Town Meeting Minutes – Monday, February 10, 2014

February 10, 2014

Town of Brusly
Brusly, Louisiana

The regular meeting of the Town of Brusly was held this date, February 10, 2014 at the Brusly Town Hall.

Council Member Neisler 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 André,
Don Neisler
Town Attorney: Thomas Acosta, Jr.
Absent: None

A motion to approve the minutes of the Town’s regular meeting of January 13, 2014, was made by Council Member Bourgeois and seconded by Council Member Rhodes. Mayor Normand 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 Normand read aloud a Variance Request for Non Compliance – Sec. 19.6 Servitude Encroachment for Wilfred Dupuy at 1685 Pecan St. to add an awning to an existing shop which will encroach upon the servitude of passage by 10 feet. 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 André. The Mayor opened the floor for public comments. Hearing no comments the motion passed unanimously.

Mayor Normand read aloud a Variance Request for Non-Compliance – Sec. 19.6 Sewer Servitude Encroachment for Shawn Aguillard at 388 River Mill 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 André; seconded by Council Member Richard. The Mayor opened the floor for public comments. Hearing no comments the motion passed unanimously.

Mayor Normand read aloud a Variance Request for Non-Compliance – 19.31.1 Zoning District R-1 Side & Rear Setbacks for Randall Loup at 468 Quiet Oak Blvd. to build a pool house. The Variance having been favorably recommended with one descending vote by the Planning & Zoning Commission, the Mayor turned the matter over to the Council for consideration. A motion to deny the variance request for the rear setback and approve the side setback variance of zero was made by Council Member Neisler; seconded by Council Member Bourgeois. The Mayor opened the floor for public comments. Hearing no comments the motion passed unanimously.

Finance Committee: None
Personnel Committee: None
Recreation Committee: None
Police Committee:
Police Chief Whaley recommended hiring Jason Jones as a Full Time Officer at the rate of $15.00 per hour. Council Member Rhodes made a motion to approve Chief Whaley’s recommendation. The motion failed for lack of a second. Council Member Neisler made a substitute motion to defer action until later date; seconded by Council Member André. The Mayor opened the floor for public comments. Mr. Sidney Williams, of the Lukeville community, expressed concern for the hiring of Mr. Jason Jones.
Discussion among Mayor Normand, Council Members and Attorney Acosta determined that any comments regarding the performance of an employee should not be made without said employee being present. A motion to move to item 5 G was made by Council Member Bourgeois; seconded by Council Member Rhodes. The Mayor opened the floor for public comment. Hearing no comments a roll call vote was had with the following results:
Yeas: André, Bourgeois, Neisler, Rhodes, Richard,
Nays: None
Absent: None

Governmental Affair Committee:
Council Member Bourgeois presented the following homes which have been recommended by the Landmark & Heritage Commission to receive Landmark Plaques:
153 E. Main St. Richard & Paula Soniat, Owners
512 Bourgeois St. Wendy Parrish, Owner
519 Bourgeois St. Edna & Felton Crockett Jr., Owners
A motion to approve the homes for Landmark Plaques 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 unanimously.

Council Member Bourgeois presented the following site which had been recommended by the Landmark & Heritage Commission to receive a Former Landmark Sign:
182 N. LaBauve Ave. Former Site of Excelsior School
A motion to approve the site as a Former Landmark was made by Council Member Bourgeois; seconded by Council Member Richard. Mayor Normand opened the floor for public comment. Hearing no comments the motion passed unanimously.

Police Committee:
Returning to the original agenda, the Mayor opened the floor for discussion on Chief Whaley’s recommendation to hire Jason Jones as a Full Time Officer. Council Member Neisler withdrew his earlier motion and no action was taken on the recommendation.

Consideration of Vetoed Ordinances: None
Hearing and Final Action on Ordinances: None
Introduction of Ordinances: None
Resolutions and Commendations: None
Fire Department Report:
Fire Chief Alleman gave the Fire Chief’s report for January. There were five (5) first aid calls inside the Town and eight (8) outside of Town. There were two (2) public assistance calls. There were no fires inside of Town and two (2) outside of Town. There were two (2) smoke detector activations and three (3) dumpster, grass and outside equipment fires. There was one (1) motor vehicle crash and one (1) animal rescue. The total calls for the month were twenty-four (24). The total for the year is twenty-four (24).

Police Department Report:
Police Department Report for the month of January was given by Chief Whaley. There were eight (8) wrecks, twenty-five (25) bench warrant arrests, one (1) battery, one (1) alarm, one (1) 911 call, one (1) drug arrest, six (6) traffic arrests and nine (9) miscellaneous calls. For the month’s total, there were 52 calls, 139 citations and 170 violations.

Correspondence: None

Mayor’s Report:
Mayor Normand reported on drainage and general maintenance around town. The Mayor announced that the Town had received a $1900.00 grant from WBR Emergency Response Taskforce which was used to purchase eyewash stations. Mayor Normand recognized Ms. Grace Lee and three other students from Our Lady of the Lake College which were present to observe the proceedings. Mayor Normand attended the LMA Mid-Winter Conference at which he heard Skip Bertman speak at a luncheon.

Remarks of Personal Privilege:
WBR Parish Council Member Kershaw gave a brief update on Parish projects.
Mr. Sidney Williams expressed concerns about a traffic stop in which he was booked into jail for illegal window tint by Brusly Police Officer Jones.
Council Member Bourgeois announced that the Town of Brusly had been awarded the Tree City Designation for the 10th year. Bourgeois also announced there would be a Landmark Plaque Ceremony on April 13, 2014 at 3:00 PM.

Announcements: None

A motion was made by Council Member André to adjourn; seconded by Council Member Rhodes. The motion passed with a unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 7:12 PM.

_____________________ _________________________
Joey Normand, Mayor Debbie Berthelot, Town Clerk