Terrebonne Parish committee advances $4.5 million in CDBG-DR recovery funds for seafood industry and small businesses

The Terrebonne Parish Budget & Finance Committee voted to introduce an ordinance amending the 2025 adopted operating budget to recognize Community Development Block Grant — Disaster Recovery (CDBG‑DR) awards totaling $4,500,000 and to call a public hearing for Sept. 24, 2025, at 6:30 p.m.

The ordinance lists $1,500,000 for “CDBG‑DR support seafood industry phase 1” and $3,000,000 for “CDBG‑DR small business grants,” and was moved by Councilmember Danny Babin and seconded by Councilmember Kevin Champagne. The motion passed on a recorded vote, 9–0.

Why it matters: The allocations are part of long‑running recovery work after Hurricane Ida; council members pressed staff for details on how much of the award will flow directly to businesses, who will administer the programs and how eligibility will be set.

Staff and consultants described an early draft of the spending breakdown. Committee staff said roughly $2.6 million would be allocated directly to small businesses (the remainder covering required environmental review, consultant and subrecipient costs), with line items shown in the meeting backup including a $5,000 environmental review item, $175,000 for grant management and $220,000 for subrecipient implementation. The parish identified CSRS as the consultant that will manage grant administration and environmental review requirements.

Councilmember Kevin Champagne asked whether $2.6 million is the amount that will reach businesses; a staff member replied that $2.6 million “is actually what's gonna be allocated to small businesses,” and that CSRS will help write program guidelines. Kelly Varnado, director of housing and human services, explained environmental review requirements to the committee: “For every dollar of federal money that you spend, you have to do an environmental determination.”

Several council members sought more detail on how award amounts per recipient would be set. Committee members raised the possibility of different award caps (for example, $50,000 per grant versus smaller awards to reach more businesses) and emphasized that final program guidelines will come back to the council and must be approved by the state where required. Staff noted that the $50,000 per‑business figure appeared in the parish’s application to the state and that program rules are not final.

On administration and subrecipients, staff said the parish plans to run the program with CSRS preparing guidelines and handling grant management, and to contract with local organizations for implementation. South Central Planning and Terrebonne Industrial Development Authority (TIDA) were named as likely subrecipients or implementation partners to help identify businesses and manage application intake; the parish said exact roles will be set in subrecipient agreements and must be approved by the council.

Council members repeatedly said they want the money distributed quickly but also want program rules that reach smaller, local businesses such as owner‑operators in the seafood sector. “There's a lot of guys out there with skiffs … those are the folks that I really wanna help,” one councilmember said.

A public hearing on the ordinance was scheduled for Sept. 24, 2025, to allow further public and council scrutiny of program details before funds are expended.

Votes at a glance: The introduction of the ordinance to amend the 2025 operating budget for the items above passed 9–0. The prior committee resolution to provide for submission of individual ordinances for budget amendments — a separate procedural change discussed at the same meeting — passed 8–0 earlier in the session.

What comes next: Staff and CSRS will draft program guidelines, environmental review documentation and subrecipient agreements. Those materials will return to the council and to the state as required before funds are disbursed.