Stand-by language costly and unnecessary to oil-and-gas industry
December 11, 2012Thibodaux council OKs city budget
December 11, 2012Drainage and related projects – as expected – continue to take the biggest chunk of this coming year’s operating budget in Terrebonne Parish.
Parish Council members approved the $202.6 million spending package last week, which officials said was a small bump above the past year’s budget of $196.3 million.
Parish President Michel Claudet said the new 2013 numbers reflect the priorities his administration set in prior years.
“We’ve done things in every area of the parish,” he said. “A tremendous amount of road work, pollution control and sewer work, more than has been done in the last 30 or so years. We have levee projects all over, and significant drainage work.”
A just completed pump station now adds to the two that were built in prior years.
Drainage, which includes local levee projects, is budgeted at $117,344,445, the biggest single chunk of dedicated expense in this coming year’s budget.
Council members made one small change as they slogged through the budget process, elimination of a position in the council clerk’s office.
That shaved $39,684 from the total the parish plans to spend overall, but the position, said Council Clerk Charlette Poche, was not filled.
Parish employees will not get raises this year, although they did receive increases last year of up to 3 percent.
New set-asides include approximately $600,000 for a skating park, a project that had long been sought by advocates for local young people.
At Wednesday’s council meeting one resident, Floyd Bergeron, urged members to remember small projects such as street repairs that don’t necessarily get a lot of attention but still need looking after.
Bergeron, a retired oilfield service salesman, ran unsuccessfully for the Council in 2011.
