Committee advances six ordinances to full council including grant additions and multiple capital amendments

The Finance Committee moved six ordinances (calendar numbers 07/08/1935 through 07/08/1940) to the full St. Tammany Parish Council for consideration after staff presented details of grants, operating rollovers and capital amendments.

Ordinance 07/08/1935 (grants budget amendment number 3) adds federal funds from the Department of Justice and the Department of the Treasury under the asset forfeiture equitable sharing program. Annie, finance staff, said the Department of Justice amount is $420,329 and the Treasury amount is $34,488. The parish will act as trustee and hold the funds on behalf of the district attorney’s office; Annie said the federal agency requires the parish to hold and disburse the funds at the DA’s request. She also said any interest earned must be spent in the same manner as the funds.

Ordinance 07/08/1936 (operating budget amendment number 5) rolls over unspent fiscal 2024 encumbrances and projects into 2025. Annie listed the rollover amounts by fund, including: General Fund $180,626; Public Works Fund $2,804,447; Drainage Maintenance $240,725; Public Health $2,392; Animal Services $1,278; Highway 21 Economic Development District Fund $9,434; Cultural Recreation & Tourism $183,266; Tyler Street Complex $3,383; Justice Center Complex $607,859; Safe Haven Complex $20,320; Coop Drive Complex $1,225,000; Utility Operations $10,755,188; and Development Fund $77,035. Staff noted purchase order numbers for most items and said the rollovers are to pay obligations issued in the prior year.

Ordinance 07/08/1937 (operating budget amendment number 6) increases the Animal Services fund by $15,000 to spend a donation (described as from “net checks”) and to transfer funds to the fishing pier project. The related capital ordinance (07/08/1938) adds three capital projects: St. Tammany Airport Road relocation (design, environmental, and grant administration funded by Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development for $159,887); Camp Salmon Historic Lodge restoration; and a fishing pier project that includes construction of a slab-on-grade building with bathrooms and storage.

Staff said the Camp Salmon Historic Lodge restoration has a total project budget of $707,966.93; the amendment adds $151,716, with $100,000 coming from the state (Department of the Treasury from fiscal 2024) and additional funds from the Friends of Camp Salmon Nature Park. John, parks/project staff, said the lodge is among the parish’s oldest buildings and that the funds will secure and restore the structure; he said work includes public-record validation and a partnership with Southeastern for exhibit curation.

The fishing pier project budget is $421,107.15, which staff said includes insurance proceeds of $39,437.18; hotel‑motel tax proceeds of $161,669.97; and $220,000 from the Highway 21 Economic Development District sales tax.

Ordinance 07/08/1939 (capital amendment number 8) adds Phase 2 of the Chafunkta Peninsula coastal restoration project — described as restoration of a historic ridge and peninsula on Lake Pontchartrain’s eastern Chafunkta River bank — for $485,000. Phase 2 will include design, permitting and dredging and is funded by Gomeza bond proceeds and grant funds; staff said Phase 1 was the Lower Chafunkta breakwater armored rubble riprap project nearing design completion.

Ordinance 07/08/1940 (capital amendment number 9, Sales Tax District 3) reallocates savings from completed or under-budget projects to additional road and drainage projects. Staff listed projects added or increased (amounts): Harrison Avenue mill/overlay $2,800,000; Herwick Bluff Road drainage $45,000; Hoover Drive $500,000; Laws Street $225,000; LA 21/Greenbrier intersection $700,000; Lindbergh Drive/US 190B intersection $369,000; Little Bayou Casteen drainage $1,700,000; Rosedown Way drainage $1,200,000; and White Stork Drive drainage $120,000. Staff said reallocations come from projects that finished under budget, including Coin du Leston Estate roads elevation $500,000; Cap Road $400,000; Mandeville bypass $3,500,000; Meyer Drive $300,000; Old River Road $320,000; and other savings from Sharp Road Phase 2, among others. Public Works staff said most of the newly funded projects are ready to proceed or are at design stages and that better bid competition in the past six months produced favorable prices.

Committee member Patty moved the motion to advance ordinances 07/08/1935 through 07/08/1940 to the full council; the committee voice vote was taken and the chair said, “It carries.” No detailed roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript.

No ordinances were adopted at the committee meeting; all six items were forwarded to the full council for further action.