COMMUNITY POSSIBLE ACTION FACING DEFUNDING

First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
January 17, 2019
Sposito lauds colleagues as she leaves chair role
January 17, 2019
First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States
January 17, 2019
Sposito lauds colleagues as she leaves chair role
January 17, 2019

The La. Workforce Commission has given Lafourche Community Action 60 days to present a plan to correct its deficiencies, or it could face defunding.

Ava Dejoie, secretary of the state office, delivered the news in an email dated Jan 9, and addressed to: Lafource Parish President Jimmy Cantrelle, the entire parish council, the Lafourche Parish Council Advisory Board, the Rev Richmond Boyd, the advisory board president, and Interim Director Stacy Savoy.


In the letter, Dejoie writes the Lafourche Community Action Agency is in non-compliance with the provisions of the Community Services Block Grant Act, (CSBG Act) and the terms and conditions of its grant agreement.

She writes the agency has received notice that the parish’s advisory board has “not been actively participating and fully engaged in the administration of the program.

“The board’s failure to meet and actively participate has resulted in its failure,” she inked, to (1) advise the governing authority on the approval of the agency budget and expenditures; (2) advise the governing authority on the approval of the agency’s FY2019 grant agreement; (3) advise the governing authority on development of new programs and the evaluation of the performance of existing programs; (4) select new members and fill any vacancies on the board; (5) receive periodic reports from the Executive Director and/or other agency staff; and (6) participate in the agency’s strategic planning, program planning and implementation, and evaluation of the results of all program activity.


Dejoie also points out the advisory board failed to meet its annual requirement of at least four meetings in 2018.

“To date for this program year, your advisory board has conducted only one meeting during which, according to its board meeting minutes, it failed to conduct any substantial business related to the CSBG program and refused to hear any reports from the Interim Executive Director,” she wrote.

Dejoie also points out the board has failed to fill vacancies in a timely manner, which have been created by board members whose terms have expired, and as such, “your agency’s advisory board fails to comply with the 15 member minimum requirement pursuant to its grant agreement.”


She points out the composition of the board should be 1/3 elected public officials, 1/3 representative of the low-income population and the remainder members of business, industry, labor, religious organizations, law enforcement, welfare, education or other major groups and interests in the community served.

Also, she said the board should be a tripartite board, which “actively participates” in the development, planning, implementation and evaluation of programs funded under Subtitle B-Community Service Block Grant Program.

“Your agency has been placed on notice several times via written correspondence regarding the non-compliance of its advisory board. Although technical assistance has been provided, your advisory board remains out of compliance,” Dejoie wrote.


“As such, the State CSBG Office is placing your agency on notice that it will initiate proceedings to terminate funding and de-designate your agency as an eligible entity if a corrective action plan is not received within 60 days detailing your agency’s proposal for correcting the deficiencies.”

Dejoie said to, “Keep in mind, any corrective action plan submitted to the CSBG State Office must be approved by the State Office and absent a timely, written corrective action plan the LWC will commence funding termination and de-designation as outlined.”

Lafourche Councilman Jerry Jones said he wasn’t surprised by the notice.


“My goal for 2019 is to have Community Action straightened out once and for all. The parish president has had issues with this office, since almost his first day on the job,” Jones said.

Jones pulled a resolution from the board agenda earlier this month, to have Rev. Richmond Boyd switched to a member of the private sector of the board, from a public official, because Boyd’s term as Lafourche School Board member ended last year, and because he has one year left to serve on the advisory board.

But some of the councilmen wanted to see the seat advertised instead of just shift Boyd’s status, so they asked Jones to re-introduce the resolution at their next meeting.


Boyd said after the meeting that he did not have a problem with the waiting, as there were available seats on the board.

Boyd said he also wasn’t surprised by the letter from the state.

“When you have a parish president who wants to run this agency, and thinks he doesn’t need a board, that’s what happens. The board is in place to keep the politics out,” he said.


Boyd said he called a meeting in November of last year, because he, as well as Jones, feel it is time to turn the program over to St. Mary Parish Community Action, to manage in.

Currently, St. Mary manages Lafourche’s weatherization program, where homeowners in a certain income bracket can make their homes more energy efficient.

Jones agrees. “I hope it will be this year. St. Mary will bring order to what has been chaos, because our parish president has issues with this program office.”


The Lafourche Community Action Agency has been embroiled in controversy since mid-June when Parish President Jimmy Cantrelle mysteriously closed office for a few days and sent all employees home with pay, including Ruffin-Roberson.

Cantrelle then left on a brief vacation and upon returning, opened the office, with all of the employees returning back to work except Ruffin-Roberson.

He fired Ruffin-Roberson about a month later, on July 9, after spending almost $230.00 to change the locks on the community action offices.


Councilman Jerry Jones said then, that Cantrelle had opened, “a big can of worms.”

Jones later accused the parish administration of working behind the scenes with others, to set up Ruffin-Roberson to be fired.

He believes that Cantrelle fired Ruffin-Roberson because allegedly, she forged five hours on a time card for an employee in her office, that totaled $87.30.


At a meeting in November, Lafourche Community Action Interim-Director Stacy Savoy says she is sick and tired of Parish Councilman Daniel Lorraine harassing her in front of colleagues and the agency’s clients.

“I’m here to tell you once again Mr. Lorraine, you cannot fire me. You cannot remove me from a position that you did not put me in. I cannot allow you to keep disrespecting me,” Savoy said.

“I stay on these two knees at night, praying for devils like you,” she said.


Then she attacked Boyd, saying, “The agency board chairman lets people who aren’t on this board, to speak to the council as if they’re still members. The last full meeting the agency board had was in March, and that’s illegal. And yes, we have also reported that to the state.”

Jones said St. Mary Community Action has been operating the parish’s Weatherization Programs for a few years now, and he as only had one complaint since, and that complaint wasn’t really the fault of St. Mary.

“I promise all of you, Lafourche Parish will have two or three seats on their board,” Jones said.


Lafourche Councilman Jerry Jones said he’s not surprised by a notice that Lafourche Community Action may lose funding.

COURTESY