Permits Dept. hosts forum tonight

Lafourche Parish Government will host a second forum as part of the public outreach campaign launched by the Department of Planning and Permitting today at 5 p.m. at the Mathews Government Complex, 4876 La. Highway 1, Mathews.

The planning and permitting department, and its director, Frank Morris, have been under a barrage of criticism since the parish left South Central Planning and Development and began issuing building permits itself.

Its opponents say Morris’s department is stymieing growth with a dictator-like rule. Morris and Parish President Charlotte Randolph have said they are merely following building codes laid out in Act 12 of the 2008 state legislative session.

“This is our effort to proactively address some of the issues we’ve heard recently concerning building permits,” Randolph said in a release. “Councilmen have reported concerns from constituents, and we are encouraging these individuals to attend this meeting to allow us to work with them to successfully complete their projects.”

Attendees will be allowed to meet with permit technicians on an individual basis and voice their concerns to state legislators, who plan to address issues with the building code in the next legislative session.

State Rep. Jerry “Truck” Gisclair (D-Larose) will be in attendance to discuss House Bill 53, a bill Gisclair authored that calls for a study code, LPG spokesman Brennan Matherne said.

“Additionally, residents can participate in group discussions on specific local laws that can be revised,” Matherne said.

The permitting office is working to streamline the permit procurement process, including eliminating some of the tedious paperwork and installing a system in which residents can make purchases with a credit card.

“We’re in the process of making this a better experience for the residents of this parish,” Randolph said.

LPG launched its, “Before You Build It… Get a Permit!” campaign in April in response to the barrage of complaints about its new department. Since that time, permit applications and checklists have been placed online at www.lafourchegov.org.