By MOLLY DRYMAN

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – St. John the Baptist Parish Council will hold its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday to discuss the succession list of Parish President Nickie Monica, Goshen Lane Homeowners living environment and money for sewage improvements.

The council will go over a list provided by the parish administration on who will succeed Monica, if something were to happen to him. Last year, the list started with the candidates from administration, and on to elected council members, beginning with the councilman-at-large div. A, followed by councilman-at-large div. B, then on to the council members in order of seniority, according to public records.

This year, the list is in a different order, and people are having issues with it, because of the order the council is in, which to some does not seem fair to the members who have held office for a longer period of time.

&#8220The list should go in order of elected officials,” said Councilman Allen St. Pierre. &#8220As far as the council goes, seniority should take part in it, because that is the way it was done before, but we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

Councilman Cleveland Farlough will bring to the council concerns from Goshen Lane Homeowners, which reside off of Central Ave. in Reserve, about their living conditions.

Farlough said the road there is a narrow road that is about 12-ft. wide, and the residents are having trouble with a particular ditch overflowing.

&#8220There was a fire once in that area, and there are no fire hydrants back there,” Farlough said. &#8220The firemen had to use water from the fire truck to put out the fire.”

Farlough also said the property may be private property, which means the parish may not be able to do anything about it. If this is true, some residents have considered finding ways of dedicating the property to the parish, in order to get something done.

The main goal with this item is to find out what the parish can and can not do for these residents, considering the same problem with this particular area has been brought up numerous times before, according to Farlough.

Another topic of discussion will be a request to rededicate 1 percent of sales tax strictly for sewer improvements.

Farlough said an item to use the 1 percent sales tax for sewer was voted on in Nov. of 1985, but in 2002 the item on the ballot changed to where money would be used for sewer improvements, but any excess money would be used for street improvements, such as construction of highways and public roads.

&#8220I am trying to find out how much of that excess money we have,” Farlough said. &#8220They keep saying there is none or if there is some. What I want to know is, that if there is no excess money, then why did we have the people vote on it in the first place? I want to bring this up so that we can ask the people to vote again, so the money will be used solely for sewerage.”