[0:00] regularly scheduled council meeting.

[0:03] I'd like to thank everybody who is here in person, in attendance here tonight.

[0:07] Thank you to all of those viewing online.

[0:10] First and foremost, I'd like to give a few housekeeping things.

[0:14] If you notice on your agenda, council members and those who have them, we have now

[0:19] added after adjournment future council meeting dates.

[0:24] The November 17th date will be moved to the 24th due to the holiday there, so

[0:30] that will be changed pending our vote.

[0:33] And so that's so when we postpone things, we can reference the future council

[0:37] meeting dates and not just say 30 days from now, because sometimes it's not always

[0:41] 30 days. So we have those dates there for us now in our agenda.

[0:46] Also, for those from the public, just letting you know, we do have a request to

[0:51] postpone two agenda items. That's agenda item four and five by our

[0:57] planning and development. So if you're here to speak tonight on that as well, just

[1:02] giving you a heads up, you might want to save it if that gets moved to the next

[1:07] time. With that being said, I'm going to ask Councilwoman Haggerty and Councilman

[1:12] Abney to lead the pledge, and Councilwoman Haggerty to lead us in prayer.

[1:17] Please request to speak.

[1:22] All right.

[1:24] Heavenly Father. Put on my glasses.

[1:27] As we remember September 11th, we honor those who lost their lives and pray for

[1:33] their families who continue to carry their memory.

[1:36] We give thanks for all the courage of all the first responders, military members,

[1:41] and ordinary people who showed extraordinary bravery.

[1:45] Lord, comfort those who still grieve.

[1:48] Protect our nation, and remind us to choose love over fear, unity over

[1:54] division, and peace over hatred. May we never forget, and may your grace guide us

[1:59] as we remember. Amen.

[2:03] Amen.

[2:03] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the

[2:08] republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[2:14] justice for all.

[2:16] Roll call, Mr. Reece.

[2:18] Councilman Washington. Here. Councilman Daly. Here. Councilman Haggerty.

[2:23] Here.

[2:23] Councilman Dasani.

[2:24] Present.

[2:25] Councilman Brownfield.

[2:26] Present.

[2:26] Councilman Denham.

[2:28] Present.

[2:28] Councilman Jones.

[2:30] Here.

[2:30] Councilman Rogers.

[2:31] Here.

[2:31] Councilman Abney.

[2:34] Present.

[2:35] At this time, we'd like to open the consent calendar.

[2:37] That is items A, B, C, D, E, F, and G

[2:43] to the public. If anyone from the public is wishing to speak to these items, you

[2:47] may do so at this time.

[2:50] Seeing no one from the public, bring it back before the council.

[2:54] Need a motion.

[2:55] Make a motion to accept.

[2:57] We have a motion to adopt the consent calendar by Councilwoman Denham, and that was

[3:01] seconded by Councilman Washington.

[3:05] Please vote your machines, and remember to vote verbally as well.

[3:09] Yay.

[3:10] Yay.

[3:12] All right. Moving on to Section B, special presentations.

[3:18] Slow down.

[3:19] Oh, sorry.

[3:21] You're not working.

[3:23] Tap it.

[3:29] There it is.

[3:33] Let's do roll call vote.

[3:35] Roll call vote. Verbal vote.

[3:45] Roll call vote, Council Washington.

[3:48] Roll call vote, yay or nay? Yay. Daly? Yay.

[3:53] Yay.

[3:54] Councilman.

[3:55] Yay.

[3:56] Yay.

[3:57] Yay.

[3:57] And by a nine-zero vote, consent calendar's adopted.

[4:00] Moving on to special presentations at this time.

[4:03] Would you like me to hand it over to you, Councilwoman?

[4:07] Sure.

[4:08] We're going to hand it over to Councilwoman Denham.

[4:10] Please press your request to speak.

[4:14] Good evening. I would like to call Christy Lamark and thank her

[4:20] for being with us this afternoon, and she'll be speaking with us about the National

[4:25] Stillbirth Prevention and Awareness.

[4:30] Good evening. My name is Christy Lamark Bordelon, and it is truly an honor to be

[4:35] here in the city of Slidell for this meaningful recognition.

[4:39] I would like to thank the mayor, and most of all, Councilwoman at large, Denham,

[4:45] for recognizing Stillbirth Awareness Month and for standing with the families whose

[4:50] lives have been forever changed by pregnancy loss.

[4:53] I stand before you as a nurse, a bereavement advocate, and the author of

[4:58] Louisiana's Angels' Law, legislation created to ensure that families experiencing

[5:03] pregnancy and infant loss receive compassionate, informed, and dignified care.

[5:09] Each year, stillbirth affects approximately 21,000 families in the United States.

[5:15] Stillbirth is a loss of a baby at or after 20 weeks of pregnancy who's not born

[5:21] alive. Behind every number is a deeply loved baby and a grieving family and a life

[5:27] forever changed. Awareness matters, because when we speak about stillbirth, we

[5:32] create opportunities for education, research, prevention, and improved care.

[5:38] Families should know that their baby's movements are an important sign as

[5:42] wellbeing. Programs such as Count the Kicks teach expectant parents how to learn

[5:47] and monitor their baby's normal movements during that third trimester, and to

[5:53] contact their healthcare providers immediately if they notice movement change.

[5:58] We cannot prevent every stillbirth, but greater awareness and education helps us to

[6:04] prevent more of them. When parents are informed, healthcare providers listen and

[6:09] communities work together, lives can be saved.

[6:12] This proclamation sends a powerful message throughout the whole city of Slidell.

[6:17] Remember every baby, support every grieving family, and stand with us

[6:22] to make stillbirth prevention and compassionate care a priority.

[6:26] Thank you for bringing attention to a loss that has remained silent for far too

[6:30] long. Your recognition honors these precious babies, acknowledges their families,

[6:35] and helps create a future in which fewer families experience the heartbreak of

[6:40] stillbirth. Thank you for standing with us, for speaking their names, and for

[6:44] helping ensure that no family has to walk through this alone.

[6:49] Thank you.

[6:50] Thank you.

[7:05] Can you give her the mic?

[7:07] We don't have one?

[7:12] Whereas stillbirth is the loss of a baby after 20 weeks of pregnancy and affects

[7:17] over 20,000 families in the United States each year, creating a profound and

[7:23] lasting impact on parents, families, and communities.

[7:27] And whereas behind every statistic is a family forever changed, and

[7:33] National Stillbirth Prevention and Awareness Day serves to honor the lives

[7:39] of babies lost too soon, support grieving families, and bring

[7:45] awareness to pregnancy and infant loss.

[7:49] And whereas research indicates that some stillbirths may be

[7:54] preventable through improved education, increased awareness,

[8:00] quality prenatal care, and evidence-based healthcare practices that

[8:06] support healthier pregnancies and better outcomes.

[8:11] And whereas Louisiana continues to provide compassionate support for

[8:16] families through Angels' Law, Senate Bill 32, Act

[8:22] 346, signed into law June

[8:28] 1st, 2026, which requires hospitals with maternity

[8:34] and neonatal units to provide comprehensive perinatal

[8:39] bereavement care, including bereavement resources,

[8:44] specialized staff training, and access

[8:49] to perinatal cooling devices such as caring cradles, which

[8:55] allows grieving parents precious memory-making time with their infant without

[9:01] feeling rushed And whereas the city of Slidell recognizes the

[9:07] importance of supporting families affected by stillbirth, honoring the memory of

[9:13] babies lost too soon, and recognizing the healthcare professionals,

[9:19] advocates, and organizations dedicated to improving maternal and infant

[9:25] health. Now therefore, I, Randy Fadou, Mayor of the City of

[9:31] Slidell, Louisiana, on behalf of the Slidell City Council and

[9:37] citizens of Slidell, do hereby proclaim September 19th,

[9:43] 2026, as National Stillbirth Prevention and Awareness Day.

[9:50] And the city of Slidell

[9:54] encourage all citizens to remember the babies whose lives were lost too soon,

[10:00] support families experiencing pregnancies and infant loss, and promote

[10:05] awareness, compassion, education, and hope for healthier

[10:10] pregnancies and strong communities.

[10:14] In the name of and by the authority vested in the Honorable Randy Fadou,

[10:20] Mayor of the City of Slidell, Louisiana, and Leslie Denham, Councilwoman at

[10:25] Large.

[10:51] Thank you so much.

[10:55] Moving on to our second special presentation tonight, Councilwoman Haggerty?

[11:00] Yes, I'd like to welcome Gladys Campbell to the Slidell City Council Chambers.

[11:05] I was fortunate enough to hear Gladys give a presentation at Pocotello Hall High

[11:09] School to our students, and it was moving, and it was wonderful, and I wanted to

[11:13] invite her here. This is National Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month.

[11:17] So Gladys is going to share a little bit with us.

[11:20] Hi, everybody. Thank you all for having me, and thank you for

[11:25] highlighting National Stillborn Month. I am a mother of a stillborn.

[11:31] And it still touches me. So my little angel, Lola, is in heaven shining down on me,

[11:36] so she gives me strength to talk about needed subjects like suicide.

[11:40] So NAMI National has acquired Suicide Prevention Month for the month of September,

[11:46] and it is

[11:48] a mental health impact that has affected 48,000 individuals in the United

[11:54] States. In Louisiana, it is the third leading cause of death.

[12:00] Many individuals have been subjected to mental illness, feeling like there's no

[12:06] way out when it comes to suicide. And our

[12:12] goal is to speak to everyone, to share awareness, to show them that they're not

[12:17] alone in their journey.

[12:20] So

[12:21] we recognize that it's to spread hope and awareness and to engage

[12:27] everyone, to let them know that there are folks out there to help.

[12:32] We have 988, and I'm hoping everyone in here knows 988.

[12:37] Yeah. Okay, cool. So 988 is a helpline for individuals that are going through

[12:43] mental health crises. You do not have to be suicidal to call 988.

[12:48] The biggest thing, you can be in crisis.

[12:50] NAMI Southeast Louisiana does its due diligence by if you have a crisis going on,

[12:55] call us up so that we can guide you to support services and care.

[13:00] Individuals as young as 10 years old have completed suicide.

[13:05] It doesn't discriminate on age. It doesn't discriminate on demographics.

[13:10] It doesn't discriminate on socioeconomic status.

[13:13] Suicide affects us all. How can we help people that

[13:19] are feeling like they're suicidal or just in a mental health crisis?

[13:23] By starting the conversation. It is very uncomfortable to talk about suicide,

[13:28] right? Many of us have probably known someone who have completed suicide, and I'm

[13:34] sure you're like, "Well, what could I have done to deter them, to stop them, to

[13:39] help them, to guide them, to show them that I'm here and present?" By just asking

[13:45] them, "How are you doing? Are you doing okay? Can I assist you in some way?

[13:51] Have you talked to a therapist about this? Have you talked to your partner?

[13:54] Who is your person that you spend the most time with?

[13:59] Do you have a self-care mechanism that you're using?

[14:02] What are your positive coping strategies?" And I know we're in Louisiana,

[14:08] and we love to drink. But not leaning towards a bottle for any

[14:14] type of coping, but something more positive.

[14:17] Getting out and exercising, stretching, reading a book, different strategies that's

[14:22] going to help alleviate their mind to reduce those crises.

[14:27] Now, some of the warning signs that I'm going to share with you, it's going to be

[14:30] short, but there are many signs. However, if someone is talking or writing about

[14:35] death, dying, or suicide, that's a warning sign in itself.

[14:39] Even if they say it in passing, they can be very serious on their act.

[14:45] And because I have a lot of men in here, for men, it is very quickly.

[14:51] It is something very impulsive, and they kind of use... Not kind of. They use guns.

[14:56] They jump off bridges. They jump off buildings.

[15:00] So a very impulsive and quick act. Expressing hopelessness for the future,

[15:06] not thinking about those future plans, not talking about those future plans.

[15:11] Ensure to them that, "Hey, you have this to look forward to.

[15:14] Let's make sure that we make it to that date." Displaying severe overwhelming

[15:20] emotional pain or distress, which can look like a lot of different things for

[15:24] individuals. However, if you can see someone that is severely distressed, engage

[15:30] with them, talk with them. You could be that person that could save that person's

[15:33] life. Showing worrisome changes in behaviors, particularly with the warning signs

[15:39] above, including significant withdrawal from friends, families, changes in sleep

[15:45] patterns, showing up late or canceling plans, anger or hostility, and

[15:50] then recent agitation or irritability.

[15:54] It takes us, everyone in this room, to stop a suicide.

[15:59] One in five individuals have a mental health crisis, so look around us.

[16:05] Many of us have mental health challenges.

[16:07] Not many of us have mental illnesses, but all of us can be subjected to a mental

[16:11] health challenge. It is our goal here at NAMI Southeast Louisiana to spread

[16:16] awareness, reduce stigma, and provide support.

[16:19] I want to thank you all for having me today, and I have some goodies in the back I

[16:23] want to hand out to provide with you guys just to spread the awareness, and thank

[16:27] you so much for having me.

[16:29] Thank you.

[16:30] Thank you.

[16:38] Moving on to our third special presentation, Keep St.

[16:42] Tammany Safe Initiative. I'm not sure who is exactly...

[16:48] Mr. Caruso Jr., please come in.

[16:55] You'll get a couple of us tonight. Thank you very much.

[16:57] Thank you all for having us here. I'm Sam Caruso, and I have been brought on as the

[17:03] coach for this initiative for St. Tammany Parish government to get a new

[17:08] quarter-cent sales tax passed for our justice system across St. Tammany Parish.

[17:14] And tonight, what we're going to do in a moment, I'm going to have

[17:19] Mary come up and re-sign into this computer, and we're going to show you a quick

[17:23] four-minute video. And following that, Chairwoman Cheryl Tanner is going to come

[17:28] talk to you for a few minutes. We're not going to take a lot of your time tonight,

[17:33] but we are going to give you some information about the many public meetings that

[17:38] we are holding all around St. Tammany Parish and encourage you and the citizens of

[17:43] Slidell to attend those. So without further ado, I'll ask Mary to come get our

[17:48] video started. Thank you.

[17:49] Thank you.

[18:03] Oh, good. I remembered it.

[18:13] You've seen it by now. The news reports, the Facebook posts, and newspaper

[18:17] articles. Some of that's true, and some of it is not. The truth is, St.

[18:22] Tammany has a funding issue. You're thinking, "We pay high taxes.

[18:27] How is this even possible?" So let's talk about it.

[18:31] First, we need to discuss our tax structure.

[18:34] Unlike many other parishes, your tax dollars do not go to one place.

[18:38] Your money gets divided up to dozens of agencies like the school board, sheriff's

[18:42] office, library, and fire districts.

[18:44] By law, those dollars can only be used for the purpose approved by the voters.

[18:48] The library can't share money to fight fires, and the mosquito money can't be used

[18:52] to fund the district attorney or the courts.

[18:55] These restrictions were put in place by you, the voters, and can only be changed by

[18:59] you, not the parish president, council, or any elected official.

[19:04] This system is called dedicated funding.

[19:07] We all know why the voters chose this structure.

[19:09] You know exactly where your money's going.

[19:12] The downside of that is the needs of today may not be the needs of tomorrow.

[19:17] Over time, our needs changed, and that leaves us where we are today.

[19:22] Of the $400 million you pay annually in property taxes, none of it is dedicated to

[19:27] criminal justice. Remember, your taxes are not one big pot of money.

[19:32] Only $7 million in property taxes is undedicated and can be used to fund our public

[19:37] safety. For the last 10 years, one-time monies like the Deepwater Horizon

[19:42] settlement or COVID recovery dollars and the parish savings were used to fund

[19:46] public safety. In 2026, the last of those dollars were used, and it wasn't enough

[19:52] to fund these critical agencies, which is why you heard of budget cuts to public

[19:56] safety. For 2027, all that remains is the $7 million in undedicated property

[20:01] taxes. With that, the funding provided to the judicial system from parish

[20:06] government will be reduced by 60%.

[20:09] Remember, other agencies cannot share funds. Now you know the problem.

[20:14] Next, how do we fix this? Restructuring this system will take years and many votes

[20:20] by you. For the last several months, community leaders have thought out a plan with

[20:25] your feedback to cover critical services without more money.

[20:29] A quarter of a penny sales tax with a reduction in property taxes was chosen, as it

[20:34] is the most cost-effective option.

[20:37] To fund our public safety agencies, it would cost you around $5.60 a month.

[20:42] That's around the cost of an extra cup of coffee a month.

[20:45] For a $100 grocery bill, it's $0.25 more.

[20:49] For a third of your Netflix subscription, this keeps St. Tammany safe.

[20:53] At the same time, the sales tax will be offset by lowering property taxes.

[20:58] Some lowering has already been done with the library and mosquito district, which

[21:02] saves millions annually. That's step one.

[21:05] Step two is the quarter of a penny sales tax to support public safety for five

[21:09] years. The final step is to restructure our tax system.

[21:14] It took us 50 years to get here, so this will require some time.

[21:19] Our plan is to cover essential services while lowering the tax burden on our

[21:22] community. Our judicial system is top tier and one of the main reasons we're safe.

[21:29] If nothing is done, its funding will be cut by more than half in 2027.

[21:34] So what does that mean? Prosecuting criminals will take longer, and they'll have to

[21:38] be released while awaiting trial.

[21:40] The Justice Center will have limited hours, and crime may

[21:43] rise. There's a reason we're proud to call St. Tammany home.

[21:49] From the beautiful waterways to the great schools and safe neighborhoods, our

[21:53] quality of life is unmatched. Here, families grow, businesses thrive, and

[21:59] neighbors still know each other by name. St.

[22:01] Tammany is more than just a place to live. It's a place worth protecting.

[22:06] That quality of life could change and fast.

[22:09] Let's work together and protect the community we love. The choice is yours.

[22:14] Keep St. Tammany safe.

[22:25] Thank you for having us. I'm Cheryl Tanner.

[22:29] I'm District Six councilor, but I'm also chair of the St.

[22:35] Tammany Parish Council. Thank you for letting us give this presentation.

[22:42] We have... And I don't know whether they can see this.

[22:46] The presentations

[22:51] for the

[22:54] months ahead,

[22:58] September and October and November, we will get those to you.

[23:02] They're also on our website. We also have with us tonight, the

[23:08] warden from St. Tammany Parish Jail.

[23:11] Warden

[23:13] and Chief Deputy Cox. And we have Bella from our

[23:19] DNA lab that is available if anybody afterwards would like to ask questions.

[23:24] We also have our councilmen Joe Impastata and David Coughel with us tonight.

[23:32] I would also like to ask the public and the council to come to any

[23:38] meetings so you can see our full presentation.

[23:42] And also, I would like to request that the council pass a resolution in support of

[23:48] this. It's not only for the parish, it's for the municipalities.

[23:52] This is our Justice Center, the Towers Building, our DA, our courts,

[23:58] coroner's office, and our jail. Thank you so much for having me.

[24:03] Thank you.

[24:06] Yes, thank you, Councilman Coughel, Councilman Impastato for attending as well

[24:09] tonight. We appreciate you guys. Our last special presentation tonight will be for

[24:15] the Slidell Heritage Festival.

[24:22] Mr. Ron Davis, please come to the front.

[24:29] Good evening, everybody. Like Tracy said, I'm Ron Davis.

[24:32] I'm on the board of directors of the Slidell Heritage Foundation.

[24:38] Numbers don't add up right because I think I've been on that board for 85 years,

[24:41] but this was our 25th year to do this festival, so I'm not sure how that worked

[24:45] out. But I also wanted to thank the ladies in the back in the red shirts back

[24:50] there. I got voluntold to come make this presentation, but it's actually a great

[24:54] thing that I like to do. But we just completed our 25th annual Slidell Heritage

[25:00] Festival. Wanted to take a minute to kinda explain to some of you guys how we do it

[25:05] and what goes on with it. There's two different Rotary Clubs in the city of

[25:09] Slidell. So the two Rotary Clubs, in conjunction with the city of Slidell, work

[25:14] together to put on this festival every year.

[25:16] This year it was probably our best festival in a long time regarding the amount of

[25:21] money we brought in. But each year we get together and we pick, part about it the

[25:27] best, we pick six local nonprofits that come together to help us out, run the show.

[25:33] And also, they split up the money. All the money that's brought in is actually

[25:37] given out to the two Rotary Clubs, plus these nonprofits.

[25:42] This year, our nonprofits, make sure I got this right.

[25:49] Excuse me, one second here.

[25:58] The Slidell Police Association, the Boy Scouts

[26:04] Cypress District. Those two organizations help us out each year because they do

[26:09] such a tremendous job to help us out, put the festival on.

[26:13] The Slidell Police Association, they provide a whole lot.

[26:16] One of the gates they run for us every year, and then they also provide

[26:21] the safety for us at the event. Done a great job for us.

[26:26] Boy Scouts every year, they've been a continual person that we've used every year,

[26:31] but they run our

[26:33] parking lots, which is a tremendously hot job, as you can imagine.

[26:38] But they do a great job parking because it is a mess out there trying to keep all

[26:43] the parking and all that together. So we use those every year.

[26:47] We also had the Integrated Warrior Assistance this year, Our Friend's Closet

[26:52] Community Christian Concern. So those were the

[26:56] organizations that were going to benefit from the proceeds this year of the

[26:59] festival. I wanted to take just a real quick minute to thank the city.

[27:05] It's great to be able to work together with all the people at the Parks and

[27:09] Recreation, and as well as everybody to be able to put this together.

[27:13] It's gotten smoother and smoother each year, and we couldn't do it without the help

[27:17] of the city. So appreciate you guys providing all you do to help us put on the

[27:23] festival.

[27:25] Like I mentioned before, this was our 25th year.

[27:28] In those 25 years, we've given over a million dollars to these local non-profits.

[27:32] What I like about it is that we do tend to pick smaller non-profits that don't

[27:38] usually have big fundraising events, so we're able to help out smaller non-profits,

[27:42] and it's different ones each year. So we're very proud of that part there.

[27:46] This year was one of our more successful financial events this year.

[27:51] I'm not going to tell you exactly how much we raised this year because we've not

[27:56] done the check presentations to these organizations yet, so we're going to keep

[27:59] that under wraps here. But it was a great year for us.

[28:03] I've been trying to work with Kevin Walcott each year to try to keep the weather a

[28:08] high of 72. He's not helped us out on that yet, but we're going to keep working on

[28:12] that. But no, it's a great organization.

[28:14] It's a great festival, and we were very, very happy to do that.

[28:19] And once again, we wanted to thank the City of Slidell.

[28:22] Actually, in the last few years have stepped forward financially, and it's been a

[28:27] real great working relationship for these years. So thank you very much.

[28:30] Thank you.

[28:37] Moving on to public hearings. Item number 26-083662, an ordinance

[28:42] declaring certain property of the City of Slidell surplus and setting the method of

[28:47] disposing the same, Brownfield Denham, by request of administration.

[28:51] Anyone from the public wishing to speak on this topic?

[28:56] Seeing none, bring it back before the council. Need a motion.

[29:01] Motion to adopt.

[29:02] A motion to adopt by Councilwoman Denham, seconded by Councilman DeSanti.

[29:05] Any discussion?

[29:09] Second by Faidley. Oh, I'm sorry. Faidley, my mistake. Miss, you caught that?

[29:16] Yeah.

[29:16] Okay, thank you. Machine's working now. Oh, your machine's working. All right.

[29:20] With no discussion, before the council, please vote your machines.

[29:24] Yay.

[29:25] Yay. Yay.

[29:29] By a nine, zero vote, item 26083662 is adopted.

[29:35] Moving on. Item number 26-083663, an ordinance amending the code of ordinances of

[29:41] the City of Slidell, Chapter 28, with respect to certain fees and costs for city

[29:45] utility accounts, water connection and disconnection practices, and collection of

[29:50] debt, and to provide for ancillary matters related to utility billing in connection

[29:55] therewith. Faidley Jones. Anyone from the public wishing to speak on this item?

[30:01] Seeing none, I bring it back before the council.

[30:04] Any discussion, Councilwoman Denham?

[30:07] I just would like for either Councilman Faidley or Jones just to say what the

[30:13] changes were.

[30:16] Councilwoman Faidley. I mean Councilman. I am so sorry.

[30:21] Out of control.

[30:22] I'm sorry.

[30:23] Jeez, Louise.

[30:27] So yes, this water ordinance. Basically, the gist of this ordinance, why we

[30:33] brought this up is every year the city-- I don't have the figure in front of me.

[30:36] I believe it's actually the number that's in the actual ordinance in the back.

[30:41] In the whereas clauses, it's actually much higher than what that number says, that

[30:46] the city basically gets bad debt from unpaid water bills every year.

[30:50] It's a couple hundred thousand a year.

[30:53] On top of that, we spend about $90,000 a year mailing bills to people

[30:59] and trying to collect and things like that.

[31:02] So what this does is, how do I put this?

[31:08] This accelerates the time from non-payment to shutoff for two reasons.

[31:13] One, to protect the city from sending out three months worth of free water to

[31:18] somebody that's not paying. And two, if you're already behind one month, and you

[31:23] can't get caught up, you're not going to get caught up on three months.

[31:25] So hopefully you can get that smaller amount.

[31:28] The average bill in the city is 60, 70 bucks, something like that, for water,

[31:31] trash, and all. So that's the idea behind that, as well as it lowers the fee for

[31:37] reconnections. It makes it cheaper to get your water reconnected if you do

[31:43] default. So just moving things around a little bit to help protect the city and

[31:48] guard some taxpayer money from going out the window nonstop all year long.

[31:52] Thank you.

[31:55] Motion to adopt.

[31:56] Motion to adopt by Councilwoman Denham. Second. Seconded by Councilman Jones.

[32:03] Please vote your machines. Yay. Yay.

[32:07] Yay.

[32:11] And by a nine, zero vote, item 26083663 is adopted.

[32:16] Item number 26-08-3664, an ordinance to amend the zoning map for

[32:22] properties located at 1353 11th Street, zoned SPR, Parks and

[32:27] Recreation, along with 842 Florida Avenue and 834 Florida

[32:33] Avenue, zoned RSF, Residential Single Family, identified as

[32:39] Lots 22A, 24, 26, and 28, and the east

[32:45] 30 feet of the Lots 25 and 27 and Square 48

[32:50] Brugette Addition, to change their current zoning to

[32:55] SCI, Civic and Institutional, and SPR, Parks and Recreation,

[33:01] Brownfield/Haggerty, by request of administration.

[33:04] Anyone from the public wishing to speak on this item?

[33:16] Please sign in and state your name.

[33:30] Buddy Lloyd, Brugette Addition.

[33:36] This ordinance kind of wraps up

[33:40] the transition of the current fitness park into a parking lot

[33:47] that allows for buffering from the residential properties adjacent to

[33:52] it and also across the street. This will allow for

[33:58] a new park along Florida Avenue, which will provide additional buffering.

[34:07] I'd like to thank the council , the hospital, the administration,

[34:13] the citizens of Brugette, also of Slidell, for working really

[34:19] hard to come to

[34:23] a compromise. The hospital really gave up a lot.

[34:29] Kudos to them for coming back to the table

[34:34] again and again, and giving something up every time.

[34:41] I think this will allow some closure there.

[34:45] Also, this whole process is a reminder

[34:52] that the laws that we have in place are only good

[34:58] for as long as you have the votes to keep them.

[35:02] That park was supposed to be there for 25 years.

[35:09] That only lasted 15.

[35:13] The new ordinance, the new park, the buffer zone,

[35:19] is supposed to be permanent.

[35:22] It will only be permanent as long as we have the votes to

[35:28] keep it that way. Thank you.

[35:30] Thank you.

[35:43] Please sign in and state your name.

[35:48] Hey, Nathan Shelley with Brugette Homeowners.

[35:53] So the neighborhood has come to an agreement with the hospital, and I think we did

[35:58] a good job on both sides with that. And the city council, we all worked together.

[36:03] I think that's phase one of this. Phase two would be how is the hospital

[36:10] and the city going to mitigate the traffic impact on the neighborhood long-term,

[36:15] short-term? Currently, I don't know what's been

[36:21] proposed, if there's a traffic study or management plan for the traffic, but I

[36:25] think there needs to be one. The last time we had a project for the parking

[36:31] lot,

[36:33] construction traffic all day cutting through the neighborhood, whether it's 10th,

[36:37] 9th, 11th Street.

[36:41] I had to go out there, talk to the contractor in person.

[36:44] I sent Sandy an email and others at the hospital, kind of fell on deaf ears.

[36:48] I don't know if anything's changed.

[36:49] The gentleman seems to be more

[36:52] in line with us.

[36:54] However, when I spoke to the contractor, he said, "Look, we're trying to build a

[36:59] parking lot here. We don't care, basically." So nothing changed.

[37:04] So my concern is we're going to do this next phase of this project, and the

[37:10] neighborhood, the neighbors are going to have to take the impact of this.

[37:15] We're not only having construction traffic, we're going to have emergency vehicles,

[37:21] rideshare vehicles cutting through the neighborhood.

[37:24] So what can we do to mitigate this impact to the

[37:29] neighborhood and enforce something with the city, with the hospital,

[37:35] where there can be some accountability?

[37:38] And with that accountability, maybe some kind of mitigation to the neighborhood

[37:44] to clean up the neighborhood or something like that.

[37:46] Maybe the hospital can come up with

[37:50] some verbiage in their contract that if vendors cut through the neighborhood,

[37:55] they're penalized. I'm sure they would agree to that in some form or fashion

[38:00] because they like to do business with the hospital.

[38:03] I also sent you this in an email back on August 25th to review.

[38:07] So that's my concern going forward.

[38:09] So hopefully the city council, the hospital, we can all come together and come up

[38:13] with some kind of agreement, and also have some direct contact at the hospital so

[38:19] the neighborhood can communicate with them, communicate with the city, and kind of

[38:24] all work together for a brighter future for the city. Thank you.

[38:29] Thank you.

[38:33] Anyone else from the public wishing to speak on this topic?

[38:36] Seeing none, I bring it back before the council. Motion?

[38:40] Motion to adopt Denham.

[38:42] Councilwoman Denham, seconded by Councilwoman Haggerty

[38:48] to adopt. Please vote your machines.

[38:51] Yay.

[38:52] Yay.

[38:57] Item 26083664 is adopted by a nine zero vote.

[39:03] By request of planning, we are asking to formally postpone this

[39:09] item, item number 26-083665, an ordinance annexing into the City

[39:15] of Slidell 2,014 linear feet of paved and unpaved portions of the full

[39:20] width of the right of way for U.S. Highway 190 East and that 54.5 acre

[39:26] parcel of land addressed as 39200 Highway 190

[39:32] East on the southeast corner of Highway 190 East at Brookster Street,

[39:38] located in Section 13, T9S, R14E, and establish city

[39:44] zoning classification as CC Commercial Corridor, Brownfield Jones by request of

[39:50] administration. Anyone from the public wishing to speak on this topic?

[39:55] Also, the postponed requested date for any council member to make a motion is

[40:00] October 13th.

[40:04] Seeing no one from the public wishing to speak on this item, we bring it back

[40:07] before the council.

[40:09] Move to postpone till October 13th.

[40:12] We have a motion to postpone by Councilwoman Denham, seconded by

[40:17] Councilman Jones to postpone this item to October 13th.

[40:23] Any discussion?

[40:25] Mr. Faigley. Councilman Faigley.

[40:29] Yeah, I just wanted to tell the public why we're postponing this, because

[40:32] oftentimes things do get postponed, and I see comments on the interwebs and the

[40:37] talking, thinking we're just kicking things down the curb and not taking action.

[40:40] So, and somebody that maybe knows better than me, correct me if I misspeak here,

[40:45] but essentially we're postponing this because we are attempting to annex a parish

[40:50] area, and we need their concurrence for sales tax purposes, for ad valorem tax

[40:53] purposes. So if we just go ahead and come in and say, "Yeah, we're annexing this

[40:58] and doing it," and then the parish decides in a couple of weeks, "Eh, yeah, we

[41:01] don't really like that," they get to keep a whole bunch of the tax money.

[41:04] So we're waiting for that to go through as well as this particular one has the

[41:10] 2,000 feet or whatever of the highway.

[41:13] That's a state highway, and so they need to give that over to us as well because it

[41:16] doesn't run contiguous with our city.

[41:18] So for transparency purposes for the public, this is why this is getting postponed.

[41:24] Thank you, Councilman Faigley.

[41:28] We have a motion on the floor by Councilwoman Denham, seconded by Council

[41:34] Jones to postpone to the October 13th meeting. Please vote your machines.

[41:40] Yay.

[41:44] Item 9-0, vote item 26083665 is postponed to October 13th.

[41:50] Moving on to item number 26-08-3666, an

[41:55] ordinance annexing into the City of Slidell that parcel of land containing

[42:01] 2.12 acres, addressed as 2081 Gause Boulevard East, located

[42:06] at the southeast corner of the Pearl Acres Road, identified as Lot 1A, Square 24,

[42:12] Pearl Acres Subdivision, and establishing the city zoning classification as CC

[42:18] Corridor Commercial, Brownfield Jones by request of the administration.

[42:26] We also, from planning, have been asked to postpone this to the October 13th

[42:30] meeting for the same reason, if I'm not mistaken. Is that correct?

[42:36] Thank you. Anyone from the public wishing to speak on this item?

[42:41] Seeing none, I take it back before the council. We need a motion.

[42:45] Motion to postpone till October 13th.

[42:50] We have a motion to postpone to October 13th by Councilwoman Denham, seconded by

[42:55] Councilman Faigley. Please vote your machines.

[42:59] Yay.

[43:03] Yay.

[43:03] And by a 9-0 vote, item 26083666 is postponed to October

[43:09] 13th.

[43:09] Moving on to legislative comments and reports. Councilwoman Denham.

[43:14] Okay, I'm going to read this verbatim because I don't want to mess it up.

[43:21] But last week I had the opportunity to visit a home, one of our habitat homes,

[43:27] right in the Possum Hollow area, where they were receiving

[43:33] this little device to attach to their HVAC system that

[43:38] will reduce the cost of utilities in that home.

[43:44] It was the very first home in the state of Louisiana that received it, and I'm

[43:50] going to read exactly what was done and who sponsored it.

[43:57] "Homest strong. It lowers bills. Stronger Homes is a partnership

[44:03] between Reclaim Energy, United Way of Southeast Louisiana,

[44:09] and Housing NOLA that helps homeowners reduce energy costs

[44:15] and improve home efficiency. The program provides

[44:20] no-cost HVAC improvements and solar saving

[44:24] technology to eligible homeowners.

[44:29] Solar Savior is an energy efficiency device

[44:35] designed to help reduce electricity use and lower household utility

[44:41] bills. By improving HVAC performance and managing energy

[44:47] consumption, the device can make homes more comfortable and affordable

[44:53] to operate."

[44:55] Garrett Hartley, a former NFL kicker and Louisiana native,

[45:02] supports efforts that promote energy savings, home ownership, and

[45:07] stronger communities. His involvement helps raise awareness of programs like

[45:13] Home Strong and the benefits they can provide to families.

[45:20] And again, the first installation in Louisiana took place here in Slidell at

[45:26] the home of Crystal James

[45:30] McAllister.

[45:35] It was a Habitat home. The program demonstrates how partnerships can

[45:40] help families lower household costs, preserve home ownership, and

[45:46] strengthen the community. If you have questions or would like to participate in the

[45:52] program, you can reach out to

[45:55] www.homestronglouisiana.org,

[46:06] and it's all one word, homestronglouisiana.org, or

[46:12] call

[46:14] 504-224-8300.

[46:21] Again, if you would like to participate in the program, the number is

[46:26] 504-224-8300 or visit the

[46:31] website homestronglouisiana.org.

[46:37] So that's the first thing. Everybody has that?

[46:40] And the second announcement is

[46:45] our chief engineer, Blaine Clancy, contacted me this morning, and we have just

[46:50] received all of the funds necessary to complete the next phase of

[46:56] Ducksworth Park. So they'll be starting on the walking trail soon.

[47:00] So I'm very excited about that.

[47:02] I remember working with that.

[47:04] I know.

[47:04] That was a long time ago.

[47:07] Thank you.

[47:07] Thank you. Councilman Failey.

[47:11] Yes, I just got two things. One, you'll notice a lot of us up here have gold on

[47:16] tonight. September, among many other months, it is also Childhood Cancer Awareness

[47:21] Month, and gold is the color. So my colleagues here, I asked them to wear some

[47:25] gold. My son went through childhood cancer. He's good now.

[47:29] I just want to read a couple of details, bring some awareness to it.

[47:35] Approximately 10,000 children under the age of 15 are diagnosed with cancer in the

[47:38] US annually. The reason that there's a Childhood

[47:44] Cancer Awareness Month is because there's a funding disparity between adults and

[47:47] kids and cancer treatments and how it works.

[47:50] In most kids, cancer treatments are just adult cancer treatments shrunk down based

[47:56] on their body weight or whatever. And conspiracy theorists or not, Big

[48:01] Pharma, where's the market? There's way more adults than there is kids getting

[48:05] cancer treatments. That's where the money goes. That's where they make the money.

[48:08] So I just wanted to bring light to Childhood Cancer Awareness Month for September.

[48:13] And the next thing is this Saturday is Slidell Youth Soccer's 50th anniversary, and

[48:18] it's their season opener at 8:30 in the morning. Their first game's at 9:00.

[48:24] That's down in the glorious District B area.

[48:28] So congrats to 50 years strong.

[48:32] That's all I got.

[48:33] Thank you, Councilman Failey. Councilman Washington.

[48:36] Hello, everybody. I just want to let everybody know on Thursday this week, I'm

[48:40] hosting a District A community meeting.

[48:44] It's open to the public, but it's also open to all the constituents of District A

[48:49] to give them some information on the new UDC code.

[48:54] And in October, we're having a D-date in District A.

[48:58] And anybody that comes to the meeting from District A have any concerns, they are

[49:02] more than welcome to bring those concerns to the meeting.

[49:04] I will listen, and I will work on trying to take care of those concerns.

[49:09] Also, there will be the city marshal and the city judge.

[49:14] They will be there on hand, whichever one's come, and they're just going to have a

[49:17] little spiel for two, three minutes, talk to the public, and that's about it.

[49:22] What time?

[49:23] Oh, I'm sorry. 6:00 to 8:00, Thursday, September 10th.

[49:27] And where?

[49:28] Here in the council chambers.

[49:28] Here in the council. All right. So this Thursday, 6:00 to 8:00.

[49:32] 6:00 to 8:00 here in the council chambers, we will have a District A community

[49:35] meeting.

[49:36] Thank you, Councilman Washington. Seeing none. No one else, I should say. Mayor?

[49:43] Only I'll see you Thursday. I'll be there.

[49:45] Yes, sir.

[49:46] If you got any questions, I'll be glad to answer. And that is it for me. Thank you.

[49:52] I want to say thank you for partnering with us and hosting the open house.

[49:57] We had a great turnout that night. So thank you.

[49:59] That's great.

[50:00] And shout out to Roberta, our office

[50:04] lady. She did an amazing job getting everything prepared for us and opening

[50:08] everything and decorating. So thank you so much for that, Roberta. Chief?

[50:13] Just a couple of things. Friday, myself and Chief Kaufman are working on a 911

[50:19] remembrance ceremony, 5:00, Heritage Park.

[50:23] If the mayor can attend, anybody else that's all, it's open to the public.

[50:27] It'll be real quick. Some of the high schools have asked for first responders to

[50:33] also be in attendance. They'll do a little short ceremony before the football games

[50:37] start. Pope John Paul and Slidell High School have reached out to us.

[50:43] I said most of you, I think, got a calendar invite for the wrap-up on the drone

[50:48] program that we had here. It's pretty exciting. We've used it a lot.

[50:53] It's been a little helpful tool for us.

[50:56] Also, I'd like to thank all of you that came out for the groundbreaking.

[51:01] Great days ahead.

[51:03] Too bad you won't get to sit there, Mayor.

[51:06] But anyway. He threw the keys. He threw me the keys to the other car.

[51:11] The public that came out, we welcome you as well.

[51:14] It was great to see all the kids from Bonny Oak Hole that came over.

[51:18] So other than that, that's all I got.

[51:20] And they started clearing. The machines in the woods today.

[51:24] Oh, yeah, I was going to say that some of the trees are coming down, the brush and

[51:27] the shrubbery. We flew the drone today over it.

[51:30] We got a little video footage of the first stuff coming down. So we're excited.

[51:35] Everybody's ready for it.

[51:36] Awesome.

[51:36] Thank you all.

[51:37] Thank you. With no business further, meeting is adjourned.

Slidell City Council 9 8 26 Meeting

Transcript