Patricia Ann Garrett-Washington
August 30, 2011Hello football, hello tailgaters!
September 1, 2011
Members of the Consolidated Waterworks District 1 Board of Directors told the Terrebonne Parish Council to start thinking ahead concerning their fresh water needs before a contract with the Bayou Lafourche Fresh Water District runs dry in 2014.
Led by board member Al Badeaux, council members were told last Wednesday that a contract they have held for 40 years, at a low locked in rate, is about to expire.
Badeaux recommended that residents be offered an opportunity to vote on actually joining the BLFWD rather than entering into another long-term contract. Either way, more than 44,000 customers serviced by the CWD should expect to see their water bills increase substantially.
Terrebonne Parish currently pays 3 cents per 1,000 gallons based on the 1974 contract.
CWD General Manager Tom Wilson explained that 80 percent of Terrebonne Parish’s fresh water supply is drawn from Bayou Lafourche based on the BLFWD arrangement.
The BLFWD is comprised of three parishes: Ascension, Assumption and Lafourche. In 2005, the Louisiana legislature passed a bill that would allow Terrebonne Parish to join that water district if the electorate voted on the matter.
“We have a contract with BLFWD that expires Aug. 9, 2014,” Wilson said. “When that contract expires we are at the mercy of BLFWD. I would assume they would be willing to give us water, but they will want a larger contract.”
Wilson said there is no doubt that Terrebonne Parish has been paying less than the BLFWD members, and was unable to guess what a new rate might be considering that CWD wants to increase consumption by 30 percent.
The CWD has been credited with having implemented research in alternative water sources, and found that Bayou Lafourche is the most economic water resource for Terrebonne Parish.
“[BLFWD] came to us in 2004, and they wanted us to pay more right then,” Wilson said. “They wanted us to go up to 17 cents per 1,000 gallons, but we couldn’t come to terms. It was such a huge jump that it didn’t happen. I would not be surprised if BLFWD does not want to catch up on what they would perceive as lost revenue. Plus an increase in cost.”
Wilson estimated that a new contract with BLFWD and Terrebonne Parish CWD would see water costs at least at 20 cents per 1,000 gallons and possibly more. “I’m not sure if that is 40 or 60,” he said. “I don’t know where to stop.”
The present contract between the CWD and BLFWD was based on pumping costs nearly 40 years ago. Since that time, the BLFWD has added services such as bayou beautification. “So our contract does not cover those costs,” Wilson said. “If the voters would chose to join BLFWD, they would have the opportunity to have four board members and have a say.”
Extended Taxes
The bulk of the parish council’s business involved renewing and graduating existing millage rates with all receiving rubber stamp approval as they were open to public hearing, but no public participation was offered to question the measures.
Millage adoptions included 7.50 mills for the Terrebonne Parish Council on Aging, 7.31 mills for drainage, 1.66 mills for the health unit, separately 0.96 and 0.98 mills for juvenile detention, 0.42 mills for mental health, a total 4.64 mills for parish tax, a total 16.54 mills for public safety, 5.33 mills for retarded school, and 11.21 mills for waste collection and disposal.
Board Appointments
Additional agenda highlights include the renewal of Don Hingle to the Terrebonne Economic Development Authority Board of Directors, addition of Stephen Smith to the TEDA Board of Directors, Katie Sims and John Tipton added to the Houma Board of Adjustments, Gary Beeson to the Recreation District No. 23, Karen Moore and Arnold Adams to the Recreation District 1, and Hymel Henry and Ken Royston to the Veterans Memorial district board.
