Meeting Summary

The St. Charles Parish Council held its regular meeting on September 22, 2025, opening with several proclamations honoring Norco's 100th anniversary, breast cancer and domestic violence awareness, 4-H Week, Fire Prevention Week, and the winners of the Alligator Festival queen pageants. The council gave preliminary approval to a bond issuance of up to $4 million to help the ARC of St. Charles rehabilitate its facilities, approved a slate of public works and utility engineering contracts (including pump station, drainage, and road maintenance projects), and confirmed several board and commission appointments. The council also heard a presentation from Restore the Earth on a large-scale cypress reforestation project in the parish that has restored thousands of acres of wetlands but recently lost roughly 1.2 million planted trees to fires that spread from a neighboring property.

Watch Items

The council will hold a public hearing on Monday, October 6, 2025, 6:00 pm, Council Chambers, Courthouse, Hahnville, to consider final passage of the following ordinances:

• 2025-0161, An ordinance to approve and adopt the appropriation of Funds for the St. Charles Parish Consolidated Operating and Capital Budget for Fiscal Year 2026.
• 2025-0203, An ordinance to amend the St. Charles Parish Zoning Ordinance to exempt off-street parking for manufactured and mobile homes in R-1A(M) zoning districts from permanent dust-free paving.
• 2025-0284, An ordinance to change zoning from R-1A to R-2 on Lot 29-B-1, Flaggville, 475 Courthouse Lane, Hahnville.
• 2025-0286, An ordinance to change zoning from M-1 to C-2 on Lot 4-II-A-5, Plantation Business Campus, 13080 River Road, Destrehan.
• 2025-0287, An ordinance to change zoning from C-2 to C-3 on Lots 1B-1 and 1B-2, Block J, Ellington Gardens, Luling.
• 2025-0288, An ordinance to change zoning from R-1A(M) to R-2 on Lot 46, Block E, Oak Ridge Park Section One, Luling.
• 2025-0289, An ordinance to change zoning from R-1M to R-1A(M) on Lot 16, Block 1, Lone Star Park Subdivision, Luling.
• 2025-0291, An ordinance to increase the minimum setback for accessory buildings from 3 feet to 5 feet.
• 2025-0293, An ordinance to establish a waiver process for use of private sewer facilities.

A second public hearing is set for Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 9:00 am; Thursday, October 30, 2025, 1:00 pm; and Monday, November 3, 2025, 6:00 pm, Council Chambers, Courthouse, Hahnville, covering:

• 2025-0296, Professional Services Agreement with Burk-Kleinpeter, Inc. for engineering services on the Ellington Structures Cousins Pump Station T-Wall project.
• 2025-0297, Professional Services Agreement with Burk-Kleinpeter, Inc. for engineering services on the Sunset Drainage Pump Station Rehabilitation project.
• 2025-0298, Professional Services Agreement with Eustis Engineering, LLC for geotechnical services on the Ellington Structures Cousins Pump Station T-Wall project.
• 2025-0299, Change Order No. 1 with Barriere Construction Co., L.L.C. for the Road Maintenance 2024-25 project, increasing cost and extending the contract time by 20 days.

Other items to track: the parish still needs to bring back a final "sale and bond resolution" with detailed terms before the ARC of St. Charles borrowing can move forward. Officials said they are working with the Sheriff's Office and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to add signage and penalties after fires destroyed a portion of the cypress reforestation project at Salvador Wildlife Management Area. The council will also sit as the Board of Review from September 24 through October 8, with written or oral protests on the 2025 assessment list due to the parish council office by September 29 at 4 p.m. Public hearings on the proposed 2026 capital and consolidated operating budget are scheduled for the same three dates in late October and early November noted above.