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Council approves $10,000 for planning-and-zoning legal support and discusses blighted-property abatement
Summary
Iberia Parish Council approved a $10,000 allocation from the general fund for outside legal counsel to support planning-and-zoning meetings, and planning staff updated the council on progress removing several blighted properties while requesting a prioritized plan and additional resources.
The Iberia Parish Council voted to amend the general fund to allocate $10,000 for outside legal counsel to support planning-and-zoning meetings, citing heavy workloads and the need for legal advice during contentious land-use deliberations. "We had more assistant DAs... now this man is overloaded," one council member said in support of the allocation.
Supporters said the planning department has more than 65 active projects and lacks the in-house legal capacity previously available; councilmembers argued the allocation will help ensure correct legal procedures and protect commission actions. The motion passed after discussion and was framed as a starter amount that may be adjusted.
In a separate planning update, Matt Landry (filling in for planning staff) reviewed abatement progress: several addresses have been cleared to empty lots and other blighted parcels remain in need of action. Staff and council members discussed following the adopted ordinance and state statutes governing blight and demolition and requested that planning produce a prioritized list of properties for follow-up action and budgeting.
No large funding commitments for demolition were made during the meeting, but councilmembers said they expect further budget discussions and coordination between planning, legal and public works to accelerate abatement work.
