Terrebonne council OKs raises for lower-paid parish workers

Many Terrebonne Parish employees will be receiving raises after the Terrebonne Parish Council voted last week to approve a pay plan recommended by the Waters Consulting Group.

The raises total $1.2 million. The parish budget had to be amended to pay for the increases since parish departments could not absorb the entire cost.

The raises will mostly affect lower-paid parish employees. Waters recommended that all employees receive a base salary, boosting the pay of those making under a minimum.

Waters also recommended that employees currently making more than a specified base salary but not greater than a maximum amount receive up to a 3 percent raise.

Around $800,000 of the pay raise money will go toward increasing the salaries of the lowest-paid employees, said Parish Human Resources and Risk Management Director J. Dana Ortego at a Council Policy, Procedure, and Legal Committee meeting two weeks ago.

At the same meeting, Councilman Billy Hebert introduced a motion delaying any pay raises for parish employees until the price of oil reaches $90 a barrel because Terrebonne’s oil-dependent economy is showing signs of a downturn.

The motion – which failed – received support from Councilmen Johnny Pizzolatto and Joey Cehan.

But Hebert had changed his mind by the time of last week’s council meeting.

“I support the Waters study,” he said. “We paid good money for it ($69,800). I will support this ordinance. Whatever is in the ordinance I will support.”

Council members Teri Cavalier and Alvin Tillman, as well as Parish President Michel Claudet, announced again their backing of the pay raise, pointing out that the economy in Terrebonne is still strong.

Pizzolatto, who supported increasing the pay of the lowest-paid employees, was still wary, saying, “I’m not for the total Waters package. We’re fat now, but what if conditions change?”

Also at last week’s parish council meeting, Parish Utilities Director Tom Bourg said the Houma utility system’s main natural gas supplier, Crosstex Gulf Coast, had drastically reduced gas pressure supplying 11,000 of Houma’s 14,000 customers from 500 to 75 pounds.

“The reduction in pressure constitutes an abandonment of the pipeline,” Bourg said. The pipeline is operated by Crosstex affiliate Crosstex LIG.

The emergency resolution passed by the parish council states that the gas supply is “grossly inadequate to meet system requirements.”

In response, the resolution directs the Houma utility system to attempt to use a nearby gas pipeline operated by Gulf South Pipeline. Bourg said the Houma system will try to tap Atmos Energy, the largest supplier of natural gas in the U.S., as the new gas supplier.

Bourg said the department expects no loss in gas service because of the transfer. The cost to switch over will be under $100,000. He also said he expects a slight increase in rates.