Mary Talbot
April 2, 2016
Skains leaving Tarpons for Cecilia
April 5, 2016
Lafourche Parish President Jimmy Cantrelle is a man on a mission to improve the drainage pump system.
According to Cantrelle, 53 of the parish’s 54 pump stations need work.
“Some have been out for three years, some have been out for two years, and some have been down forever,” the parish president told the Lafourche Chamber of Commerce earlier this month.
Since taking office, Cantrelle said he has approached the parish’s permitting process – a main campaign pledge – and is shifting his focus toward the parish’s drainage system. But he warned that the parish’s drop in tax revenues, along with waning state and federal dollars, could slow drainage improvement efforts.
“Our main goal now is to get every pump station back in order and back working so that we can take care of flood protection. I guarantee you that we have a lot of pump stations – in fact, almost every one of them – has serious problems,” he said. “But, we’re addressing it. It’s not going to happen overnight; we don’t have the funds we used to have, but I guarantee you, we will fix them.”
Among Cantrelle’s other early moves was hiring the Top Drawer Strategies lobbying firm, which has proven successful, as the state has opted not to repeal the water vessel tax credit. He also spoke about how Lafourche’s budget, based on a $60 barrel of oil, has been impacted by the commodity’s current $30-per-barrel price, in both mineral royalty revenue and a slumping economy’s shrinking tax base.
“As you now, our sales tax revenue has gone down, too. That means that the general fund has to pick up the slack if we don’t have enough money. So, we have felt an impact in collected revenue,” Cantrelle said.
Lafourche Parish President Jimmy Cantrelle speaks to members of the Lafourche Chamber of Commerce last week.
