Meeting called over sewer use rate
Published 12:00 am Saturday, December 30, 2000
HAHNVILLE – The St. Charles Parish Council will hold a special meeting on Jan. 3 to review the proposed sewer use rate and budget amendments proposed by Parish President Albert Laque.
The public meeting will begin at 6 p.m.
Council chairman Terry Authement said the meeting was simply aimed at discussing the proposed sewer rate increases and the budget cuts proposed by Laque.
Laque, acting in response to the failure of the parish council at the Dec. 18 meeting to approve an immediate sewer rate increase, sent a letter to Authement to propose slashing by 39 percent all available budgets within the General Fund.
Director of Finance Lorrie Toups told Laque the failure of the rate adjustment will result in a decrease in budgeted revenues in the wastewater treatment fund of $3.5 million.
This will mean, according to Laque, layoffs in several parish departments, unless the council calls a special meeting to enact the rate increase before Jan. 1. The councils next scheduled meeting is Jan. 9.
Authement commented, “I went through the whole budget on Christmas night and can easily cut $2 million without cutting a single job.”
He added the parish government could get along without several modern conveniences when it comes down to it, such as cellular phones.
“No vote will be taken at this meeting; this is just to come to a meeting of the minds before our next regular meeting on Jan. 9,” Auth
