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Former St. Martin Parish president criticizes audit, recounts opposition to 'small banks' removal
Summary
Former parish president Chester Severs delivered a lengthy account of St. Martin Parish's objections to Lafayette Consolidated Government's removal of spoil ("small banks"), disputed language in a legislative auditor report and raised procurement and procedural concerns; litigation and requests for further study were discussed.
Chester Severs, identified in the meeting as a former parish president, told the council the parish repeatedly opposed Lafayette Consolidated Government's (LCG) plans to remove spoil banks in the Cypress Island area and said the parish never received the models LCG relied on for its permit application. "Saint Martin Parish's opposition appeared to be largely due to misinformed public opinion rather than the merits of the original Small Bank project," Severs said, quoting language he read from the auditor's appendix and contesting that characterization.
Severs recounted a series of meetings and actions: a community meeting on April 29, 2021; subsequent reviews by an independent engineer retained by the parish; exchanges with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers representatives; and a later legislative auditor report. He said the parish asked for more data and modeling to understand potential impacts on waterways within the Cypress Island area, including nearby channels the parish contends were not evaluated in LCG's materials. "There gotta be a study," Severs said, arguing the parish's engineering concerns remained unresolved.
Severs also raised procurement questions tied to the removal work. He said bids solicited by LCG in December 2021 ranged widely, with a low responsive bid near $390,050 and high bids approaching $1.1 million, and then described a contract amendment that increased the low-bid amount to about $3.7 million shortly before the removal work began. "Four days before the execution of the contract... that $390,050 low bid was subject to a contract amendment increasing the amount... to $3,699,800," Severs said, calling the timing and magnitude of the increase a reason to examine the record closely.
Severs acknowledged ongoing litigation and said a federal court had dismissed some constitutional claims but that other legal and procedural questions remained open in local court. He urged the council to continue seeking data and to keep the parish's focus on protecting residents and infrastructure from increased water flows.
Council members asked clarifying questions about the auditor's timeline and whether regulatory agencies had acted; Severs cited site visits and measurements he said were taken for the legislative auditors in August 2022. The meeting record does not indicate a council vote or formal new action on the topic during this session. The council did not adopt any new ordinance or motion related to the small banks during the meeting.
