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Committee forwards recommendation to codify process for legacy drainage fixes
Summary
The Livingston Parish Master Plan Review Committee voted June 16 to send a recommendation to planning and zoning that the parish master plan include a codified approach for addressing legacy drainage problems in older neighborhoods.
The Livingston Parish Master Plan Review Committee voted June 16 to forward to the Livingston Parish Planning and Zoning Commission and the parish council a recommendation that the parish master plan include a codified process for addressing legacy drainage issues.
Committee member Bridal Clemons, who presented the draft recommendation letter, said the item responds to recurring failures in neighborhoods built before current zoning and drainage standards. "For neighborhoods that have been built prior to current zoning and other ordinances, sometimes their drainage plans aren't working very well anymore," Clemons said, noting repair costs can be substantial.
The nut of the recommendation is to set an explicit, consistent process for deciding when and how to fix older drainage systems so that the parish treats similar cases uniformly and reduces the risk of differential treatment that could prompt legal challenges. Clemons said the committee has discussed the draft for several months and that the letter is the product of that work.
A motion to forward the recommendation to planning and zoning for possible adoption into the master plan was made and seconded on the floor; the committee voted in favor. Committee members voting "yes" included Ralph Burgess, Coley Johnson, Gerald Burns, Travis Thorpe, Bridal Clemons and Julie Dyson Norris. The motion was recorded as a recommendation (referral) to planning and zoning rather than an immediate ordinance or code change.
Committee members did not specify language changes at the meeting; members asked planning staff and commission reviewers to examine the draft letter and the proposed codified approach. The committee chair indicated the recommendation will go into the next planning commission packet for review.
The forwarding action directs planning staff and commissioners to review the draft and consider incorporating a formal, written procedure into the parish master plan that clarifies eligibility, prioritization, and funding considerations for repairs of legacy drainage systems.
