TEDA members facing strict ethics standard

The state is holding the Terrebonne Economic Development Authority to a strict standard when it comes to possible conflicts of interest, like all boards and commissions in the state, TEDA board members were told last week at a meeting in Houma.

Courtney Jackson, a staff attorney with the Louisiana Ethics Commission, said members of the TEDA board cannot have any substantial economic interest in companies doing business with the agency.

State law is most stringent on members of boards and commissions concerning conflicts of interest, Jackson said.

Laws allow some public officials in the state to hold up to a 25 percent economic interest in companies transacting with the government, but that standard does not apply to TEDA, she said.

As an example, Jackson said board members cannot have an interest in a company wanting TEDA assistance to gain a parish tax exemption.

Immediate relatives – spouses, children, children’s spouses, parents, siblings, siblings’ spouses and parents of spouses – of board members are also barred.

On some occasions, board members can withdraw from participating in transactions involving a conflict of interest, but those instances are infrequent, said TEDA attorney James Dagate.

Most of the time in conflict of interest cases, board members would have to resign or the board could refuse to do business with the company.

If a business has a conflict, the company can transact with the board at a later date after the conflict is eliminated, Jackson said.

Board Chairman Mike Voisin said TEDA can ask the Ethics Commission for an opinion in potential conflict cases.

TEDA board member Stephanie Hebert said that since only business owners can belong to the TEDA board, conflicts are probably inevitable.

Also at last week’s meeting, the TEDA board voted to negotiate a cooperative endeavor agreement with the South Louisiana Economic Council.

SLEC has memorandums of understanding with Lafourche, St. Mary and Assumption parishes concerning their membership in the organization.

Board member Don Hingle said Terrebonne Parish must complete the cooperative endeavor agreement in six months or a memorandum of understanding between SLEC and TEDA will be cancelled.

“The CEA is specific to our needs and theirs,” Hingle said.

TEDA also passed a resolution supporting Anheuser-Busch distributor Buquet Distributing’s application to receive $5 million in Gulf Opportunity Zone Act funding to make improvements to the company’s facility in Houma.