The Lafayette City-Parish Council meets at 5:30 p.m. today, just more than 24 hours after learning that City-Parish President Joey Durel vetoed almost $750,000 in line items from the budget the CPC finalized a week ago. Notable among the vetoes was $300,000 for paving a pair of recreation center parking lots in Judice and Carencro, as well vetoing a fireman pay plan sponsored by District 2 Councilman Jay Castille. Among the first orders of business at the meeting will be to declare this Fire Prevention Week.
The council faces a relatively full agenda this evening, with 10 ordinances up for final adoption as well as 14 introductory ordinances. Council members will also hear appeals from the owners of four commercial properties seeking to have the assessed value of their property lowered.
The council will also consider two introductory ordinances that could lead to the expropriation of private land. The ordinances, if approved, would declare a proposed fire station on Kaliste Saloom Road and a bridge replacement project on Canaan Road “public necessities.” If delcared public necessities, the land would be acquired through “an amicable basis or through the use of the expropriation process if necessary.”