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Council votes down resolution asking for AG’s opinion, defers police pay raise

Posted at 11:02 PM, Mar 12, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-13 01:17:12-04
Lafayette Consolidated Government building
Lafayette Consolidated Government building / KATC

The Lafayette City-Parish Council has voted not to ask the attorney general for an opinion regarding the correction of the new city and parish council districts.

The resolution that would have requested the opinion failed by a 5-4 vote.

The council later gave introductory approval to ordinances that would correct the errors in the district maps.

The council also deferred a resolution asking the legislature to pass a law requiring a two-percent pay raise for the city’s police officers when certain criteria are met. Councilman William Theriot introduced the motion to defer the issue with a second from councilman Bruce Conque. Both agreed that the pay raise issue should be settled through a city-parish ordinance to ensure local control over city funds. The council voted 8-0 with one abstention defer the item.

The council also withdrew a resolution that would delay the Acadiana Metropolitan Planning Organization’s decision to transfer nearly $10 million in dormant project funds.

Those funds were secured for roads and transportation projects, including $6.8 million for the Main Street redevelopment project. The Downtown Development Authority applied for the funds in 2014, but the AMPO says they have been untouched with no movement since then.

Mayor-President Joel Robideaux wants the money to be spent elsewhere. Councilman Bruce Conque, who is chairman of the technical policy committee of the Acadiana Planning Organization, said the council was left in the dark about the Mayor-President’s decision to transfer those funds.

Robideaux explained during the meeting that when he was notified by AMPO about the dormant funds, he asked for a recommendation from the experts like Public Works and Development Planning.

The council decided to defer the resolution because they got that list of recommendations during the meeting and agreed that the council would be included on any future AMPO funding matters.

DDA will still have the opportunity to make an argument to AMPO and/or the council to keep their funds.

You can read more on the issue from our media partners at The Advocate, here.