In wake of tax approval, Terrebonne levee board awards bids

Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District officials had a lot to talk about during their first meeting after successful passage of a sales tax increase for further flood protection.

But old business had to come first at the Dec. 11 meeting, and so the district commissioners – who had been sworn in at the start of the meeting for the coming year – got to work approving final projects that would be paid for out of money provided by the state of Louisiana and an existing quarter-cent sales tax.

Once those projects are under way, officials said, full attention can be turned toward the Morganza-to-the-Gulf project that they hope will provide unprecedented flood protection. Specifically, the commissioners discussed and awarded contracts for the “Upper Reach F” and the “G-1 Earthen Levee” projects. Upper Reach F is the proposed levee system along the west bank of the Houma Navigational Canal, between Falgout Canal Road and Bayou Grand Caillou. Reach G-1 is a one-mile section of levee between the new Bubba Dove Houma Navigational Canal floodgate, which is now under construction, and the existing Mayfield forced drainage levee at Four Point Road in lower Dulac.

The bids total about $19 million.

“The transition was perfect, that’s a transition of spending the money we had left for the Morganza alignment,” said Reggie Dupre, the levee district’s executive director. “After this we are broke. So the new tax will pay for everything else related to Morganza.”

The new half-cent sales tax will be collected beginning April 1. It has a 28-year life span before going to voters for renewal.

State Rep. Gordon Dove R-Houma, was among the officials who congratulated the district for being able to pass the tax, and for work done over the years to increase flood protection.

“When we embarked on this we started moving when Gov. Bobby Jindal got elected, and started laying money on us,” Dove said. “We had the capital outlay, the surplus, we all decided we would quit waiting on the federal government and move forward.”

Dove ticked off a list of the projects paid for with local and state money, as officials tried to get more from the federal government. “Then we went to the public and asked the public to trust us to pass the half-cent sales tax and I think the public really showed the confidence they have in this board.”

Board president Tony Alford was among members who congratulated the staff on their work, and said the passage of the tax shows “what a small community can do when it pulls together and fights something it seems like you can’t fight, the wrath of the Gulf coming into our back yards.”