Council accepts donation from 5th Ward Drainage District amid questions over tax timing and equipment use

The Lafourche Parish Council voted March 24 to accept donated equipment from Fifth Ward Drainage District No. 5 and to authorize the parish president to sign necessary documents, but the measure prompted questions about who paid for the equipment and where it may be used.

Councilman Lorraine told the council that the drainage district’s tax had been on a 10-year cycle and that the last approval was in 2017, meaning the tax should have remained in force until 2027. He said a 2023 change effectively "cut 4 years" from the district’s millage and called that action illegal. "It was illegal what they did," Lorraine said, adding that people in the district had paid for the equipment and that it should be used for that district.

Lorraine asked whether excavators and other donated machines could be used parishwide or should remain dedicated to the district that paid for them. The administration did not provide an immediate legal opinion in the meeting; parish staff and other council members described historical maintenance performed by district operators prior to the parish assumption in 2023 and expressed concern that ditch work has not been performed since the takeover.

The council approved the ordinance accepting the donation and later approved related resolutions concerning the donation and outstanding debts associated with the district. On the question of outstanding debt, Parish President Mitchell Israel said the district’s most recent account balance showed "a little over $100" and that, after a pending credit, there would likely be no debt; the transcript did not provide a formal dollar figure beyond that report.

The council did not specify restrictions on where donated equipment may be used; Councilman Lorraine said he believed equipment ought to be used where taxpayers purchased it. The administration and council recorded the motions as passed by voice vote.