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Council deletes interstate mowing low‑bid after debate over state reimbursements
Summary
Council members voted to delete acceptance of a low bid for interstate mowing and litter collection after debate about the parish subsidizing cycles the state does not pay for; administration said DOTD pays for fewer cycles than the parish runs to keep the capital presentable.
After extended debate the Metropolitan Council voted on May 13 to delete the low‑bid acceptance for the parish’s interstate mowing and litter contract (Item 75), following arguments that the city parish was subsidizing extra mowing cycles the state does not fund.
Mayor Pro Tem Brandon Noah led the argument for deletion, saying parish taxpayers were effectively paying several hundred thousand dollars per year beyond DOTD reimbursements to maintain interstates and state routes inside the parish. "We shouldn't be middle‑manning this to lose money," he said, and urged the council to refuse to renew the cooperative arrangement with DOTD when the current agreement expires.
Public Works officials explained the parish intentionally runs more mowing cycles than the state pays for so the appearance of the capital area meets local standards. DPW reported DOTD reimburses roughly $267,000 for the interstate contract (covering about nine cycles), while the parish pays for approximately 16 cycles annually; officials estimated the parish gap for this contract at about $224,000 and said other DOTD‑related contracts add to the exposure. "DOTD pays us about $267,000, which under this contract would only cover about 9 cycles. What we're doing is 16 cycles of mowing," the DPW representative said.
Council members split on priorities: some argued the capital must look presentable to the hundreds of thousands of vehicles that pass through daily, while others said a $700,000 net cost across DOTD contracts was not a prudent subsidy when core municipal services are underfunded. A substitute motion to approve the acceptance failed and the motion to delete the low bid carried on the floor.
Council instructed staff to pursue stronger reimbursement discussions with DOTD and to return with negotiation options when the cooperative agreement comes up for renewal in June.
