At the Thursday Calcasieu Parish Police Jury meeting, jurors made quick work of nominating and electing 2025 officers. The  gavel passed from 2024 President Anthony Bartie to Judd Bares. Mike Smith will replace 2024 Vice President Ron Hayes.

Not so quickly accomplished were voting down a motion to defer the vote on an ordinance amendment that would have transferred the ownership rights of Parish-specified sewer systems in new developments from developer to Parish, and the vote on the agenda item itself. Sewer systems that the Police Jury operates or maintains will be assessed fees to residences like other utilities.

Roger Marcantel made the motion to defer the vote.

“All I’ve heard for five years is we do not change business models of any business in Calcasieu Parish. Do we need an ordinance? Yes we do,” Marcantel said in explanation of why he was asking for a deferral, at least the third requested since he has been a juror. He was elected in 2024. The issue has been ongoing, according to some of the jurors and developers, who attended the Thursday meeting, since 2017

Marcantel wanted to see an amendment that would take into consideration information that he and four other jurors received Tuesday in a meeting with stakeholders. Brian Abshire said he was disappointed that jurors didn’t attend the meeting who were adamant about getting ordinance approval, and added that the ordinance would not fix existing sewer problems.

Richard Landry said passing the ordinance Thursday would keep the number of problem sewers from growing. Developers were in it to make money, and they do. Like Tony Stelly, he said the only thing the ordinance did not include that stakeholders wanted was compensation.

Joe Andrepont reminded Landry that developers were indeed business people, business people who took risks, He wasn’t advocating that the parish pay the developer. His problem was with the process. The developers felt like they were not getting heard.

“So, we owe it to these taxpayers and these developers and all these investors to hear their voice. Will we all agree on everything? Absolutely not,” Andrepont said. But to say, hey, we’re not going to listen; this is the ordinance. I don’t think that’s the right approach..”

Mary Kaye Eason wanted to know more about what has worked best for parishes and development communities in other areas. She thought seeing such information might help in creating more unity among the jurors.

The vote to defer did not pass. Initially it ended in a tie with Mitch Bowers, Joe Andrepont, Roger Marcantel, Mary Kaye Eason, Bryan Abshire, Ron Hayes and Darby Quinn voting in favor of deferring the vote. Randy Burleigh, Mike Smith, Eddie Lewis, Jr., Tony Guillory, Chris Landry, Tony Stelly and Anthony Bartie were ready to vote.

Police Jury President Judd Bares cast the tie-breaking vote.

Allen Wainwright, CPPJ Director of Public Works, told jurors about how staff had been listening, and changes that had been made to the ordinance based on those conversations.

Then stakeholders were allowed to speak for two minutes. At least six people spoke. Four yielded their two minutes, but were not allowed to give their time to other speakers.

“I know we’re all familiar with ITEP,” Matt Redd said. “When industry rolls into town, we roll out the red carpet. We give them no property tax for a number of years and it’s a great thing, and it brings in industry. But we have got to get smart about, and be thinking about ways to incentivise the local people in this town that are doing business.

When we say this process is broke, it is broke. We’ve got to get stakeholders and the people it truly affects involved in the process before you give me two minutes at a podium, before you give me two minutes at a podium,” Redd repeated.

Redd said he had a conversation with Assistant Administrator Dane Bolin. After that, he and other stakeholders met and paid for attorneys who shared a plan with how to incentivise development unrelated to sewer transfer/taking. He presented that information to the four jurors who attended the Jan. 7  meeting.

“Let’s vote no, but not to kick the can down the road, Chris (Landry),” Redd said. “We want to fix it more than you do. We have a vested interest in this parish. Let’s put a committee together of jury, staff and professionals and let’s get this done in six months 12 months.

Mitch Bowers, Randy Burleigh, Joe Andrepont, Roger Marcantel, Mary Kaye Eason, Bryan Abshire, Ron Hayes and Darby Quinn voted against the ordinance.

Voting in favor of the ordinance were Mike Smith, Eddie Lewis, Jr., Tony Guillory, Chris Landry, Tony Stelly and Anthony Bartie.

Since the amended ordinance was not approved, it is not known at this time what the next step will be.

Randy Burleigh was not in favor of deferring the vote. He, like other jurors, felt like that was “kicking the can down the road.” However, listening to stakeholders helped change his perspective. He didn’t agree with everything they had to say.  But he was willing to wait and listen.