Town Meeting Minutes – October 2023

October 9, 2023
Town of Brusly
Brusly, Louisiana

The regular meeting of the Town of Brusly was called to order this date, October 9, 2023, at the Brusly Town Hall, at 6:30 p.m., by Mayor Rhodes. Council Member Tassin led the Pledge of Allegiance. A roll call determined the following officials present:
Mayor:                         Scot Rhodes
Council Members:       Joanne Bourgeois, Rusty Daigle, Blake Tassin, Shane André, Don Neisler
Town Attorney:            Thomas Acosta, Jr.
Absent:                        None

Recognitions & Commendations: None

A motion to approve minutes of the Town’s regular meeting of September 11, 2023, 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 for the month of September, prepared by Public Works Supervisor Shane Sarradet. There were .6 inches of rainfall in the month; repaired sewer line on Gwin St.; 1 SACDA alarm; no “out of compliance” test result on the Sewer Treatment Facility; repaired broken manhole on Courtney St.; harvested duckweed at sewer treatment pond; Eric & Shane attended WWT II classes; trimmed trees on Blanchard; ordered 36 more U.S. flags for LA 1 display.

Mayor Rhodes gave a brief update on the WSP Grant project.

Regular bulk trash will be picked up the week of October 9th; the extra trash pickup will be October 27th.

Planning and Zoning Committee: None
Finance Committee:
Mayor Rhodes noted that the “Budget to Actual Comparison Report” for September, in the meeting packets, is available for Council Members to review.

Upon the recommendation of Mayor Rhodes and after being presented with similar quotes, a motion to authorize the renewal of the AME Flex Agreement was made by Council Member Neisler; seconded by Council Member André. Mayor Rhodes opened the floor for public comment. Hearing no comments, the motion passed with a unanimous vote.

Upon the recommendation of Mayor Rhodes, a motion to enter into cooperative endeavors with the State of Louisiana for grass cutting and police crime cameras, 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.

Upon the recommendation of Mayor Rhodes, a motion to use $20,000 of ARPA Funds to purchase Submersible Pumps, was made by Council Member Neisler; seconded by Council Member André. Mayor Rhodes opened the floor for public comment. Hearing no comments, the motion passed with a unanimous vote.

Personnel Committee: None
Recreation Committee: None
Police Committee: None
Governmental Affairs Committee:
Following discussion, it was determined that salaries for Elected Officials salaries remain at the present rate for the 2025-2029 term. There will be a Landmark & Heritage Meeting on October 16th at 6:30pm.
A motion to set trick or treat hours for October 31st from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, was made by Council Member Tassin; seconded by Council Member Daigle. Mayor Rhodes opened the floor for public comment. Hearing no comments, the motion passed with a unanimous vote.

Consideration of Vetoed Ordinances: None
Hearing & Final Action on Ordinances: None
Introduction of Ordinances: None
Resolutions: None

Police Department Report:
Police Department Report for the month of September was given by Asst. Chief Southon. There were three (3) agency assists, five (5) alarms, one (1) animal problem, three (3) assaults, two (2) civil incidents, one (1) civil problem, two (2) damage to property, three (3) disturbances, one (1) littering, five (5) medical, one (1) miscellaneous, two (2) no insurance tows, one (1) obstruct justice, one (1) person crimes, one (1) property crimes, one (1) public service, two (2) suspicious, two (2) theft, nine (9) traffic accidents, two (2) traffic problems, one (1) trespassing, three (3) warrants and eleven (11) welfare checks. For the month, there were 63 total events, 159 total citations and 247 total violations.

Through use of the Flock License Plate Camera System, there were 4 warrant arrests and 2 stolen vehicles recovered.

Mayor’s Report:
Mayor Rhodes reported that the Town’s annual audit is in process. The Mayor announced that the Town has scheduled a Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on December 1st at St. James Park. Mayor Rhodes gave a brief update on the derelict building cleanup, the Street Overlay Project and the Venzule ditch drainage project. Mayor Rhodes thanked Mayor Pro Temp Bourgeois for substituting for him while he was out of Town. The Mayor reported that the Parish repaired a water line leak in front of Walk On’s. Mayor Rhodes gave a brief update on irrigation problems at St. James Park. The Mayor reported that the Fire Department dumped 2000 gallons of water on the Town’s Historical Back Brusly Oak Tree due to lack of rain.

Remarks of Personal Privilege:
Mr. Leslie Purnell introduced himself and announced his candidacy for next year’s Town Council Election.

Council Member Bourgeois stated that interior work on the Library Branch had begun.

Announcements:
Household hazardous Materials Collection Day is Saturday October 28th at Alexander Park, 8am to noon.
Daylight Saving Time ends November 5th.
Veteran’s Day Breakfast will be held Friday, November 10th, at 8:30 a.m. at the Town Hall.
Election Day is Saturday, October 14th.

Council Member André made a motion to adjourn; seconded by Council Member Neisler. Hearing no comments, the motion passed with a unanimous vote. The meeting was adjourned at 6:55p.m.

/s/Scot Rhodes, Mayor                                                 /s/Blaine Rabalais, Town Clerk