For the second week running, the Lafayette City-Parish Council went into executive session to discuss its next move in an ongoing war of wits with the city of Broussard.
For the second week running, the Lafayette City-Parish Council went into executive session to discuss its next move in an ongoing war of wits with the city of Broussard over annexations in south Lafayette Parish, mostly along the recently opened Ambassador Caffery South extension. The executive session was called to allow council members and Lafayette Consolidated Government's legal department to discuss a lawsuit filed by Broussard in state district court accusing LCG of failing to follow state public notice laws when it annexed almost 275 acres that include Les Vieux Chenes Golf Course on April 26.
To counter Broussard's lawsuit, the CPC voted Tuesday to rescind the April 26 ordinance and to revote on it, both of which were unanimously approved. Lafayette's rescindment of the original annexation is likely to void Broussard's lawsuit. It remains to be seen whether Broussard will file a second suit challenging the annexation, although it's unlikely Lafayette's adherence to the public notice law could again be assailed since notice of Tuesday's final vote was published at least 10 days ago.
At the request of the Durel administration, the council also voted to table for a week a final vote on annexing an additional 220 acres north and south of the Ambassador extension west of Vivian Drive and east of La Neuville that includes Plantation Oaks subdivision. That annexation was also up for final adoption Tuesday night. However, the Broussard City Council on Monday voted to annex a 50' x 50' square of land within the bounds of the Plantation Oaks annexation.
Consequently, the LCG ordinance was amended Tuesday to exclude the Broussard property. In what may be an acknowledgement of Broussard's newfound litigiousness (Broussard also filed a lawsuit against Youngsville over a disputed annexation), LCG published notice of the June 8 final vote of the Plantation Oaks annexation on Friday, May 28, in The Daily Advertiser, an indication that the administration intended as long ago as last week to table the ordinance, amend it and put it on hold for a week.