Building permit fees waived in Terrebonne

In response to Gustav and Ike, Terrebonne Parish is making it easier to repair hurricane-damaged homes.

The parish council’s Community Development and Planning Committee on Monday voted to temporarily waive parish permit building fees.

But council members were quick to emphasize that, though permits will be free, residents still need to have them before undertaking major repairs to their homes.

In fact, if a parish inspector finds residents making repairs without a permit, they will be charged double the cost of a normal permit, said Council Chairman Clayton Voisin.

Councilman Johnny Pizzolatto gave another reason for getting a building permit from the parish.

“You’ll know you’re not getting a fly-by-night” to do the repairs, he said. “With a permit, you will have an inspector out there making sure it’s done correctly.”

Parish Manager Pat Gordon said new building codes require six nails per shingle; the former number was three. Gordon said the new building codes were evident in the number of homes that withstood wind damage from Gustav.

Residents obtaining building permits helps. Terrebonne receive federal hurricane recovery funds, he added.

While the parish focuses on recovery from the 2008 hurricanes, Terrebonne is still dealing with the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. And the parish is grappling with a lack of affordable housing.

New parish recovery planner Jennifer Gerbasi told the committee that the Louisiana Land Trust, which manages properties purchased by the Road Home program, has acquired 35 properties in Terrebonne and will transfer them to the parish.

The properties will be sold to nonprofit housing agencies at below-market value cost. The properties will then be sold to families that meet federal Department of Housing and Urban Development low- to moderate-income guidelines.

Gordon said acquiring land from the Louisiana Land Trust is better than obtaining it via the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. Land received through that program cannot be sold and can only be used as green space.

Also at Monday’s meetings, the Budget and Finance Committee voted to introduce an ordinance creating a parish Debarment Committee, which can act to disqualify illegitimate contractors.

The committee was to be composed of four members-the parish purchasing manager, parish manager, Public Works director and another member from parish government-but Voisin introduced a successful motion expanding the committee to five.

The new member will come from the parish council, named by the council chairman.

The appointed council member would be temporary, unlike the other members, and would normally change with each new case taken on by the committee, Voisin said.

Parish attorney Courtney Alcock said the committee would typically act to eliminate contractors with criminal records. The federal government requires the committee to be in place, she said, particularly because public transit in Terrebonne is largely federally funded.