March 11, 2024 Town of Brusly Brusly, Louisiana The regular meeting of the Town of…
Town Meeting Minutes – May 2021
May 10, 2021
Town of Brusly
Brusly, Louisiana
The regular meeting of the Town of Brusly was called to order this date, May 10, 2021, at the Brusly Town Hall, at 6:30 p.m. Council Member Tassin led the Pledge of Allegiance. A roll call determined the following officials present:
Mayor Scot Rhodes
Council Members: Rusty Daigle, Joanne Bourgeois, Blake Tassin, Shane André, Don Neisler
Town Attorney: Thomas Acosta, Jr.
Absent: None
Recognitions & Commendations:
Mayor Rhodes accepted the donation of memorabilia, including the fireman’s badge, of the late Fire Chief Mike Alleman, from his wife, Gail Alleman, to be displayed in the Town’s historical room.
Mayor Rhodes recognized and congratulated the Brusly Middle School Track Team for being number 1 in the state in the relay.
A motion to approve the minutes of the Town’s regular meeting of April 12, 2021, was made by Council Member Bourgeois; seconded by Council Member Tassin. Mayor Rhodes opened the floor for public comment. Hearing no comments, the motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Public Works Committee:
Mayor Rhodes read the Public Works Report, as prepared by Public Works Supervisor Shane Sarradet, for the month of April. There were 10.7 inches of rainfall in the month; no drainage issues; Parish Canal is running approximately 4’ above average; 170’ of the south Live Oak drainage ditch was brought to grade; over 650’ of Venzule ditch was brought to grade; a new sample station was installed at sewer pond; 2 SCADA alarms; 4 “out of compliance” test results on the Sewer Treatment Facility; numerous culvert/catch basin washout repairs; no personnel incidents to report for the Maintenance Department.
Regular bulk trash will be picked up the week of May 10th. The extra trash pickup will be May 28th.
Flags will be put up for Memorial Day and fly through July 4th weekend.
Toby Frugé, of Owen & White Engineers, gave a presentation on drainage improvement recommendations for the Venzule basin area.
A discussion ensued regarding entering into a Cooperative Endeavor with the West Baton Rouge Parish Council for building permit inspections. No action was taken.
Council Member Daigle recused himself from the discussion regarding Orleans Quarters Entrance overlay. Mayor Rhodes informed the Council that he had received a change order quote from M-Trak, LLC to lay stained and stamped concrete at the Orleans Quarters entrance for the amount of $16,500, as part of the 2021 Street Overlay Project. After a discussion was had no action was taken.
Finance Committee:
Mayor Rhodes noted that the “Budget to Actual Comparison Report” for April, included in the meeting packets, for Council Members to review.
Planning and Zoning Committee: None
Personnel Committee:
Upon the recommendation of Chief Lefeaux, a motion to hire Landon Brouillette as a full-time officer at the rate of $16.00 per hour, retroactive April 18th, was made by Council Member Tassin; seconded by André. Mayor Rhodes opened the floor for public comment. Hearing no comments, a roll call vote was had with the following result:
Yeas: André, Neisler, Daigle, Bourgeois, Tassin
Nays: None
Absent: None
Recreation Committee:
Mayor Rhodes gave a brief update on the St. James Square Park at the Levee project.
Police Committee: None
Governmental Affairs Committee:
Council Member Bourgeois narrated a slide presentation accompanying Landmark Plaque applications for the following homes:
- 2101 Allene Street – built circa 1961 (currently owned by Robert J. Hebert III);
- 609 Lee Drive – built in 1969 (currently owned by Susan H. Hunt);
Upon the conclusion of the presentation, a motion to award Landmark Plaques to those homes was made by Council Member Bourgeois; seconded by Council Member Daigle. Mayor Rhodes opened the floor for public comment. Hearing no comments, the motion passed with a unanimous vote.
A Former Landmark Site to consider included a slide presentation and application for 142 N. Vaughan Dr. The original plantation was situated on a 107- acre Spanish land grant originally given to Daniel Benoit in 1785. Upon the conclusion of the presentation, a motion to designate the property as a Former Landmark Site was made by Council Member Bourgeois; seconded by Council Member André. Mayor Rhodes opened the floor for public comment. Hearing no comments, the motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Consideration of Vetoed Ordinances: None
Hearing and Final Action on Ordinances: None
Introduction of Ordinances:
Council Member André introduced Ordinance 7 of 2021, for 2020/2021 Town Budget Adjustments.
Council Member Bourgeois introduced Ordinance 8 of 2021, for 2020/2021 Sewer Budget Adjustments.
Council Member Daigle introduced Ordinance 9 of 2021, for the 2021/2022 Town Budget.
Council Member Neisler introduced Ordinance 10 of 2021, for the 2021/2022 Sewer Budget.
Resolutions:
A motion was made by Council Member André; seconded by Council Member Tassin, to approve Resolution 6 of 2021, to defer the collection of the Town’s Homeowners’ Property Tax for 2021. Hearing no comments, the motion passed with a unanimous vote.
A motion was made by Council Member Bourgeois to approve Resolution 7 of 2021, appointing Baxley and Associates as Town Auditor for the 2020-2021 Fiscal year; seconded by Council Member Neisler. Hearing no comments, the motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Police Department Report:
Police Department Report for the month of April was given by Assistant Chief Southon. There were eight (8) alarms, two (2) animal calls, four (4) burglaries, three (2) civil incidents, one (1) drug related, one (1) damage to property, one (1) death, eight (8) disturbances, one (1) fire, two (2) juvenile calls, one (1) medical, one (1) missing person, nine (9) no insurance tows, five (5) miscellaneous, four (4) suspicious persons/vehicles, seven (7) traffic complaints, twelve (12) traffic accidents, three (3) unlocks, one (1) warrant and one (1) welfare check. For the month, there were 75 total complaints, 334 total citations and 434 total violations.
Mayor’s Report:
Mayor Rhodes gave a brief update on the sales tax bill, which is being considered by the State Legislative Body, along with the bill to allow for the Town of Brusly to pay a stipend to Planning & Zoning Commissioners. The Mayor reported that the Brusly High Baseball Team will be in the Semi-Finals taking place in Sulphur this week. The Mayor also reported that the Brusly High School Graduation Ceremony will be held this Thursday, May 13th. Mayor Rhodes presented the Mayor’s Budget Message to the Council.
Remarks of Personal Privilege:
Council Member Bourgeois congratulated and thanked Attorney Acosta for his 15th year of service as the Town’s Attorney.
Parish Council Member Kershaw expressed a desire to have representatives from the Town of Brusly to take part in a meeting he is setting up to discuss concerns about the parish wide garbage service with officials and Republic Services.
Announcements: None
A motion was made by Council Member André to adjourn; seconded by Council Member Daigle. Hearing no comments, the motion passed with a unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM.
/s/Scot Rhodes, Mayor /s/Blaine Rabalais, Town Clerk
