A note of caution and a few words of thanks
November 22, 2017
Turkeys down, veggies stable for Thanksgiving feasts
November 22, 2017
The Terrebonne Parish President and the president of a regional homebuilders’ organization got into a verbal sparring match last week over plans to take construction permit duties away from the contracted agency that has handled those duties for years.
South Central Planning and Development’s upcoming contract renewal calls for a flat $640,000 annual fee. Until now the agency has billed Terrebonne on the basis of permits filed for and written.
Terrebonne Parish President Gordon Dove wants to have the parish do the inspections and associated work in-house. His proposed $200 million budget reflects this, down-spending the item to $560,000. Dove says this offers the parish a savings.
Parish Council members, who must approve the budget, are not so sure. Rejecting Dove’s proposal could require rejection of the budget.
Last Wednesday Joey Yesso, president of the Southeast Louisiana Homebuilders Association, made his case against a change before the council, as an occasionally fuming Dove looked on.
If the parish takes over the permitting, Yesso said, his membership fears that 3 primary concerns:
“We feel as though we will feel a decrease in the level of service,” Yesso said. “All we have is history to go by. Terrebonne Parish Consolidated government had in house inspections and plan review in 2005. Prior to the adoption of the international building code. We had a building official and three inspectors. They would handle about 3,000 permits at that point in time. We are now in an oppressed economy as all you ladies and gentlemen are aware, but we still have about 4,000 permits.”
Although cost of permit fees and other related issues were primary points for Yesso, there was another.
“Reinsertion of politics into the permitting plan review, and inspection process,” Yesso said. “I have seen levels of corruption as far as you would imagine. We now have transparency. We now have consistency. Everybody is on a level playing field. I feel my share of inspections like everybody else. It makes me a better builder. And the insurance industry mandates it. We want coverage, we have to build the right way. A compromise in the other direction is not an option.”
Dove interrupted Yesso to demand how much he, as a builder, pays in remodeling permit fees.
“You pay $200 for remodeling (permits),” Dove corrected, “Don’t you? Don’t you?”
Yesso attempted to interject.
“I’ve got the mic,” Dove stopped him, his voice rising. “Sir.. sir, as long asI’ve got the mic. You made that $200 so there’s a little sel- interest going on, motivation up in here. You’re afraid I’m going to raise that $200. I Promise this this the public I will not raise permit fees one dollar. The reason I got involved with this is because (South Central) was trying to raise commercial fees while you stay with your little plush $200. Now you want to know the truth I’m going to tell you the truth.”
Then Dove went on a tirade aimed at South Central and its director, Kevin Belanger, who was present at the meeting, as well as one of its planners, former Terrebonne planner Pat Gordon.
Gordon, Dove said, was in charge of planning in the parish when permits were done in-house, of which Yesso was complaining.
Gordon, Dove said, now works for South Central Planning.
“He’s taken retirement here and he’s over there working for Kevin Belanger,” Dove said. “Kevin Belanger makes more money than I make. They’ve never lowered (charges). We’ve cut this budget 23 percent, $10 million to survive. Y’all, they have filled out, they were billing out $1 million, $1,244,000, in 2016 they went down … so they want the parish to pay for it.”
An organization like South Central Planning, Dove said, was needed when Louisiana went to a new standard for building permits and regulations.
“I was in the legislature when we passed the international building code when we did the building code,” Dove said. “The building codes are prototypical now. When we first passed them they were very difficult, people didn’t understand them. Now you can pick up the phone (someone) will fill everything in. All South Central does is enforcement. We do permitting here. We do drainage here. Downstairs the bank is moving. I plan on making a one stop shop out of it. Where everything is here.”
Dove bristled at having been called by St. James Parish President Tim Roussel, asking him to reconsider opting out of South Central Planning.
Attorney General Jeff Landry, Dove noted, recently had Roussel indicted for malfeasance.
During the discussion Yesso spoke of corruption back when the parish ran permitting, how a former inspector turned the other way in return for payoffs in shrimp or in crabs.
Dove jumped in.
“So you’re saying anyone up here may be taking shrimp, crabs or do something illegal? That’s a pretty cold statement,” Dove said.
“I have no idea but those are the facts,” Yesso said. “That was going on prior to 2006 and it was common, that was going on widespread.”
Dove reiterated that if the parish takes over permitting for construction there will be no increase in fees.
Yesso said the plan would cost far more than budgeted.
“Sir I am telling you that you have grossl … your administration has given you a model that is designed for failure. It is grossly understaffed intentionally, to artificially deflate the numbers. We are going to have redundancy issues, we’re not going to have enough people, and it’s going to cost you a million dollars the first year, and that money has to come from somewhere sir.”
The matter was not resolved when Yesso left the podium, after assurances from several council members that they were certainly not, and had never, taken shrimp or crabs in order for permits to be approved.
Dove’s budget, which already takes into account his planned jettisoning of South Central Planning, has yet to be approved by the parish council.
That discussion has yet to fully take place.
