Terrebonne Parish board approves retroactive ITEP request for Gulf Island LLC despite objections

The Terrebonne Parish School Board voted Dec. 2 to approve a committee recommendation to grant Gulf Island LLC’s request to honor contract 20200178-ITE without penalty.

The recommendation was presented at the Finance, Insurance and Section 16 Lands committee meeting. A company representative addressed the committee and said he would provide more detailed financial breakdowns to the board packet. Committee members moved the resolution and the board approved it with recorded objections from two members.

Board member Matthew Ford opposed the exemption, arguing the board should not make exceptions when a contractor failed to meet contractual contingencies. "I've never been a fan of the ITEP exemptions," Ford said, arguing that honoring a retroactive request could set a precedent for other entities to seek similar relief. Other members, including those who voted to approve the recommendation, said they were sympathetic to the company's circumstances and noted this case was the first of its kind the committee had seen.

The motion was approved after discussion; the record shows two objections were entered but the committee recommendation carried. The board did not record a roll-call tally in the minutes included in the packet.

The board's action was framed as committee-driven and the mover and second were recorded during the committee presentation. No formal appeal or post-approval legal challenge was recorded during the meeting.

Next steps noted by staff include filing the adopted resolution with the contract record and adding the supporting financial breakdown to the board packet for future reference.