Rita Cunningham
March 12, 2020
Funderburk Bridge Closure Extended
March 12, 2020
An ordinance voted to be drafted on Monday, to dissolve Terrebonne Rec District 11’s Board, was amended Wednesday night to include another Rec District. The ordinance would allow the Council to take over Rec 11 and the amendment, having passed, places a second Rec Board on the chopping block.
During the Terrebonne Parish Council’s, March 11, ratification of the minutes of the Terrebonne Parish Council’s Legal Policies and Procedures Committee, Councilman Darrin Guidry made a motion to ratify everything except one item: the drafting of an ordinance to dissolve Terrebonne Parish Recreation District 11. His amendment would now include Terrebonne Recreation District 2,3 in the ordinance.
“The Council has to decide if it wants to accept the Committee’s recommendation or whether it wants to do something different,” said Darrin Guidry. “It just so happens that the Committee is of the whole.”
The Committee where the ordinance began its drafting took place Monday, March 9 and during the meeting Councilman John Navy made a motion to link the two Rec District’s fates, but the motion was voted out.
During the Council meeting, March 11, Rec 2,3 members Jeff Teuton, Chairman of Rec 2,3, and Michael Bergeron, Board Member of Rec 2,3, spoke before the council about their desire to return Bayou Country Sports Park to the Parish. Teuton said, the cost to carry out the plans for the complex were too great, and Rec 2,3 would like the Parish to complete the construction, allowing for Rec 2,3 to still maintain control of some aspects. Standing before the Council Teuton voiced his disapproval of the vote made Monday to add Rec District 2,3 to the ordinance.
“I was disappointed that that shot was taken,” said Teuton. “If you want us out, just take us out.”
During this discussion, regarding the Bayou Country Sports Park’s future, Darrin Guidry said he voted not to abolish the Rec 2,3 Board, but to turn them into an advisory board, “we were in the planning stage our goal was never to eliminate the Boards,” Darrin Guidry said.
The Councilman then went into details.
“Our actions were considering putting the employees, the expenses, and everything through the Council, and making the Board an advisory board,” said Darrin Guidry. “What that means is employees become employees of the Parish. At least that’s how I understood it.”
Councilman Carl Harding, and Councilwoman Jessica Domangue, began to question Parish Attorney Jules P. Hebert if Rec 11 employees would be guaranteed jobs.
“There is no guarantee that any person that is working for Rec 11 will be hired by Terrebonne Parish Government,” asked Harding. “They have to be considered according to qualifications… am I correct Mr. Hebert?”
“You’re exactly correct,” responded Hebert.
On the Council meeting held February 5, Hebert said, in his legal opinion, that the Rec Boards were an extension of the Council, “the recreation boards are extensions of the Council. If you want to control it, just tighten the belt some more,” Hebert explained.
Then when the item came under vote on Monday, March 9, at the Committee meeting, the vote passed and Hebert was directed to draft an ordinance, which would dissolve the Rec 11 Board and then form a newly created advisory board. The draft, according to Hebert, gives the Terrebonne Parish complete control of all decisions and operations of the Rec District and the advisory board would provide input, but with no actual authority.
“It’s just going to be operated basically by Kandace and her staff,” explained Hebert. “That’s the model that’s set up – to take complete control.” (“Kandace,” refers to Kandace Mauldin, Chief Finance Officer for Terrebonne Parish.)
On Wednesday, March 11, the motion to ratify the minutes of the Committee arose, Darrin Guidry made a motion to separatly ratify the issue, because he said he changed his mind about the previous vote, “they make the most sense of working together to create cost savings by joining the two,” he said.
Hebert advised against this, saying that the item wasn’t notified to the public, but after Darrin Guidry explained his action, Hebert said it was within the powers of the councilman.
“That’s right,” he said. “So if the substitute motion fails, then the minutes are adopted – If it passes you have discussions to revote on it.”
The motion passed, and other members of the Council spoke against this action. Councilman Daniel Babin argued the previous motion was only for a draft and not action, so why not wait until the draft arrived?
“We had no obligation from what we voted on Monday night to do anything to… any other Rec District,” said Babin. “We asked for a model.”
By this action, Rec 2,3 was getting punished for doing nothing wrong, said Dirk Guidry, visibly frustrated, “why would you want to put Rec 2,3 and Rec 11 together, it makes no sense,” he asked.
The previous vote, on March 9, brought forward by Councilman John Navy, which sought to add Rec 2,3 to the ordinance was opposed 5-4. Domangue voted yes; Darrin Guidry, yes; Babin, no; Guidry, no; Councilman Steve Trosclair, no; Navy, yes; Harding, yes; Councilman Gerald Michel, no; and Councilman John Amadee, no.
The return to this vote, March 11, by Darrin Guidry passed 5-4 and was as follows: Domangue, yes; Harding, yes; Darrin Guidry, yes; Dirk Guidry, no; Trosclair, yes; Navy, yes; Amadee, no; Michel, no; and Babin, no.
