Amite River Basin commission extends CPRA agreement, approves sharing finalized master‑plan data with parishes

The Amite River Basin Commission on Jan. 14 voted to extend its intergovernmental agreement with the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, and approved a separate motion to share finalized master‑plan data prepared by Dewberry with Livingston Parish and other public entities.

The extension will push the agreement deadline into June 2025 and does not change the dollar amount of the contract, ARBC legal counsel Larry Bankston told the commission. “The agreement has a deadline to it, and the request for an amendment is to extend that deadline … to extend it all the way into June thirtieth of 20 25,” Bankston said during the meeting.

The commission also approved a motion to allow the Dewberry master‑plan deliverables — once placed in a final form — to be released to parishes or other public entities for use in local drainage master plans. The initial motion named Livingston Parish specifically; commissioners later amended it so the information could be shared with “any parish or public entity” once the commission or its designees determined the material was finalized.

Why it matters: Dewberry’s master plan contains modeling and other technical outputs paid for with public funds. Allowing parishes access to final deliverables is intended to speed local planning and avoid duplicate work, while the contract extension gives staff time to synthesize draft material and finish pending administrative items tied to the CPRA agreement.

Commissioners said they expect the shared data to be final or otherwise clearly marked so recipients understand whether content is subject to further change. Paul Sawyer, the ARBC’s newly contracted senior staffer, told commissioners the basin is a “dynamic system” in which work in one place affects other places and urged cooperative use of modeling results: “I think with the master plan and the alignment of this board, I think we’re gonna make some really good headway for the citizens of the Amite River Basin.”

Formal actions recorded in the meeting packet and stated aloud included a motion to add the CPRA amendment to the agenda, a motion to extend the CPRA intergovernmental agreement to June 30, 2025, and a motion to permit sharing of final master‑plan data with parishes and, as amended, any public entity. Commission members voiced no opposition on the recorded motions and the chair declared the measures adopted.

What’s next: Staff said the extension will permit final synthesis of Dewberry’s draft master plan and let the commission complete “financial housekeeping” that may extend beyond the original March deadline. Commissioners asked that only finalized deliverables be released and proposed that Paul Sawyer or another designee coordinate with Dewberry on the materials to be shared.

Ending: The commission approved the extension and the data‑sharing direction without recorded opposition and moved on to other agenda items, including a separate resolution (No. 1184) concerning East Feliciana funds and several project status reports.