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Iberia Parish finance committee hears plan to use remaining ARPA funds to cover road maintenance shortfall
Summary
Public Works Director Gene Romero told the committee the Road District 10 maintenance fund shows a deficit driven largely by equipment needs. Finance Director Erica Duplishan said she will bring a resolution to reallocate remaining ARPA funds from completed bridge work into the road maintenance fund for 2025, and staff will look to road sales‑tax adjustments for 2026.
Public Works Director Gene Romero told the Iberia Parish Special Finance Committee on Oct. 27 that the Road District 10 maintenance fund is facing a shortfall driven primarily by equipment purchases and materials. Romero outlined planned purchases, including a crew cab dually, a trailer to haul a roller and bobcat, a mower and a 5‑ton two‑post vehicle lift, and said the equipment line is the main driver of the deficit.
Finance Director Erica Duplishan said staff will bring a resolution to move remaining ARPA funds from already‑completed bridge projects into the road maintenance fund to cover the 2025 shortfall. “We’re gonna bring a resolution back to move money from road some 2 bridges that are already completed with the road work from ARPA funds into the road maintenance,” Duplishan said, adding that for next year staff will consider shifting some road sales‑tax receipts to bolster maintenance lines and cold‑patch needs.
Elected members and staff discussed tradeoffs between buying equipment, leasing, and expanding in‑house capacity. Romero said staffing shortages — not equipment alone — limit how much in‑house road work the parish can do: adding specialized asphalt equipment would require a larger, trained crew. Members noted earlier commitments to allocate sales‑tax and bond proceeds for roads, and staff described bid returns for multiple road packages (a Sellers bid bundle was discussed at roughly $4.686 million for a set of roads in Project A/B/C) and the possibility of a second bond to fund remaining projects.
Duplishan said road sales‑tax collections are tracking well and estimated the parish needs roughly $277,000 for the remainder of 2025 in that fund; any additional collections would be prioritized to road maintenance and the major projects list. Committee members requested staff follow up with final specs for pending equipment purchases and crystallize the proposed ARPA resolution before the full council budget discussions.
Because this meeting was informational only, no formal motion or vote was taken on the proposed ARPA reallocation or bond timing. Staff said they will return with a drafted resolution and final cost/spec information at a later meeting.
