Lafourche Parish Council approves bridge project, demolition contracts, dozens of resolutions; fails to designate out‑of‑state paper as official journal

The Lafourche Parish Council on May 12 approved a series of ordinances, contracts and resolutions covering property purchases, demolition contracts, public‑works projects and appointments, and accepted state partnership funding for a long‑delayed bridge replacement.

Key votes at the meeting included:

- Ordinance 2 (hospital service district election): Motion to authorize a renewal special‑tax election in Hospital Service District No. 2 on Nov. 3, 2026 — approved (six yays, zero nays; two absences noted).

- Ordinance 3 (property purchase): Approval of a purchase agreement with Valentine Realty LLC for a Highway 308 parcel in Lockport for $151,000 — approved with one abstention (the chair abstained due to a professional relationship); tally recorded as five yays, zero nays, one abstention.

- Ordinance 4 (2026 supplemental appropriation): Approved to cover shortfalls in operations and maintenance for 2026 (vote recorded six yays, zero nays; two absences).

- Multiple resolutions awarding low‑bid contracts for nuisance abatement and demolition of condemned structures: A batch of small demolition contracts (amounts generally between roughly $3,800 and $7,800 per site) were approved; the council noted the combined total for approved demolitions that day was about $70,000.

- Resolution approving courtroom audio/visual systems with Crescent Multimedia Solutions for Tibido City Court chambers — approved; administration said the equipment will be installed in the historic courthouse when renovation is complete.

- Resolution for Valentine pontoon bridge replacement: Council approved an agreement with the state for what the parish president described as a fully engineered, roughly $9.5 million replacement project with $3.5 million pledged by the parish and the rest made up by the state; the president said the work will be built and procured in Louisiana.

- Motion 40 (appointing the Daily Comet as the parish’s official journal): After an extended debate about the statute requiring publication and concerns about out‑of‑state billing, the motion to appoint the Daily Comet failed (four yays, three nays, two absences). Council members asked administration to draft a letter to state legislators seeking relief from the current statute.

Council members also approved change orders related to bridge rehabilitation and hurricane Ida repairs and completed several routine appointments and reappointments to boards and commissions. Many items passed unanimously or with standard attendance notations; recorded vote details were read into the record for each motion.