Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Drainage Cleaning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Plaquemines Council approves ‘Operation Clean Sweep’ amendment, debates scope of ditch‑cleaning authority
Summary
The Plaquemines Parish Council voted to amend and advance an ordinance authorizing parish ditch‑cleaning after members and administration debated whether the measure would allow the parish to clean all private ditches. Council adopted a clerical amendment limiting authority to actions “consistent with the Constitution of the State of Louisiana.”
The Plaquemines Parish Council on Nov. 14 adopted an amendment to an ordinance called “Operation Clean Sweep,” which directs the parish to clean and maintain ditches across the parish.
Councilmember LaFrance offered the amendment to narrow the measure’s language after administration officials warned that the original wording — which read broadly as authority to clean “all ditches” — could be read to require work on privately owned ditches and exceed the parish’s legal authority. The amendment inserted language making the program subject to constitutional limits; councilmembers voted 8–0 on the amendment and moved forward to consider the ordinance as amended.
Debate focused on implementation details: Administration staff and multiple councilmembers said not every ditch will be eligible, and work on private property will require a showing of public benefit or a signed waiver. Members asked for clearer operational triggers, equipment and staffing plans, and whether the parish would hire contractors or buy new machinery to sustain any expanded program. Councilmember Champagne urged caution, saying the parish “can’t keep up with what we got now” and asked whether added ditches would create second‑order effects that divert resources from existing priorities.
The ordinance sponsor said the goal is to improve drainage, reduce mosquito breeding grounds and protect property values, but acknowledged that not all servitudes or private ditches would be treated the same. Legal staff and the administration committed to clarifying the final ordinance language and developing operational standards before widespread implementation.
The council moved the ordinance forward with the amendment; the measure will be implemented according to the clarified language and subject to budget and operational planning.
