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Terrebonne Parish approves three staffing agencies to help fill long-term vacancies after heated debate
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Summary
The parish council authorized agreements with three staffing firms to supplement hiring amid dozens of unfilled positions, after members debated caps, fairness, insurance and pathways to permanent employment. Vote 6-1.
Terrebonne Parish officials voted to authorize agreements with three staffing agencies — Helix Resources LLC, Elite Workforce (referred to in the record as “Elite”) and Steadfast Employment LLC — to help fill unstaffed positions across parish departments.
The motion, introduced in the Budget & Finance Committee, passed 6-1 after more than an hour of debate about limits on contractor use, insurance requirements and how the agencies would be integrated with existing hiring practices.
Council members and staff said the contracts are intended to address a persistent hiring shortfall. Ryan Page, Risk Management and Human Resource Director, said the parish currently has “20 to 30 positions that have fluctuated this year” and that the staffing agreements would allow agencies to be directed to the parish’s live vacancy board so they can propose candidates for hard-to-fill roles such as CDL drivers for the transit department. Page said the parish will continue using its existing contractor, Lofton, in addition to adding the three new firms.
The debate focused on safeguards. Councilman Clark Harding asked about liability and insurance levels for higher-risk roles, and whether rate schedules from each company were in hand. Page said legal will compile required rate and insurance information and that “we will continue using Lofton” while obtaining documents from Elite and Steadfast. Council members repeatedly requested assurances that existing parish employees would not be displaced; Councilman Danny Babin said the intent was “not to replace any employee that we have in Terrebonne Parish right now.”
Several council members sought a cap on how many contract staff the parish might use. Page and other staff said the effective limit is the parish budget and the number of budgeted slots in department budgets. Page said the staffing firms would be a tool to fill positions that have not been filled through traditional hiring routes; if a candidate from a staffing firm proved a good fit, the parish could hire that person into a permanent position. Page and others said the parish aims to give temporary hires a path to permanent employment similar to existing Lofton contract terms.
Councilman John Amity asked a procedural question about how agencies would be selected for a particular vacancy; staff said the HR department would review resumes the same way it evaluates regular applicants and would work directly with agencies that bring qualified candidates. Several council members emphasized they wanted the parish’s vacancy board to remain the primary public posting location and that agencies should be directed to that live list.
The committee recorded the final motion as: authorize the parish president or his designee to execute agreements between the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government and Helix Resources LLC, Elite Workforce and Steadfast Employment LLC to provide staffing services. The motion was moved by Councilwoman Kim Chauvin and seconded by Councilman Charles K. Champagne. Vote: 6 yes, 1 no. Motion passes.
Next steps: staff will obtain rate schedules and insurance documentation from Elite and Steadfast, work with legal on contract language including a path to permanent employment, and manage agency communications through HR and the parish vacancy board.
