By a unanimous vote the St. Martin Parish Council chose District 2 representative Lisa Nelson to serve as council chairperson for 2019.
With her election at the Jan. 8 council meeting, Nelson will assume the office held for the past year by Jason Willis of District 3. She is already familiar with the task after serving as chairman in 2014.
Dean LeBlanc of District 8 will continue as vice chairman and District 9 representative Daniel Richard will remain as temporary presiding officer.
Tax Exemption
Parish President Chester Cedars said that Louisiana has granted Peppers Unlimited an industrial tax exemption. After recently-passed legislation it is now optional for the parish and other taxing bodies to follow suit.
Cedars recommended that the council take the opportunity to establish a consistent set of criteria to use when determining whether to grant such exemptions at the parish level. The factors he recommended include company size, total economic impact, job creation, fairness to competition and uniqueness of the company.
“I’m not taking a position on this,” Cedars said. “It’s for the council to decide. But I think we need to set up a fair method when we have this decision to make in the future.”
The issue will be placed on the Feb. 5 meeting agenda for consideration.
The council authorized Cedars to renew a two-year agreement with Warren J. Degatur Jr., M.D., to serve as director of all parish health care facilities and with Brooke Mire Kauffman, D.V.M. as veterinarian at the parish animal services facility.
Cedars said Kauffman’s appointment is essential for controlling the cost of veterinary services at the shelter.
The council also approved continuation of an agreement with the Sheriff’s Office to use a trusty crew for maintenance and cleaning of parish facilities as needed.
Renewal of a con- tract for emergency debris removal by Ceres Environmental Services was also approved.
Mosquito Funds
Cedars announced the success of an appeal of FEMA’s refusal to reimburse the parish for funds spent on mosquito control following the 2016 flood. The agency will repay the parish $366,000 for the emer-
gency spraying services.
Finally, Cedars reported that an architectural meeting will be held this week to finalize plans for the conversion of the First Baptist Church of Cecilia building, purchased by the parish last year, into the Cecilia Community Center.
“There are no guarantees,” he said, “but if all goes as planned it should be possible to break ground on the project in late spring.”
