Harahan — The Harahan City Council on Sept. 14 voted 4-0, with one member absent, to authorize Mayor Tim Boudier to sign a cooperative endeavor agreement (CEA) with the State of Louisiana to accept $260,000 toward drainage planning and construction on Halsey Drive.

The action, offered as proposed Resolution 2025-15 by Councilman Asbill, accepts state funds routed through the state’s FP&C process (FP&C project number 50-MC1-25-01) but does not authorize any city expenditure. Council members and staff said the total project cost is about $1.4 million and the state allocation covers only a fraction of that amount.

Councilman Asbill told colleagues the resolution is intended to allow the city to “explore if this project's even gonna be possible, on for funding purposes” and stressed it does not commit the city to fund the remainder. “So I would ask for council approval knowing that this does not approve any actual expenditure on behalf of the city; we would have to come back for that once we have the full project cost,” he said.

Council discussion reviewed the project priority ranking in the state capital‑outlay process. The project currently appears as a priority‑4 item, and council members said they are seeking to move it to a higher priority — priority 1 would improve the chance of full funding. Officials also discussed whether the city could accept the state allocation and complete a smaller portion of work, but staff said that question will be explored while the CEA is in place.

The resolution was introduced, a public hearing was opened and closed with no speakers, and the council approved the motion; Councilman Bode seconded the motion to adopt.

Officials emphasized next steps will include returning to council if the city needs to provide matching funds, and continued outreach to state legislators to seek higher priority for the project.

Ending: The CEA acceptance allows Harahan to receive the state money and continue planning and funding discussions; further city approvals will be required before construction or city spending begins.