St. Mary committee formed to eye changes to parish charter

A St. Mary Parish Charter Review Committee will meet in two weeks to discuss possible changes to the parish’s charter, any of which would have to be presented before voters in a parishwide election in order to gain approval.

All 11 members of the parish council appointed the committee, which is comprised of one representative from each district.

Councilman Glen Hidalgo requested that a committee be formed to propose a charter amendment requiring the parish government to hold public hearings before making fiscal decisions over $10,000. The charter currently allows the council to spend any amount of money without public approval.

Hidalgo previously cited a past decision by the council to hire former State Rep. Jack Smith as its new capitol liaison with an initial salary of $50,000. Although Smith declined the offer, Hidalgo said the move raised concerns because of the substantial amount of money involved.

“It’s OK to give a recreation department $2,000 or $3,000 here and there, but to offer this job position at $50,000 to be paid for with public money without the public’s input is wrong. Taxpayers include the elderly and many others who are on fixed incomes.”

“It’s time to look at bringing the charter up from 1983 to 2008 standards,” Hidalgo said.

The newly formed committee is:

• Jessie Boudreaux, owner of Cajun Mosquito Contractors

• Jeff Beverly, housing director of St. Mary Community Action

• Jim Supple, Franklin attorney

• Stan Robinson, owner of L & H Printing in Morgan City

• James Vidos, a member of the St. Mary Parish School Board and retired employee of Teche Federal Savings Bank

• Stan Beaubouef, director of Teacher Certification and Higher Education for the Louisiana State Department of Education and a retired member of the St. Mary Parish School System

• Sostenes Ruiz III, City of Morgan City prosecutor

• Lou Tamporello, Morgan City councilman

• Willie Rack – retired law enforcement officer and interim clerk of court, City of Franklin

• Phelo Joe Keller, physical therapist

• Bill Cefalu, director of utilities for the City of Morgan City

The committee will meet next Tuesday, June 24, at 6 p.m., at the Bayou Vista Community Center. It will have six-months to ready an amendment.

Council Chairman Bierhorst said the committee will also be asked to review the council’s executive authority as well as compensation and powers and duties of the parish president and parish council. In addition, it will review term limits, compensation and qualifications for someone to become a member of the parish council.

Councilman Kevin Voisin said he would like to see a proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot to save the parish on election costs.

“Frankly, I would like to see the federal government bear the brunt of the costs of the election, rather than the parish,” he said.

St. Mary Parish has roughly 57 voting precincts. “Any time this council calls a special election, it costs us roughly $65,000. If the committee can get their business done soon, any of their ideas can be considered as we all consider a presidential nominee this fall,” Voisin said.

Other resolutions adopted by the council at last Wednesday’s regular meeting included:

• The call for an election on July 19 to continue the collection of the three-tenths percent sales and use tax in Wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 and 10 in western St. Mary. Proceeds of the tax, estimated to be $600,000 a year, would be split on a pro-rata basis between the parish and cities of Baldwin and Franklin.

• The call of an election on Oct. 4 by the Wax Lake East Drainage District to renew its 2-mill maintenance and operating property tax for 10 years

The council also appointed Glenn Elliott to the Wax Lake East Drainage District; Richard D. Martin and Lloyd Smith Sr. to Recreation District 2; Ray Rentrop to Sewer District 8; Al Kuhlman, Sandra Marshall and Patsy Metz to the Tourist Commission; and Wendell Bogan and Glenn Blood to Waterworks District.