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Chief of Fire District No. 7 asks parish for help rebuilding Cocodrie station amid FEMA, code and funding hurdles
Summary
Fire District No. 7 Chief Amanda Thibodeaux told the Community Development & Planning Committee the district is over budget rebuilding a damaged station, faces new state code requirements that increased costs, and needs parish or other funding because FEMA and state reimbursement processes leave gaps.
Chief Amanda Thibodeaux of Fire District No. 7 told the Community Development & Planning Committee on Feb. 24 that her district needs parish assistance to complete rebuilding its Cocodrie station before an April fire‑protection classification inspection.
“We were already over budget because of the cost of building materials,” Thibodeaux said, explaining that state code changes discovered during the permitting process added required features and raised costs. The district previously expected about $207,000 from a state post‑disaster program; Thibodeaux said that program is reimbursement‑only and the district is not yet at a reimbursement stage.
Parish staff told the committee the district does not qualify for some grants (for example, LGAP) as a standalone fire district; the parish government would need to be the grantee. Staff said they will pursue other funding avenues and coordinate with congressional and state representatives on FEMA policy issues, including discussions around FEMA’s Risk Rating 2.0 and federal mitigation programs.
Council members offered options and context. Councilman Daniel Babin described a neighboring district pursuing a special‑millage election to raise capital for local stations and said millage elections have been used elsewhere when immediate capital is required. Councilman Kevin Champagne and others recommended contacting the state delegation for capital‑outlay consideration, while staff noted that capital‑outlay scheduling could push a project into a later priority year.
Thibodeaux said the district currently holds a Class 3 fire rating and that structural code demands for “elevation plus 2” for a critical facility are driving design changes. She described temporary structures in place at some stations while rebuilding continues.
Committee members encouraged the chief to pursue multiple funding channels — parish support, capital outlay, direct grants or local millage — and several members said they would try to identify parish funds to avoid imposing a new local tax if possible.
No formal vote was taken on funding at the meeting; the item was a presentation and request for assistance. Staff and council members said they would follow up on grant options, capital outlay timing and possible parish support.
