2019-0130
INTRODUCED BY: PAUL J. HOGAN, PE, COUNCILMAN-AT-LARGE, DIVISION B
RESOLUTION NO.
Title
A resolution calling for the Parish President to perform his duties and obligation in carrying out the duties and obligation incumbent upon the Parish by the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement the Parish has with the Sunset Drainage District with respect to maintaining its levee, which has not been done and which is putting the District at risk in the event of a major hurricane striking St. Charles Parish.
Body
WHEREAS, the St. Charles Parish Council adopted Ordinance No. 13-8-5 on August 5, 2013, which appointed and designated the St. Charles Parish Council as the governing authority of the Sunset Drainage District and transferred all functions of said Board of Commissioners of the Sunset Drainage District to the St. Charles Parish Council effective August 15, 2013; and,
WHEREAS, at the special meeting held on October 6, 2014, the St. Charles Parish Council, acting as the Governing Authority of the Sunset Drainage District, adopted Resolution No. 6104 approving and authorizing the execution of a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement by and between St. Charles Parish and Sunset Drainage District; and,
WHEREAS, at the regular meeting held on October 6, 2014, the St. Charles Parish Council adopted Ordinance No. 14-10-10 approving and authorizing the execution of a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement by and between St. Charles Parish and Sunset Drainage District; and,
WHEREAS, part of the duties and responsibilities incumbent upon the Parish was to maintain, repair, and/or rehabilitate earthen levees, and the Parish President became responsible for carrying out what is required of the Parish; and,
WHEREAS, September 2018, elevation information was collected by the Parish indicated that Sunset Drainage District levee had sank in various areas between 0.5 and 1.4 feet; on October 2, 2018, a letter was forwarded to the Parish President expressing the levee elevation concern; and,
WHEREAS, the Parish President forwarded said letter to the Lafourche Basin Levee District; the Lafourche Basin Levee District responded by letter dated October 22, 2018, discussing the Upper Barataria Risk Reduction Project and future plans for raising the entire levee, not addressing the raising of low areas in the interim; and,
WHEREAS, on October 31, 2018, a letter was forwarded to the Parish President noting the response from the Lafourche Basin Levee District dated October 22, 2018; to date no response has been provided by the Parish President; the letter dated October 31, 2018, addressed to the Parish President has been resent 9 times with the 9th request having been forwarded on January 10, 2019; and,
WHEREAS, on December 17, 2018, the Advocate published a story titled “Flood risk in St. Charles Parish increasing as levee sinks from lack of maintenance”; following said story, the Parish President advised the council that elevation information on which the said story was based on was not totally correct; and,
WHEREAS, on January 22, 2019, a Hurricane Protection Projects Committee meeting was held to discuss the plan for Sunset Drainage District; the Committee was informed that a new ground survey was to be conducted in 2-3 months which would accurately determine how much the levee has sunk; and,
WHEREAS, the Administration however provided no plan for addressing the areas which have sank below an acceptable level; and,
WHEREAS, on January 23, 2019, a letter was forwarded to the Parish President addressing the untimely survey and the lack of having a plan developed, with the hurricane season approaching, on how low areas are to be raised in the interim of formal levee improvements; currently no response has been provided; and,
WHEREAS, a meeting was held and discussed, that the survey that was started was not to address the levee elevation concern but was for use in developing future levee plans for the Sunset Drainage District, and that the survey was to be done sometime after July, well after the start of hurricane season and too late for use in addressing low areas identified; and,
WHEREAS, as the Governing Authority of St. Charles Parish, who entered into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with the Sunset Drainage District to provide for maintaining its levees on behalf of the members of the Sunset Drainage District, it is incumbent upon us to request that Parish President Cochran perform the duties and obligation required of the CEA.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, THAT WE THE MEMBERS OF THE ST. CHARLES PARISH COUNCIL, do hereby call for the Parish President to perform his duties and obligation in carrying out the duties and obligation incumbent upon the Parish by the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement the Parish has with the Sunset Drainage District with respect to maintaining its levee, which has not been done and which is putting the District at risk in the event of a major hurricane striking St. Charles Parish.
The foregoing resolution having been submitted to a vote, the vote thereon was as follows:
And the resolution was declared adopted this day of , 2019, to become effective five (5) days after publication in the Official Journal.
2019-0130 resol - PP perform duties obligations-SDD Cooperative Endeavor Agree (4-13-19) (I_4-22-19)_.docx
CHAIRMAN:______________________________________________
SECRETARY:_____________________________________________
DLVD/PARISH PRESIDENT:_________________________________
APPROVED:______________ DISAPPROVED:__________________
PARISH PRESIDENT:______________________________________
RETD/SECRETARY:_______________________________________
AT:_______________ RECD BY: _____________________________