The Kenner City Council on Dec. 19 approved a series of routine agenda items, including a public hearing and final passage of a lease for a small portion of Short Street and a slate of contracts and change orders for city departments.
Planning staff presented planning case P 18-25 recommending approval of summary ordinance 13,988, a lease of a 37-by-16.2-foot portion of Short Street right-of-way to Eric Rotz to operate a coffee stand in the Rivertown Historic District. An appraisal by Murphy Appraisal Services dated Sept. 29, 2025, put the fair-market lease at $1,079 per year ($89.92 per month); the applicant agreed to that amount. The council opened the public hearing and then approved the lease by a 7-0 voice vote (motion by Councilmember Dunn, seconded by Councilmember Wilmot).
The council also approved a number of mayor-approved contracts and procurement items:
- Summary ordinance 13,999: an agreement with Design Engineering Inc. for pre-positioned post-disaster building damage assessments (inspection and code enforcement department) — approved.
- Summary ordinance 14,000: acceptance of the lowest responsive bid from Crescent Decal Specialist Inc. to furnish and install vehicle decals in an amount not to exceed $70,000 annually (Fleet Management) — approved.
- Summary ordinance 14,001: renewal #1 with Beacon Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Inc. to provide HVAC services (labor-only), increasing the agreement by $100,000 to a new total not to exceed $350,000 annually — approved.
- Summary ordinance 14,002: rental of emergency power equipment post-disaster from SLSCO Co. Ltd. in an amount not to exceed $700,000 (General Services) — approved.
- Summary ordinance 14,003: purchase of one street-sweeping truck from Covington Sales and Service Inc. in the amount of $414,378 (Fleet Management) — approved. Fleet staff said the prior sweeper purchased in 2017 has been heavily used and the new unit was budgeted.
- Summary ordinance 14,004–14,008: several construction change orders and testing agreements related to Palm Vista Gardens, 42nd & Lake Trail and 31st & Loyola sewer lift-station improvements (Fleming Construction change order +$31,038.40 and +23 calendar days), sole-source replacement of the HMPC pump impeller at West Oglethorpe lift station ($7,007), and Gulf South Engineering testing services for wastewater projects (each agreement not to exceed $10,000) — all approved unanimously.
The council also approved an appointment: Alex Perdomo was appointed to the City of Kenner Planning and Zoning Commission (motion by Councilmember Wilmot, seconded by Councilmember Sharwith); council approved the appointment 7-0.
All listed motions on the consent and mayor-approved contract agenda were carried by unanimous voice votes with no recorded dissents. Several items had brief staff explanations on the record; no substantive debate altered the motions or outcomes.