Meeting Summary

The St. Charles Parish Council opened its first meeting of 2025 by recognizing outgoing 2024 Council Chairman Bob Fisher and Vice Chairman Holly Fonseca, and by proclaiming January 20, 2025 as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Parish President Matthew Jewell briefed the council on the New Orleans New Year's Day attack response, a December tugboat collision and salvage operation on the Mississippi River, and several infrastructure projects, while the council also worked through a full slate of ordinances, resolutions, and committee appointments. A notable moment came when Hahnville Volunteer Fire Chief Matthew Allshouse warned that chronic underfunding and staffing shortages are putting the parish's fire service at a "crossroads" without new funding.

Watch Items

• Public hearing set for Monday, January 27, 2025, 6:00 pm, Council Chambers, Courthouse, Hahnville, on the following ordinances:

- An ordinance approving and authorizing the execution of Amendment No. 1 to Ordinance No. 22-1-2, which approved a Professional Services Agreement with EJES Inc., to perform engineering services for Kinler and Paul Frederick Roadway and Drainage Improvements (Project No. P210704), in the not to exceed amount of $547,877.00. - An ordinance approving and authorizing the execution of Amendment No. 3 to Ordinance No. 22-7-2, which approved the Professional Services Agreement with Digital Engineering & Imaging, Inc., to perform planning services for Road Maintenance 2022-23 (Project No. P220501), in the amount of $90,086.00.

• The council tabled action on revoking the special permit use for automobile sales at 16830 Highway 90 in Des Allemands, pending a separate rezoning request by the property owner to add two adjacent residential lots to the site. Residents and the property owner/tenant gave conflicting accounts of repeated code violations, and this matter is expected to return to the council after the rezoning process plays out.
• Councilman Walter Pilié raised a question about whether McKim & Creed, Inc. holds a valid Louisiana engineering firm license, as required for its Professional Services Agreement on the Water System Modeling project. Administration officials said they believe the firm and its representatives are properly licensed but agreed to verify before signing the contract.
• Fire Chief Matthew Allshouse detailed serious funding and staffing shortfalls affecting Hahnville Volunteer Fire Department and fire districts parish-wide, and urged the council to work with fire officials on sustainable funding. Councilwoman O'Daniels and the council chairwoman indicated interest in adding fire departments to the parish's annual reporting schedule so the council can better track these issues going forward.
• The council President Jewell noted a large-scale home elevation grant application (Flood Mitigation Assistance Swift Current Grant Program) covering $4 million is due to be submitted by January 16, with a possible second outreach to eligible homeowners if additional funding becomes available.