Town Meeting Minutes – Monday, April 11, 2016

April 11, 2106
Town of Brusly
Brusly, Louisiana

The regular meeting of the Town of Brusly was held this date, April 11, 2016, at the Brusly Town Hall, at 6:30 p.m. Council Member Bourgeois led the Pledge of Allegiance. A roll call determined the following officials present:

Mayor: Joey Normand
Council Members: Scot Rhodes, Joanne Bourgeois, Terry Richard, Shane Andrè, Don Neisler
Town Attorney: Thomas Acosta, Jr.
Absent: None

A motion to approve the minutes of the Town’s regular meeting of March 14, 2016, was made by Council Member Rhodes and seconded by Council Member Richard. Mayor Normand opened the floor for public comment. Hearing no comments, the motion passed with a unanimous vote.

Public Works Committee:
Upon the recommendation of Mayor Normand, a motion to authorize the signing of a servitude agreement with Oscar Denham for the Sewer Project, was made by Council Member Bourgeois; seconded by Council Member Neisler. Mayor Normand opened the floor for public comment. Hearing no comments, the motion passed with a unanimous vote.

Planning and Zoning Committee:
Mayor Normand read aloud a Variance Request for Non-Compliance – Sec. 19.6 Servitude Encroachment for Donald Braud at 1501 Orleans Quarter 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 Andrè; seconded by Council Member Richard. Mayor Normand opened the floor for public comments. Hearing no comments, the motion passed unanimously.

Mayor Normand opened the Condemnation Hearing for structures at 429 & 441 Gwin Street, the Estate of Juanita Davenport Sanders Beco. Ms. Betty Sanders spoke on behalf of the estate requesting additional time to make the needed repairs to the houses. Ms. Sanders asked if she could make quarterly reports to the Council showing the progress of the repairs. Following a brief discussion, Council Member André made a motion to defer action on the condemnation until July 5, 2016, to allow for an update on the progress of repairs; seconded by Council Member Rhodes. Mayor Normand opened the floor for public comments. Hearing no comments, the motion passed unanimously.

Finance Committee:
Upon the recommendation of Mayor Normand a motion to authorize the signing of a new health care policy with Blue Cross was made by Council Member Bourgeois; seconded by Council Member Neisler.
Mayor Normand opened the floor for public comments. Hearing no comments, the motion passed unanimously.

Upon the recommendation of Chief Lefeaux, a motion to authorize the Mayor to sign a contract with American Law Enforcement Network was made by Council Member Richard; seconded by Council Member Andrè. Mayor Normand opened the floor for public comments. Hearing no comments, the motion passed unanimously.

Personnel Committee: None
Recreation Committee: None

Police Committee:
Police Chief Jonathan Lefeaux recommended hiring Ivan McIntyre as a full time officer. Chief Lefeaux introduced McIntyre, stating that has all the necessary certifications. A motion to hire Officer McIntyre at the rate of $17.00 an hour, with the starting date of April 11, 2016, was made by Council Member Richard; seconded by Council Member Rhodes. Mayor Normand opened the floor for public comments. Hearing no comments, the motion passed unanimously.

Upon the recommendation of Chief Lefeaux, a motion to grant Officer Jason Fontenot a 75 cent per hour raise to accompany his promotion to Sargeant was made by Council Member Andrè; seconded by Council Member Bourgeois. Mayor Normand opened the floor for public comments. Hearing no comments, the motion passed unanimously.

Governmental Affair Committee:
Council Member Bourgeois reported that a new State of Louisiana Historical Marker had been installed at the Back Brusly Oak Tree to replace the one damaged by bad weather.

Consideration of Vetoed Ordinances: None
Hearing and Final Action on Ordinances:
Mayor Normand opened the public hearing for Ordinance 1 of 2016, Chapter 19, the Re-zoning from R-4 (Multi Family Residential) to B-1 (Transition) of 1331 West Main Street (Lot TL-2) for Travis LeMoyne.
Ms. Rosa Stelly and Mrs. Jane Caillouet spoke in opposition to the re-zoning, stating concerns about unsafe traffic and unsightly appearance. Mr. Travis LeMoyne presented the Council with pictures of the property and signatures of property owners with no objection to the rezoning. Council Member Andrè asked how many of the signatures were of people with their primary residence neighboring the property. Mr. LeMoyne responded he didn’t think any of them were neighboring property owners.
Hearing no comments from the public, the Mayor closed the public hearing. After reporting that the Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously recommended denial of the re-zoning, Mayor Normand turned the issue over to the Council for consideration. A motion to deny the re-zoning, Ordinance #1 of 2016, was made by Council Member Andrè; seconded by Council Member Rhodes. A roll call vote was had with the following result:
Yeas: André, Bourgeois, Rhodes, Richard, Neisler
Nays: None
Absent: None

Mayor Normand opened the public hearing for Ordinance 2 of 2016, Issuance of Bonds Series 2016. The Mayor called for any comments. Hearing no comments Mayor Normand closed the public hearing and turned the matter over to the Council for consideration.
Upon stating that financing the bonds was to pay for the sewer project which would alleviate the problems in back Brusly with sewer backups from heavy rain, Council Member Bourgeois made a motion to adopt Ordinance 2 of 2016; seconded by Council Member Richard. A roll call vote was had with the following result:
Yeas: Bourgeois, Rhodes, Richard, Neisler, André
Nays: None
Absent: None

Introduction of Ordinances:
Council Member Rhodes introduced Ordinance 3 of 2016-Recongnizing the Final Form and Execution of the Bond Purchase Agreement.
Council Member Andrè introduced Ordinance 4 of 2016-Budget Adjustments Town.
Council Member Bourgeois introduced Ordinance 5 of 2016-Budget Adjustments Sewer.

Resolutions and Commendations:
Upon the recommendation of Mayor Normand a motion to adopt the WBR Hazardous Mitigation Plan was made by Council Member Richard; seconded by Council Member Rhodes. Mayor Normand opened the floor for public comments. Hearing no comments, the motion passed unanimously.

Police Department Report:
Police Department Report for the month of March was given by Chief Lefeaux. There were seven (7) alarms, one (1) animal call, one (1) assist to other departments, three (3) public assists, two (2) building checks, three (3) civil complaints, two (2) damage to property, seven (7) disturbances, one (1) assist to fire department, one (1) fraud, three (3) harassment calls, three (3) information calls, one (1) juvenile matter, one (1) medical emergency, four (4) miscellaneous calls, one (1) private property crash, one (1) suspicious vehicle, two (2) thefts, six (6) traffic accidents, nineteen (19) traffic stops, four (4) warrant arrests and nineteen (19) no insurance tows. For the month there were 73 total calls, 247 citations and 337 violations.

Correspondence: None

Mayor’s Report: None

Remarks of Personal Privilege:
Mayor Normand presented slides with governmental significance from his trip to the Far East.

Announcements:
Arbor Day Celebration will be Thursday, April 4, 2016 at 9:30 AM at the Town Hall.
Great American Clean Up will be Saturday April 16, 2016 from 9:00 AM till Noon.
Landmark & Heritage Meeting will be April 18, 2016 at 6:30 PM in the Town Hall Chambers.
A motion was made by Council Member Andrè to adjourn; seconded by Council Member Rhodes. Hearing no comments, the motion passed with a unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 7:10 PM.

____________________________ _________________________
Joey Normand, Mayor Debbie Berthelot, Town Clerk