Town Meeting Minutes – Monday, May 12, 2014

May 12, 2014

Town of Brusly
Brusly, Louisiana

The regular meeting of the Town of Brusly was held this date, May 12, 2014 at the Brusly Town Hall.

Council Member Neisler led the Pledge of Allegiance. A roll call determined the following officials present:

Mayor Pro Tempore: Scot Rhodes
Council Members: Joanne Bourgeois, Terry Richard, Don Neisler
Town Attorney: Thomas Acosta, Jr.
Absent: Shane André, Mayor Normand

A motion to approve the minutes of the Town’s regular meeting of April 14, 2014, was made by Council Member Bourgeois and seconded by Council Member Richard. Mayor Pro Tempore Rhodes opened the floor for public comment. Hearing no comments, the motion passed with a unanimous vote.

A motion to approve the minutes of the Town’s special meeting of April 22, 2014, was made by Council Member Neisler and seconded by Council Member Richard. Mayor Pro Tempore Rhodes opened the floor for public comment. Hearing no comments, the motion passed with a unanimous vote.

Public Works Committee: None

Planning and Zoning Committee:
Mayor Pro Tempore Rhodes read aloud a Variance Request for Non-Compliance – Sec. 19.31.1 Zoning District R-1 Rear Setback from 10 feet to 3 feet for Wilfred R. Hebert Jr. at 1227 W. Main St. to build a carport to the rear of the house. The Variance having been favorably recommended by the Planning & Zoning Commission, a motion to approve was made by Council Member Bourgeois; seconded by Council Member Neisler. Mayor Pro Tempore Rhodes opened the floor for public comments. Hearing no comments, the motion passed unanimously.

Mayor Pro Tempore Rhodes read aloud a Variance Request for Non-Compliance – Sec. 19.6 Servitude Encroachment by 8 feet for Bryan Aguillard at 3056 Orleans Quarters Dr. to build a patio. The Variance having been favorably recommended by the Planning & Zoning Commission, a motion to approve was made by Council Member Richard; seconded by Council Member Neisler. Mayor Pro Tempore Rhodes opened the floor for public comments. Hearing no comments, the motion passed unanimously.

Mayor Pro Tempore Rhodes read aloud a Variance Request for Non-Compliance – Sec. 19.6 Servitude Encroachment for Genevieve O’Neil at 2598 Orleans Quarters Dr. to build a fence. The Variance having been favorably recommended by the Planning & Zoning Commission, a motion to approve was made by Council Member Bourgeois; seconded by Council Member Richard. Mayor Pro Tempore Rhodes opened the floor for public comments. Hearing no comments, the motion passed unanimously.

Finance Committee:
Mayor Pro Tempore Rhodes distributed Mayor Normand’s budget message to Council Members announcing that the Mayor would be returning on May 15, 2014.

Personnel Committee:
Council Member Bourgeois reported that Interim Chief of Police James R. Johnson had been sworn in on April 30, 2014, by retired Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Catherine “Kitty” D. Kimball at the Port Allen Court House.

Recreation Committee: None

Police Committee:
Mayor Pro Tempore Rhodes reported that Interim Police Chief Johnson had appointed Paul Marionneaux as unpaid Asst. Chief of Police.

Upon request of Interim Police Chief Johnson for an audit of the Police Department and at the suggestion of Mayor Pro Tempore Rhodes, it was decided to form a committee to determine the desired scope of an audit of the Police Department in order to receive estimates from auditing firms.

At the recommendation of Interim Police Chief Johnson, a motion to reduce the Part Time Police Officer force from five to four, was made by Council Member Bourgeois; seconded by Council Member Richard. Mayor Pro Tempore Rhodes opened the floor for public comments. Hearing no comments, the motion passed unanimously.

Governmental Affair Committee:
A motion to appoint the West Side Journal as the Official Journal of the Town was made by Council Member Bourgeois; seconded by Council Member Richard. The Mayor Pro Tempore opened the floor for public comment. Hearing no comment, the motion passed unanimously.

Consideration of Vetoed Ordinances: None

Hearing and Final Action on Ordinances:
Ordinance #2 of 2014, to amend the appropriations ordinance of 2013-2014 to provide relative to appropriations for the income and expenses of the Town was read aloud and opened for Public Hearing by Mayor Pro Tempore Rhodes. Hearing no comments from the public, Mayor Pro Tempore Rhodes turned the issue over to the Council for Consideration. A motion to adopt Ordinance #2 of 2014 as presented was made by Council Member Neisler; seconded by Council Member Richard. A roll call vote was had with the following result:
Yeas: Neisler, Rhodes, Richard, Bourgeois
Nays: None
Absent: André

Ordinance #3 of 2014, to amend and reenact the code of ordinances Chapter 2.92, Code of Procedure for Mayor’s Court, relative to Method & Time of Appeal was read aloud and opened for Public Hearing by Mayor Pro Tempore Rhodes. Hearing no comments from the public, Mayor Pro Tempore Rhodes turned the issue over to the Council for Consideration. A motion to adopt Ordinance #3 of 2014 as presented was made by Council Member Bourgeois; seconded by Council Member Richard. A roll call vote was had with the following result:
Yeas: Rhodes, Richard, Bourgeois, Neisler
Nays: None
Absent: André

Introduction of Ordinances:
Council Member Bourgeois introduced Ordinance 4 of 2014 – General Funds 2014/2015 Budget.
Council Member Neisler introduced Ordinance 5 of 2014 – Sewer 2014/2015 Budget.

Resolutions and Commendations:
Resolution #3 of 2014- A motion to Discontinue Collection of Ad Valorem Taxes for the Year 2014 was made by Council Member Richard; seconded by Council Member Neisler. The Mayor Pro Tempore opened the floor for public comment. Hearing no comment, the motion passed unanimously.

Fire Department Report:
Fire Chief Alleman gave the Fire Chief’s report for April. There were seven (7) first aid calls inside the Town and twelve (12) outside of Town. There were no fires inside or outside of Town. There were two (2) grass fires and one (1) alarm activation. There were no motor vehicle crashes. The total calls for the month were twenty-two (22). The total for the year is one hundred one (101).

Police Department Report:
Police Department Report for the month of April was given by Interim Police Chief Johnson. There were seven (7) wrecks, six (6) bench warrant arrests, two (2) damage to property, two (2) theft, three (3) juvenile matters, five (5) traffic arrests and ten (10) miscellaneous calls. For the month’s total, there were 35 calls, 173 citations and 198 violations.

Correspondence: None

Mayor’s Report: None

Remarks of Personal Privilege: None

Announcements:
Town Hall Closed May 26, 2014 in observance of Memorial Day.

A motion was made by Council Member Richard to adjourn; seconded by Council Member Neisler. Hearing no comments, the motion passed with a unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 6:53 PM.

_____________________ _________________________
Joey Normand, Mayor Debbie Berthelot, Town Clerk