38:29] school and my seven-year-old attends

[3:38:31] Myrtle Place Elementary and I have a

[3:38:33] two-year-old who will also attend Myrtle

[3:38:36] Place Elementary when he's ready for

[3:38:37] preschool we often join our friends

[3:38:40] after school

[3:38:41] we walk from school to Oaklawn Park

[3:38:43] which is a hub for the families who live

[3:38:47] in our neighborhood we have to Traverse

[3:38:49] John Street which has no stop signs it

[3:38:52] can be a little bit dangerous we have to

[3:38:55] be careful with our young ones and

[3:38:57] strollers and on bicycles

[3:38:59] rollerblades skates and all that

[3:39:02] um

[3:39:03] the through traffic in our neighborhood

[3:39:06] you know it's there but it's limited and

[3:39:09] my concern mainly is that this

[3:39:11] development with an entrance on John

[3:39:14] Street and University would increase

[3:39:17] through traffic increase foot traffic

[3:39:19] obviously a convenience store that sells

[3:39:21] liquor tobacco gas is not an ideal

[3:39:25] situation for any of the neighbors who

[3:39:27] live adjacent to that property it's also

[3:39:30] not ideal for any of the people who are

[3:39:33] pedestrians in our neighborhood we have

[3:39:35] lots of dog walkers joggers who are

[3:39:37] there for health and fitness

[3:39:39] and then of course the families who are

[3:39:41] coming from all different parts of the

[3:39:43] neighborhood to get to school to get to

[3:39:45] the park it's just not going to be as

[3:39:48] safe as it once was

[3:39:51] um

[3:39:52] of course we would love to see something

[3:39:54] new developed in that area that would

[3:39:58] benefit the neighbors benefit the

[3:40:00] families people have mentioned grocery

[3:40:03] stores daycares Medical Offices anything

[3:40:07] that's a nine to five Monday through

[3:40:09] Friday sort of thing

[3:40:11] could really

[3:40:14] improve that property which you know as

[3:40:17] it and be a similar use as it was as a

[3:40:20] bank

[3:40:21] and so for all those reasons for the

[3:40:24] families of Oaklawn neighborhood and

[3:40:25] just for

[3:40:27] um the continued reinvestment and

[3:40:30] Redevelopment and Improvement of the

[3:40:32] University Corridor I ask that you

[3:40:34] uphold the planning and zonings

[3:40:36] commissions

[3:40:39] rejection of this request thank you

[3:40:43] Stephanie carne Dugan followed by Harry

[3:40:46] Staub

[3:40:47] good evening my name is Stephanie Corney

[3:40:49] Dugan most of you know who I am and

[3:40:52] where I live

[3:40:54] but just to refresh your memory right

[3:40:56] there on murder place and

[3:41:00] the city council is the final Arbiters

[3:41:03] of the legislation that comes to guide

[3:41:08] us citizens in Lafayette you have an

[3:41:11] obligation to take care of this as the

[3:41:15] health safety and Welfare of the

[3:41:16] citizens should be your utmost

[3:41:18] importance and I'm sure it always is

[3:41:22] I would venture to Guess that since you

[3:41:27] just passed a few minutes ago an

[3:41:30] ordinance which changed the ordinances

[3:41:33] of Lafayette and the uses and the

[3:41:36] planning of the city of Lafayette that

[3:41:39] you understand the importance that it is

[3:41:41] that when we look at a piece of property

[3:41:44] and we see the issues that may come up

[3:41:49] and we discuss I'm positive sure

[3:41:52] all of those issues with Planning and

[3:41:55] Zoning because we wouldn't be here if

[3:41:58] somebody hadn't said to them oh by the

[3:42:01] way you can't go forward unless this

[3:42:04] property is re-platted

[3:42:06] and as a business person I understand

[3:42:09] that my business when it was rezoned

[3:42:13] under the UDC was zoned as a light

[3:42:16] Industrial

[3:42:17] that did not suit my neighborhood it did

[3:42:21] not suit what was going on around me I

[3:42:24] went through great pains to make sure

[3:42:27] that the four corners area would change

[3:42:30] and it would change

[3:42:33] just fantastically for the better we had

[3:42:37] the university Corridor that is coming

[3:42:39] shortly I'm sure where'd the mayor go

[3:42:42] okay

[3:42:44] oh he's talking he's talking to the

[3:42:46] right people they're probably talking

[3:42:48] about the university Corridor as we

[3:42:50] speak

[3:42:52] but I was there when playing Lafayette

[3:42:54] was developed I sat on that committee I

[3:42:58] read every word I read every page

[3:43:02] I also have read most of the pages in

[3:43:06] The LDC right now and I can pretty much

[3:43:09] talk to you about that the whole idea is

[3:43:12] for Lafayette to become a bigger better

[3:43:15] more wonderful place for the citizens of

[3:43:19] Lafayette to live and enjoy their life

[3:43:23] I don't believe that this is going to

[3:43:26] make the the turn that we were hoping

[3:43:28] for that we worked so hard for at Four

[3:43:31] Corners

[3:43:33] this cannot be the answer and it should

[3:43:36] not be the answer there are plenty of

[3:43:39] other answers and there are plenty of

[3:43:40] other people out there ready to help to

[3:43:44] develop in the right way in the right

[3:43:46] way

[3:43:47] thank you very much

[3:43:52] Perry stop followed by Ramin Altov

[3:43:58] good evening

[3:43:59] representatives of the council

[3:44:02] um I am Perry Staub I am legal counsel

[3:44:05] for glomax

[3:44:07] um glomax is a family operated business

[3:44:09] it develops convenience stores it's

[3:44:13] still very small it's just family

[3:44:15] operated

[3:44:18] um

[3:44:19] it came into purchase the property

[3:44:23] formally occupied by the Chase Bank when

[3:44:26] nobody else was interested in doing

[3:44:28] anything with it

[3:44:29] in invested significant amounts of time

[3:44:33] and money

[3:44:34] you as business owners and being

[3:44:37] familiar with the operations of business

[3:44:39] certainly know that one of the things

[3:44:42] you rely upon is our laws in terms of

[3:44:47] what are permitted uses of property we

[3:44:51] make our decisions all those meetings

[3:44:53] that were described with the Planning

[3:44:55] Commission and the different elements of

[3:44:58] their office all of those were conducted

[3:45:01] long before glomax ever even made the

[3:45:04] decision to go forward with the purchase

[3:45:06] of the property and it was because it

[3:45:08] had these verifications that it decided

[3:45:11] to proceed now

[3:45:13] I want to emphasize for you the

[3:45:16] narrowness really of the question that

[3:45:18] is presented to you today it's just the

[3:45:21] replanting the the Chase Bank it should

[3:45:25] have already been written been replied

[3:45:27] it you talked about it this was a good

[3:45:29] government measure it just recognizes

[3:45:32] that

[3:45:33] we have a lot for each place of business

[3:45:36] or residence that is in existence and

[3:45:40] that's that's all that is before you is

[3:45:42] the appeal of the denial of the

[3:45:45] replatting not anything concerning use

[3:45:48] everything that you've heard is about

[3:45:51] use

[3:45:53] all of that use is going to be subject

[3:45:56] to review traffic drainage Landscaping

[3:46:01] exactly how the building looks we

[3:46:04] certainly will welcome and invite

[3:46:06] neighborhood comment and we'll attempt

[3:46:09] to address concerns by neighbors then if

[3:46:13] it's appropriate and somebody wants to

[3:46:16] bring a challenge to the nature of the

[3:46:18] development perhaps we'll see you again

[3:46:21] but it's presumptuous to think that we

[3:46:24] won't be able to satisfy

[3:46:27] the concerns of the Planning Commission

[3:46:29] the concerns of zoning and the concerns

[3:46:32] of the neighbors

[3:46:33] my neighborhood has one of these there

[3:46:36] are churches there are schools there are

[3:46:39] all of the things that were mentioned

[3:46:41] it's a wonderful beautiful development

[3:46:44] the neighborhood uses it extensively

[3:46:47] don't presume that it's going to be

[3:46:50] something that's misused and remember

[3:46:53] that tonight as we said is only about

[3:46:56] replatting we'll discuss use later thank

[3:46:59] you very much

[3:47:00] next speaker

[3:47:04] Emily Emily Doom

[3:47:09] good evening Council

[3:47:11] Raymond altaf I'm with Lomax LLC

[3:47:15] I just want to restate some of the

[3:47:18] things that Mr Staub said

[3:47:20] we started looking into this property

[3:47:23] about a year ago we went through all the

[3:47:26] process that LTD recommended we had many

[3:47:29] meetings with them we discussed the use

[3:47:32] we uh you know we were given a knot

[3:47:36] basically to move forward with the

[3:47:38] project and only then we went and we

[3:47:40] purchased the property and we made the

[3:47:43] investment into the property we turned

[3:47:45] in the plans and after that you know

[3:47:48] it's uh basically we were told uh

[3:47:52] replatting was just a procedural thing

[3:47:54] the youth was already there so a lot of

[3:47:57] the opposition with all due respect

[3:48:00] they are disputing the use but we are

[3:48:04] not here to discuss use today we are

[3:48:06] here to discuss re-platting and we were

[3:48:08] told

[3:48:09] replatting would not have anything to do

[3:48:12] with the use so with that understanding

[3:48:15] you know we had made the purchase we you

[3:48:19] know made the investment towards this

[3:48:21] property and the other thing is for the

[3:48:24] uh

[3:48:26] condition the waiver that we are asking

[3:48:28] for the Dual Finance lot no matter what

[3:48:31] is done at this location

[3:48:32] if that restriction is there that will

[3:48:36] basically push all the traffic to your

[3:48:38] diversity it will close John Street

[3:48:40] entrances do close street addresses and

[3:48:43] it would basically bottleneck the

[3:48:46] traffic into that property and it

[3:48:48] wouldn't be good for it uh whether it's

[3:48:50] another type of business there or a gas

[3:48:53] station whatever it may be that would

[3:48:56] not be good for the property

[3:48:58] that's pretty much all I have to say

[3:49:01] final speaker Mr chair is Emily Dion

[3:49:05] good evening

[3:49:07] um

[3:49:07] and thank you for listening

[3:49:10] I believe I'm the only business owner

[3:49:13] that's speaking tonight

[3:49:15] my business is literally next door to

[3:49:19] Chase Bank

[3:49:21] um we take care of its Magnolia's home

[3:49:25] care for the last 18 years I've been

[3:49:27] doing this we take care of the elderly

[3:49:30] and the disabled in their homes we're

[3:49:32] like a sitting service

[3:49:35] my employees are mostly single months

[3:49:39] they come by they have to do some things

[3:49:43] at the office they have to drop off

[3:49:45] their time sheets sometimes this is done

[3:49:47] in the middle of the night they want to

[3:49:49] get paid

[3:49:50] um it's done at any time of the day

[3:49:54] um sometimes I work late at night my

[3:49:57] staff Works late I do not want to come

[3:50:00] out at 5 30 or 6 o'clock in the

[3:50:02] afternoon

[3:50:04] and have someone either sleeping sitting

[3:50:07] or standing there watching our traffic

[3:50:11] our coming goals in the office the only

[3:50:14] thing that will do is entice them

[3:50:18] to to have crimes I've heard the report

[3:50:21] of crime at Convenience Stores

[3:50:24] um

[3:50:25] and I don't believe that

[3:50:28] the Four Corners is just beginning

[3:50:32] to be reborn

[3:50:34] it's just beginning to be clean I grew

[3:50:37] up at the Four Corners I remember

[3:50:40] the national I remember the Chase Bank I

[3:50:43] remember the First National Bank this is

[3:50:45] where we grocery shop and

[3:50:49] lived I mean you know that was the Hub

[3:50:52] of the city and so I believe with this

[3:50:55] grocery store with this convenience

[3:50:57] store

[3:50:58] um it would bring Crime it would bring

[3:51:01] dysfunction

[3:51:03] to the area it would it would not help

[3:51:07] what we're trying to do at this point

[3:51:10] um we finally got rid of the hotel it's

[3:51:13] a beautiful complex apartment complex

[3:51:15] there why would we want to bring more

[3:51:20] disaster or more trash because my office

[3:51:25] is like I said the only thing that

[3:51:27] separates us right now is a

[3:51:29] um

[3:51:30] chain link fence I get all the trash I

[3:51:34] get every piece every piece of paper

[3:51:37] that flies out from either the garbage

[3:51:39] truck or people passing and throwing I

[3:51:43] get the garbage I'm the Yard Man at the

[3:51:45] office I pick up the garbage

[3:51:48] um I would appreciate if you all would

[3:51:51] just consider denying this

[3:51:53] yes we can use something else something

[3:51:56] productive something more feasible for

[3:52:00] that area that the community can use and it'd be vital

[3:52:04] but at this at this time I do wish that

[3:52:07] you would consider not

[3:52:10] um granting this petition

[3:52:12] thank you no other speakers Mr chair

[3:52:21] have a

[3:52:23] go ahead Andy yeah good

[3:52:27] this is a uh a lot on our plate here and

[3:52:31] you guys have a lot on your plate also

[3:52:34] what's so tough about this though is

[3:52:36] we're here to decide one thing

[3:52:39] a plotting replatting of the lot that's

[3:52:42] it

[3:52:43] the use of the land the use of the the

[3:52:46] intent of what the owner has for it

[3:52:50] is not even on the table right now we

[3:52:53] just have to replant that's the whole

[3:52:55] point why we're here is to replant this

[3:52:57] land

[3:52:58] now I understand

[3:52:59] a permit has been requested a building

[3:53:02] permit

[3:53:04] I'm not as familiar as I should be with

[3:53:06] these building permits I've never

[3:53:07] applied for one well for years I haven't

[3:53:09] applied for when I did a small remodel

[3:53:10] my house years ago

[3:53:12] but this permit if if I could get the

[3:53:15] owner or the attorney up here what was

[3:53:17] our Andre the engineer what what exactly

[3:53:21] is the pill permit addressing is it is

[3:53:24] it a type of building is it is it Sam

[3:53:27] what they're going to use it for is

[3:53:28] what's the department say it's going to

[3:53:30] be used for

[3:53:32] okay

[3:53:33] well

[3:53:35] yeah

[3:53:41] convenient convenience store and gas

[3:53:44] station okay all right

[3:53:46] so this new

[3:53:49] code that we're passing

[3:53:52] would not allow a convenience store and

[3:53:54] gas station so this permit

[3:53:57] that we have in place now

[3:53:59] basically is grandfathered in to allow

[3:54:02] that

[3:54:03] and I understand the biggest objection

[3:54:05] the residents here have is the gas

[3:54:08] station

[3:54:09] that's probably the biggest part of it I

[3:54:11] understand a lot of y'all don't like the

[3:54:12] convenience store there are convenience

[3:54:15] stores in the area there are convenience

[3:54:16] stores that can operate well

[3:54:18] uh

[3:54:20] but in order to facilitate the needs in

[3:54:24] the neighborhood I personally would have

[3:54:27] to vote against the replatting because

[3:54:30] we have 120 people sitting here and

[3:54:33] saying no we don't want a gas station

[3:54:35] and I can understand why and our new

[3:54:38] code moving forward will not allow a gas

[3:54:41] station there uh so I personally had to

[3:54:44] vote against this replying for that

[3:54:45] reason

[3:54:53] oh please

[3:55:03] I just want to make sure that that we're

[3:55:06] clear on this issue

[3:55:08] we keep saying that that we're here for

[3:55:10] a replatting and and we're not here to

[3:55:13] discuss

[3:55:14] use

[3:55:16] we keep saying that over and over again

[3:55:17] right

[3:55:19] yet it appears clear what the intended

[3:55:24] use is

[3:55:26] so my question is

[3:55:28] will the replatting

[3:55:32] automatically allow

[3:55:35] for the developer to construct on this

[3:55:37] property where they are proposing to

[3:55:39] construct

[3:55:40] yes because they've applied for a

[3:55:42] building permit

[3:55:44] so it would

[3:55:46] we already have the building under

[3:55:48] review

[3:55:50] the building and the adjacent science

[3:55:53] site

[3:55:54] okay

[3:55:56] and it is his

[3:55:58] okay

[3:55:59] thank you

[3:56:00] anyone else

[3:56:02] council members

[3:56:06] everybody's good

[3:56:07] okay call for the vote

[3:56:11] there is no motion on the floor at this

[3:56:13] time so we will defer to legal to give

[3:56:17] you guidance on the motion and what your

[3:56:20] yes or no vote means okay we didn't I

[3:56:22] thought we made it okay at this point uh

[3:56:27] quit Paul well it it depends on the

[3:56:30] motion okay at at this point I will

[3:56:33] entertain uh what what motion am I for

[3:56:37] uh

[3:56:40] at this point I'll entertain a motion

[3:56:44] to Grant the developers appeal

[3:56:48] of the planning commission's decision

[3:56:57] is that correct

[3:56:59] right

[3:57:03] there yes right

[3:57:07] okay but you need a motion can I get a

[3:57:09] motion in a second now Mr chair I need

[3:57:12] to I need to make sure we're clear on

[3:57:15] this okay because you have a couple of

[3:57:17] components involved in

[3:57:20] the motion to Grant the appeal

[3:57:23] you need to be specific if that motion

[3:57:26] includes

[3:57:27] whether or not you are approving the

[3:57:31] request for a waiver

[3:57:33] of the double Frontage

[3:57:36] and if you're not if the granting of the

[3:57:39] appeal that would result in the granting

[3:57:42] of the preliminary plot is going to be

[3:57:44] subject to all conditions of the

[3:57:48] previous staff report of December 19

[3:57:51] 2022 including any plot revisions and

[3:57:54] other comments and suggestions

[3:57:57] so I want us to be really careful on

[3:58:00] this yes we do

[3:58:02] uh

[3:58:03] now the alternative motion

[3:58:06] and totally up to how the council wants

[3:58:09] to deal with this if the council is

[3:58:12] inclined to entertain a motion to deny

[3:58:14] the appeal

[3:58:16] and uphold the planning commission's

[3:58:19] decision you do not need to address the

[3:58:22] waiver request or any of the other

[3:58:25] conditions

[3:58:27] so totally up to you yeah we'll take the ladder Paul

[3:58:34] we'll take the ladders

[3:58:36] make a motion to uphold the planning

[3:58:38] commissions

[3:58:46] okay uh we have a motion by councilman

[3:58:50] not Khan

[3:58:51] and a second by councilwoman cook

[3:58:55] to deny the appeal

[3:59:00] all right from the decision so the net

[3:59:03] result of your vote would be if you vote

[3:59:05] Yes to the motion to deny the appeal

[3:59:09] that upholds the planning commission's

[3:59:12] decision

[3:59:13] takes care of everything

[3:59:15] okay

[3:59:16] that's

[3:59:18] if you vote Yes to the current motion on

[3:59:21] the floor which is a motion to deny the

[3:59:23] appeal if you vote yes to that that

[3:59:26] upholds the planning commission's

[3:59:29] decision of denying preliminary plot

[3:59:35] are we clear

[3:59:37] let me see what it means is everyone

[3:59:39] clear

[3:59:42] okay

[3:59:45] um okay Andy

[3:59:49] oh Pat and Dad wanted to make comments

[3:59:52] that what's happening here tonight in

[3:59:57] many ways is the travesty for this man

[3:59:59] that owns this property

[4:00:00] because he was led to believe that he

[4:00:03] could move forward with his plan

[4:00:06] that's why he purchased the property I

[4:00:08] don't know how many

[4:00:09] hundreds of thousands of dollars he has

[4:00:11] invested I'm sure substantial it's more

[4:00:13] than any of us could afford

[4:00:15] but it's a travesty what's happening to

[4:00:17] him Tim tonight

[4:00:19] because of a lack of communication and I

[4:00:22] realize you guys have a lot invested in

[4:00:23] your property too there's no doubt about

[4:00:25] it not to mention the tax dollars we

[4:00:27] spend the property taxes you paid over

[4:00:30] the years many out 30 40 years

[4:00:32] it's not like you don't have skin in the

[4:00:34] game

[4:00:35] so basically

[4:00:37] we're hurting somebody and we're helping

[4:00:40] somebody no matter which way we go

[4:00:42] but you guys have a lot vested here I

[4:00:44] just think it's a shame what he's been

[4:00:46] through

[4:00:47] and what he's been encountered along the

[4:00:49] way to be led to believe

[4:00:51] that he's got something going forward

[4:00:53] now he doesn't thank you

[4:00:58] councilman Lewis yes I'm just going to

[4:01:00] just my concern is that um we receive a

[4:01:03] lot of calls a lot of emails asking us

[4:01:06] to to vote no to help you guys out you

[4:01:10] know to I'm not see you guys but to help

[4:01:12] you know to make sure that the

[4:01:14] neighborhood gets what they want but now

[4:01:15] the way the motion is is saying that uh

[4:01:18] yes

[4:01:19] but

[4:01:21] he would buy the appeal would deny the

[4:01:23] appeal so that's why I want you all to

[4:01:24] understand that a yes would be the right

[4:01:27] which y'all asking for and I don't know

[4:01:29] I just want y'all to understand okay all

[4:01:32] right thank you all right

[4:01:43] okay uh

[4:01:45] I I I certainly want to want one of

[4:01:48] echo's uh Echo and Andy's comments

[4:01:52] um you know

[4:01:55] and and uh Andy I'm not sure how we

[4:01:58] present this how we prevent this from

[4:02:00] happening in the future that's a good

[4:02:02] question uh but but we certainly have to

[4:02:05] find a way and I'm not sure what that is

[4:02:09] uh but that's certainly a discussion

[4:02:11] that needs to be held

[4:02:14] um

[4:02:15] University is a

[4:02:21] commercial

[4:02:23] Corridor if you will

[4:02:26] um

[4:02:28] and if these type of facilities aren't

[4:02:30] allowed on University then

[4:02:34] I don't know

[4:02:36] I really don't know but but we need to

[4:02:42] find a way

[4:02:44] uh

[4:02:46] Administration legal

[4:02:49] Community Development and planning

[4:02:52] whomever we need we need to find a way

[4:02:54] to make sure that these kind of

[4:02:56] situations don't continue to occur

[4:03:02] that's it

[4:03:07] call for the vote to call for the vote

[4:03:09] to deny the appeal District Four yes

[4:03:14] District Five

[4:03:16] uh yes district one yes District Two yes

[4:03:20] District three yes the motion to deny

[4:03:23] the FPL is approved

[4:03:24] [Applause]

[4:03:35] consider appointments to by the council

[4:03:37] as a whole to boards and commission

[4:03:39] Cindy please read appointment to the

[4:03:41] downtown management committee for the

[4:03:43] remainder of an unexpired four-year term

[4:03:45] through July 31st 2026. Apple customer's

[4:03:48] own property or work in downtown

[4:03:50] Lafayette

[4:03:52] uh the resume received for consideration

[4:03:56] is Anjali grob and there's no incumbent

[4:04:04] any other nominations there are no other

[4:04:06] nominations call for the vote District

[4:04:08] Five

[4:04:09] uh Rob District One

[4:04:12] District Two yes District three District

[4:04:16] Four

[4:04:17] Angelique Rob is appointed appointment

[4:04:20] by the apartment by council members

[4:04:22] mayor president and or other direct

[4:04:24] appointing authority Cindy please read

[4:04:27] Pat Lewis District one appointed Raymond

[4:04:30] Mallory to the recreation advisory

[4:04:32] commission for a four-year term

[4:04:33] effective December 1st 2022

[4:04:37] motion uh

[4:04:41] [Laughter]

[4:04:44] no

[4:04:46] we we we're moving on councilwoman cook

[4:04:49] I'll entertain a motion in a second to

[4:04:51] introduce items 24 and 25 in global

[4:04:54] Cindy please read well we need a motion

[4:04:57] uh with motion by councilwoman a bear

[4:04:59] second by councilman I can't send it

[4:05:02] please read

[4:05:03] 11 20 22 23 operating budget of the

[4:05:09] Lafayette City Parish Consolidated

[4:05:11] Government by increasing revenues in the

[4:05:13] amount of twelve thousand one hundred

[4:05:15] one dollars received from the United

[4:05:17] States Marshal Service and appropriating

[4:05:19] within the Lafayette Police Department

[4:05:22] city ordinance 12 2023 in Orange of the

[4:05:25] Lafayette city council meaning the

[4:05:26] fiscal year 2223 capital budget of the

[4:05:29] Lafayette City Parish Consolidated

[4:05:30] Government by switching funding of 360

[4:05:33] thousand dollars of Park capital

[4:05:35] projects between the American Rescue

[4:05:38] plan 21 City 650 fund and the sales tax

[4:05:42] Capital Improvement City fund 401. any

[4:05:46] Council discussion it's also any public

[4:05:49] comment no sir call for both attention

[4:05:51] this items 24 and 25 in global district

[4:05:54] one yes District Two yes District three

[4:05:57] yes District Four yes District Five

[4:06:01] yes the motion to reduce items 24 and 25

[4:06:04] in global is approved this part will

[4:06:07] entertain a motion to introduce

[4:06:10] a motion and second to introduce items

[4:06:12] 27 and 28 in global

[4:06:15] most of my councilwoman Cooks second by

[4:06:17] councilman I can't Cindy please read

[4:06:19] John 1.6

[4:06:21] 2023 and draw earnings of the Lafayette

[4:06:23] City Council in the Lafayette Parish

[4:06:25] Council amending the fiscal year 22-23

[4:06:27] operating budget and demanding tables of

[4:06:30] the Lafayette City Parish Consolidated

[4:06:31] Government by increasing the honorary

[4:06:33] pay rate of an investment officer

[4:06:36] position within the office of finance

[4:06:38] and management accounting Division I

[4:06:40] draw on at 7 2023 HR honors of the

[4:06:43] Lafayette City Council on the Lafayette

[4:06:44] Parish Council amending the fiscal year

[4:06:47] 2223 operating in capital budgets

[4:06:50] of the Lafayette City Parish

[4:06:51] Consolidated Government by recognizing

[4:06:53] revenues in the amount of one million

[4:06:55] six hundred thousand dollars received

[4:06:57] from the Federal Highway Administration

[4:06:59] approving the use of existing funds in

[4:07:02] the amount of four hundred thousand

[4:07:03] dollars for the required local match

[4:07:05] appropriating within the traffic roads

[4:07:07] and bridges Department traffic

[4:07:08] engineering Division and authorizing the

[4:07:10] Lafayette mayor president to execute a

[4:07:12] contract with the Louisiana Department

[4:07:14] of Transportation and development and

[4:07:16] the Acadian and Planning Commission

[4:07:18] Metropolitan planning Organization for

[4:07:21] the Lafayette Parish non-state pavement

[4:07:22] marking project 8015018

[4:07:27] the council discussion

[4:07:28] Ms Arsenal Republic comment no sir call

[4:07:32] for both to introduce items 27 and 28 in

[4:07:35] global District Two

[4:07:37] yes District three yeah Mr five yes Mr Quinn yes

[4:07:43] items 27 and 28 and Global is approved

[4:07:47] for the business I joined the Lafayette

[4:08:07] [Music]

Lafayette Parish and City Council meeting of 02/01/2023

Transcript