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Committee designates local paper as official journal; board member criticizes legislative outcome
Summary
The committee designated the local paper recorded in the packet as the 'Houma Veil Courier' as the district's official journal for 2026–27; Dr. Bud Cloutier objected, saying legislative changes force taxpayers to subsidize paid subscriptions rather than rely on free postings on the district website.
The committee recommended that the district accept the courier (recorded in committee materials as the "Houma Veil Courier") as the official journal of record for the 2026–27 fiscal year (07/01/2026–06/30/2027). The committee approved the designation by voice vote with no objections.
Dr. Bud Cloutier criticized what he described as a legislative outcome that prevents the public from relying solely on the district’s website for official postings, saying it obliges taxpayers to pay indirectly for publication and that a bill to change that outcome was "killed in the House of Representatives." "The taxpayer is basically paying triple...the public has to go out and pay for a subscription," Dr. Cloutier said. The vice chairman noted the district has put information on its website where possible and described the designation as an unfortunate but necessary administrative step.
The committee did not debate alternate publishers during the meeting and approved the recommendation to name the courier as the official journal; the item will be reflected in the full board packet for final processing.
