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Iberia Parish council orders cleanup of long‑standing nuisance property on Pufet Road, exempts camper and operational equipment
Summary
After years of neighbor complaints and contested cleanup attempts, the council found 7306 Pufet Road a nuisance and authorized abatement; owner was given 15 days to remove items, with camper and demonstrably operational equipment allowed to remain.
Iberia Parish Council voted April 22 to find the property at 7306 Pufet Road a public nuisance and to authorize abatement after a contentious public hearing that drew neighbors' testimony about safety and health risks and the property owner's request for more time.
The resolution, introduced during the council’s consent/hearing docket, declares the parcel — listed in the agenda as parcel number 01000517998 and owned by Craig Duhon and Christy El Budro — a nuisance under parish permitting, planning and zoning recommendations. The council adopted an amendment excluding the owner’s camper and any machinery the owner can demonstrate is operational, but ordered removal of remaining materials within 15 days of the parish‑president’s signature. If the parish must contract for demolition or removal, costs and administrative expenses will be charged to the property and a lien placed against it.
Neighbors at the meeting described long‑term problems. Monica Buon said debris behind her house was “dangerous” and recounted an alleged physical confrontation linked to the site; other neighbors cited accumulating tires and rodents that pose a mosquito and public‑health concern. Craig Duhon told the council he has been working to clean the acreage, said some material on site represents his livelihood and asked for more time, and alleged parish contractors removed items before he was notified.
Parish staff and council members reported certified notices and other communications dating back to 2023 and described prior contractor bids and partial cleanups. Planning and zoning said some attempts to contact the owner were returned or went to an outdated address, but the record includes a January 2026 contractor action that did not resolve the problem.
The council’s motion sets a 15‑day removal window to allow the owner to remove items he values; any remaining cleanup will be bid publicly, and the parish will recoup expenses through a property lien or, if necessary, foreclosure. Council members said the aim is to protect neighbors’ safety and property values while giving the owner a final opportunity to act.
The council’s action followed a lengthy exchange on whether particular items could remain and how to assess operability; the building official will be the parish’s designated verifier of machinery that is claimed to be operational. The council did not set a dollar estimate for the total cleanup cost at the meeting but staff reported prior bids up to roughly $50,000 and earlier cleanup charges of several thousand dollars already expended.
The abatement order is effective upon the parish‑president’s signature. The property owner may appeal administrative collection procedures as provided under parish ordinance, and any lien will attach to the parcel if the parish carries out the work.
