Alderman Budro asks town attorney to review injunctive relief to pause Long Branch occupancy until Abita Springs sewer hookup

Alderman Alvin Budro asked the Abita Springs Board of Aldermen on Sept. 9 to request a legal review and possible injunctive relief to prevent occupancy at the Long Branch Recovery Center until the facility is connected to the Abita Springs municipal sewer system.

Budro said he has concerns about how the center’s on-site sewage system was approved and whether the town’s approval process was followed: "I'm asking them to ask the attorney, let's hold up on hooking that stuff up or letting any occupancy go into that thing until we know that it can't possibly be hooked up to our current system," he told the council.

Planning staff and other councilors described the permitting pathway that the developer followed. Planning staff said Long Branch submitted plans to the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), which issues initial and final permits following inspection; the town requires a final LDH permit before issuing a certificate of occupancy. Staff summarized that LDH "then issues a what they call an initial permit" and that the town will require the final LDH permit and perform ongoing inspections under the town's individual on-site sewer program.

Council discussion focused on two disputed points: whether the municipal gravity sewer in the area had capacity that would have compelled the developer to hook up to town sewer, and whether the administrative permitting steps required the project to come back before the council. Budro said he read the code differently and questioned whether the developer should have pursued a connection to the municipal system rather than an on-site package plant. Other members and staff said planning and state approvals are administrative processes and noted the applicant signed an agreement to connect to municipal sewer "within 60 days" of the town having capacity.

No formal vote was taken on Budro's request at the meeting. The resolution was introduced for discussion; Budro said he wanted the board to authorize referral to the town attorney for review before any occupancy is allowed. Several council members cautioned that LDH had inspected and issued permits and that litigation seeking to block a state-permitted system would be difficult. Staff also noted the town's planning and utilities staff would continue to monitor the system and require periodic inspections until municipal hookup occurs.

Next steps: the topic remains under discussion; Budro asked that the council direct the town attorney to review the matter and report back, but there was no recorded motion, second, or vote on any injunctive measure during the meeting.