Terrebonne council agrees Recreation Advisory Committee can meet now while ordinance changes are drafted

The Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government Council on May 28 directed staff to begin scheduling Recreation Advisory Committee meetings without waiting for an appointed chair, while the council continues to revise the ordinance that governs the committee.

Councilmember Chauvin raised the item and asked whether the committee could meet without a council-appointed chair. Staff member Neil replied that the current ordinance creates the advisory committee and describes its membership but does not specify who must call the first meeting. Neil said a proposed amendment circulated that day would make the Quality of Life director responsible for noticing and calling the first meeting. "If you look at the proposal for the amendments ... you'll see where it says the first meeting of the Recreation Advisory Board shall be noticed and called by the quality of life director," Neil said during the discussion.

The ordinance as read by staff says the committee is to be composed of the parish president or a proxy, the Venues and Destinations administrator, the chairperson of each recreation district, a council member appointed by the council chair and the Director of Quality of Life; it requires monthly meetings. In the draft amendment circulated to council members, the councilmember appointed by the chair would no longer be mandated to serve as chair, and the committee would elect its own chair and vice chair. The draft also moves some procedural provisions such as automatic dismissal criteria into a manual rather than embedding all of them in ordinance text, though the manual would still require council approval, Neil said.

Several councilmembers said they have heard from recreation district leaders who want the meetings to resume. Councilmember Amity and Councilmember Pleasure both voiced support for starting meetings as soon as scheduling can be completed. The council agreed to have communications staff contact the Quality of Life Department to begin scheduling meetings and to have the Quality of Life director or vice chair lead initial coordination.

Council members stressed that the meetings must be scheduled with all required participants and that some administrative legwork will be necessary to get the advisory board functioning. Council members also noted options for removing inactive district board members were discussed; the draft would include provisions for automatic removal for certain conduct (for example, felony convictions or multiple unexcused absences) but those enforcement details would be refined in the manual and brought back to the council for approval.

The council did not vote on an ordinance change that night; members directed staff to proceed with scheduling and to circulate redlines of the draft ordinance for further council review.