Lafourche council shoots down Company Canal deal
June 8, 2010Thursday, June 10
June 10, 2010Vacancies for the Bayou Blue Fire Protection District and Recreation District No. 1 have been open for nearly six weeks – an extended absence some officials admit could halt important decisions.
Both boards are seeking one member.
The catch: individuals must be willing to give up at least one night a month for less than $20 in reimbursement, or the equivalent of gas money. In some instances, special meetings require board members to make additional appearances, city administrators explained.
While the vacancies appear to require an abundance of knowledge on specific topics, officials said the duties of board members are purely administrative and everyone from lawyers to accountants are urged to “volunteer.” The role of these new hires is basically to answer “why,” which sometimes requires drafting reports or conducting research.
“You don’t have to know everything about fire, or everything about recreation,” said Paul Labat, Terrebonne’s council clerk. “It’s good to have a grasp on different topics.”
But ethics reform, fueled at the state level by Gov. Bobby Jindal, could be halting progress on finding willing participants. Measures touted by the governor in 2008, which were passed, require a slew of elected officials and city leaders to disclose their personal finances – income, property, assets and other debt. Those moves, some believe, are turning away perfectly good candidates for positions at the local level that do not even require the disclosures.
However, that could change in the near future as Jindal continues to make strides toward more transparent operations in Baton Rouge, the state’s capitol.
Not having an additional member could also force local groups to call off meetings for an entire month, putting issues – important or not – on the backburner.
Most boards, including the two that are seeking to fill positions this year, typically have about five members. If two members cannot make the meeting and the position is not filled, the group cannot reach a quorum, explained Labat.
“That’s where the full five become really important,” he said.
A situation similar to that has already happened in Grand Caillou.
Applicants for the Bayou Blue Fire Protection District must reside in the area and have an interest in “…the administration of fire protection services,” according to a public notice issued by the council May 28. Recreation District No. 1 calls for individuals from Gray, Schriever, Coteau and Bayou Blue.
