By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – St. John the Baptist Parish leaders began what could become a five- to 10- year plan for the parish by unveiling recommendations of Parish President Natalie Robottom’s Advisory Committee to residents Wednesday night.

A panel of 70 volunteers broken up into eight sub-committees spent more than three months looking into a wide range of parish functions in an effort to ensure that government functioned efficiently and that public and taxpayer funds were being spent effectively. The committee was a major campaign platform in Robottom’s bid for parish president earlier this year.

“It has been something that many residents have been interested in since the group’s appointment in June,” Robottom said. “I’m pleased by the energy of our volunteers as well as the input from our residents and our employees. I think we have drawn up a plan that everyone can buy into.”

Robottom said Wednesday evening’s forum, held at LACE the Reception Place in LaPlace, was only a preview of some of the recommendations. She said the full 40-page report would be available on the parish’s website for review Monday. She also plans to release her administration’s strategic plan for the future sometime in early November.

“Our goal is to hold more town hall style meetings across the parish to gather further input,” Robottom said. “This is a community partnership between the administration and the residents of St. John.”

The committees delved into eight key focus areas – governmental ethics, finance, community development and neighborhoods, employment and economic development, human resources infrastructure and capital improvement, public safety, and recreation/health and human services. The groups examined specific procedures, like e-Billing and direct deposit for employees, as well as sweeping changes, like a broadened recreation department that involves more residents.

A handful of the group’s recommendations, including moving code enforcement from public works to planning and zoning and posting parish job openings on the website, have already been implemented.

Many of the recommendations focus on better technology, particularly in the finance department. The group suggested the parish hire a full time information technology director and recommended the parish employ a bar coding system to track inventory. There are also recommendations for overtime and vehicle usage monitoring.

“Everything we do depends on funding,” Robottom said. “We have to make the best of the money we have.”

There was also much emphasis on economic development that includes both the east and west banks of the parish. The group recommends the parish prioritize elements of west bank development, including infrastructure and commercial needs. A major component of that development is the reactivation of the Edgard/Reserve ferry, expected to be back online before the end of the month.

“It is time to shake the mindset that the river divides us,” said St. John council member Haston Lewis, who represents the west bank. “We need to embrace the river and use it to our advantage.”

Another vital component for development included in the recommendations is an aggressive push for a new Interstate 10 interchange in Reserve to further develop the west end of the parish. Various state agencies have put the plan in motion, but development is still many years out.

The committee also encouraged deeper growth within the parish’s recreation department, starting with stable funding. Robottom said the already underfunded department can no longer survive on declining video poker revenues.

“We want to increase parish-wide support of recreation by engaging in more public and private partnerships,” Robottom said. “We need to create a relationship with the YMCA and other non-profits. We want a recreation department that goes beyond athletic events.”

Other recommendations include better scheduling in the public works department by upgrading work order software and prioritizing drainage projects, more emphasis on fire safety including future establishment of a fire training facility, consideration for river water treatment technology for future growth and more inter-office employee training.