The proposed budget for the city of Jennings includes $16 million earmarked for capital improvement projects, including $8.8 million for expansion of the city’s water plant and $3 million for various sewer lift stations needed to boost economic growth.

“Ninety percent of these projects are water and sewer related and it is critical for growth,” Mayor Henry Guinn said. “When you look at the lift stations we are putting in or moving, if we didn’t spend the $400,000 to move the lift station the city would not have secured Hebert’s Boudin and Cracklins. The same concept applies for John Deere and Old River, which is submitting their plans to build a Mack/Volvo dealership, so it is all coming into fruition.”

“Over the past five years we have looked and kind of read a crystal ball and it is starting to happen at the same time,” he continued. “All the momentum we had prior to COVID is becoming a reality now, which means growth, jobs and job opportunities to keep our kids local. They won’t have to leave the state to get a good manager’s job. A mid-level entry job as a manager will be all over the city. It’s just opportunities and for a long time I think the city has had those opportunities, but may not have known how to capture them, but we are in a great spot financially and primed to grow.”

The City Council introduced the proposed budget this week. It will meet at 5:30 on June 22 to approve the budget before the new fiscal year begins July 1.

Among the highlights, the city plans spend $8.8 million on a massive water plant expansion project. The project will include adding filtration systems, wells and new lift stations.  A new warehouse and administrative office are also included in the plans for the water plant.

The project will include $3 million in new lift stations to accommodate economic growth in the city.

A new lift station will be added for the John Deere dealership and will provide service to the area from La. 26 to the west. A second lift station will be installed near Bethel Church to serve the area from La. 26 to La. 102, just north of the city.

Renovations are also planned for Franklin Park on West Division Street. The project calls for a new electrical system, new lights, new scoreboards, new bleachers and softball field improvements. The city will also put in six pickleball courts and new basketball courts.

“I’ve been working closely with Councilman Johnny Armentor and he has advocated for this project for the past four years,” Guinn said. “We haven’t  been able to deliver. The first year we allocated the money was 2020, then we endured two hurricanes and COVID, so it’s been put on the back burner ever since. I am happy that we are finally able to get out to Franklin Park and get it up to speed with a lot of our other parks. We’ve put a lot of time and energy into Marcus Cain and North Cutting parks and landscape work at the I-10 park, it’s time to get to Franklin Park and do it the right way.”

The improvements are the first since the early 1970s.

The city is also hoping to continue with a downtown sidewalk improvement project from Nezpique Street to Academy Avenue.

“We have money allocated for engineering, but we did not include an estimate in this year’s budget,” he said. “If everything is running smoothly and we see we have the opportunity to add that project, we anticipate adding another block of sidewalks on Main Street.”

The budget also includes a 2 percent cost-of-living increase for all employees, along with merit base pay raises for those who carry a lot of workload. Raises for the mayor and council are not included in the pay plan.

“Frankly, this is not enough, but it is all we can afford with the amount of capital outlay we have to do to grow the city,” Guinn said, noting that inflation is out of control. “We have done our best to give our employees 2 percent across-the-board, which we do every year. Last year we made it a point to give our first responders the largest pay raise in the history of Jennings and that pay raise a year ago cost us $700,000 annually. It’s not a one time expenditure. That hits every single year, but it’s critical to be able to retain employees and raise their quality of life. They need sufficient funds to compete against $5, $6 and $7 gallon milk.”

The budget also includes:

– $3 million asphalt overlay for streets throughout the city

– $2 million for various projects, including new pumps at sewer plant and rehab work on the oxidation pond.