Bogalusa Council Meeting of November 16, 2021

The Bogalusa City Council met Tuesday (November 16, 2021) and addressed a lengthy Agenda. Guest Speaker Purvis Morrison made a presentation and answered questions regarding a proposed Resiliency Plan, the Council took action on six Resolutions, introduced six Ordinances (to be discussed and voted on at the December 7th meeting), held a Public Hearing and then voted on one Ordinance, heard from one resident during Public Participation, and heard Administrative Comments from Mayor Wendy Perrette.

The Resiliency Plan has been previously discussed with the Mayor and Council Members. The Plan considers how problems, such as the issue of blighted properties, can be addressed by updating Ordinances and Code Enforcement. The Plan's goals seem to be to bring in more revenue to the City, clean up the City, and improve the quality of life for residents. Please see his comments and the Council's remarks beginning at 2:00 into the video. 

Resolutions considered were 

• A RESOLUTION by the City of Bogalusa adopting the Washington Parish Multi Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan 2021
• A RESOLUTION changing the form for zoning change requests for the Planning and Zoning Commission
• A RESOLUTION to hire an administrative consultant for the City of Bogalusa relative to the Louisiana Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus (LCDBG-CV) Love Louisiana Outdoors Program
• A RESOLUTION to hire an Engineering Services for the City of Bogalusa relative to the Louisiana Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus (LCDBG-CV) Love Louisiana Outdoors Program
• A RESOLUTION authorizing the Mayor of the City of Bogalusa to declare 26 acres in Mississippi as surplus and not needed for the City's purposes. This is the first step in disposing of the property
• A RESOLUTION pertaining to personnel policies and procedures reference: transparency of the  hiring process. While acknowledging the Mayor's authority, the resolution was seeking to give the Council more information regarding new hires. The vote on approval of the resolution resulted in a tie vote and failed to pass.

Ordinances introduced were 

• AN ORDINANCE to approve the Planning and Zoning request for Martha Durand to change a vacant property from A-2 Residential to B-Transition
• AN ORDINANCE authorizing the Mayor to retain Pistorius Associates to provide Architectural Services to rehabilitate the City Court Room/Council Chambers and necessary repairs to roof structure
• AN ORDINANCE authorizing the Mayor to request bids or quotations for repairs and rehabilitation of the Bogalusa City Hall Building, the City Court Room/Council Chambers and roof repairs to accept the low bid or quotation
• AN ORDINANCE to discourage underage possession and consumption of alcohol/alcoholic beverages for those under the age of twenty-one (21) regarding social hosting
• AN ORDINANCE authorizing the Mayor of the City of Bogalusa to enter into a new lease agreement with The Salvage Store, Inc. concerning 209 Industrial Parkway, Bogalusa, Louisiana
• AN ORDINANCE approving and adopting the City of Bogalusa Operating Budget and Capital Budget for the Fiscal Year beginning January 1, 2022

A Public Hearing was held an Ordinance to approve the 2021 Revised Budget and the Council then voted to approve the Ordinance. During Council Discussions regarding the Ordinance, a number of issues were raised and clarified. See the video beginning at 34:00

During Public Participation, one resident addressed an issue of a “sink hole” near her property.

Beginning at 1:01:45, Mayor Perrette provided Administrative Remarks. She thanked the Council for approving the revised budget and commented on the recent tax renewal failure and that the measure will be placed on the ballot in the spring, 

Following comments from Council Members, the meeting adjourned.