Meeting Summary

The St. Charles Parish Council met on January 27, 2025, to conduct regular business, including a proclamation recognizing "Wear Red Day for Women," an update from the German Coast Farmers' Market Board, and a detailed report from Parish President Matthew Jewell on the parish's response to the historic winter snowstorm that hit the region in mid-January. The council also introduced several ordinances for a future public hearing and formally withdrew one item in favor of an updated version.

Watch Items

The council introduced multiple ordinances that will be considered for final passage at a public hearing on Monday, February 10, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at the Courthouse in Hahnville. Residents who want to weigh in on any of these should plan to attend or submit comment before that date:

• An ordinance to approve the usage of Special Revenue Fund 123, Flood Protection, to pay for electrical utilities, fuel, parish water, debris disposal, repair parts, third party repair services, and other maintenance items associated with pump stations on the Parish's outer flood protection levee system. (Parish labor for operation and repairs will not be paid from this fund.)
• An ordinance approving and authorizing Amendment No. 1 to Ordinance No. 22-1-2, which approved a Professional Services Agreement with EJES Inc. for engineering services on the Kinler and Paul Frederick Roadway and Drainage Improvements project, increasing the contract by $358,896.00 to a total of $744,851.00.
• An ordinance approving and authorizing Change Order No. 1 (Final) for the St. Charles Parish 1st Floor Courthouse Renovation project, decreasing the contract amount by $42,706.00 and adding 11 days to the contract time.
• An ordinance to rescind Ordinance No. 24-10-4 and lease a .31 acre property for replacement parking related to the Ormond Area Flood Mitigation, CN Railroad Culvert Installation Project.
• An ordinance to approve and authorize the Parish President to execute a Franchise Agreement with Entergy Louisiana, LLC (formerly Louisiana Power and Light) to provide electric power and energy throughout the parish.

Separately, an earlier version of the EJES engineering contract amendment for the Kinler and Paul Frederick Roadway and Drainage Improvements project was pulled from consideration and postponed indefinitely at administration's request, since it is being replaced by the updated amendment listed above for the February 10 hearing.

Parish President Jewell also noted that official December sales tax figures were not yet available but indicated they showed continued growth; he said he would share those numbers at the next meeting. Residents interested in coastal restoration planning should note that a public input meeting on the Coastal Restoration Strategy was announced for early February at the Edward A. Dufresne Community Center in Luling, where the parish wants to hear resident priorities before finalizing plans with its engineering partner.