Lafitte Area Levee District – Meeting Highlights Tonight’s Levee Board meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call, followed by the official welcome of Hoot Gibson as the newest board member. Mr. Gibson brings decades of engineering experience, including work with the U.S. Navy, the Department of Energy, and leadership on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. As a Barataria homeowner and taxpayer, he emphasized that he has “skin in the game” just like every resident the levee system protects.

The board approved key financial and transparency measures, including a Resolution to open banking account(s) with Home Bank which includes an interest-bearing bank accounts and creation of account to separate funds into operating, capital projects, and FEMA-related accounts. The Resolution was introduced by Steven Marques, seconded by Chuck Shano and approved unanimously: Yeas: Shano, Marques, Lauricella and Gibson.

A new communication section was added to the agenda to ensure the public can view correspondence between the board, CPRA, and elected officials. Minutes from the previous meeting were suspended from reading since they are posted online. During public comment, Chris Fournier, President of the Barataria Civic Association, spoke about post-Hurricane Ida property tax losses and suggested exploring whether Jefferson Parish could reimburse the Levee District for approximately $330,000 in uncollected taxes. He also expressed support for the board and willingness from residents to help where possible. A major portion of the meeting focused on ongoing financial reconciliation with CPRA and FEMA. The board explained that CPRA has provided $3.3 million in storm-related funding since 2017, but FEMA reimbursements must be returned to CPRA per agreements. After reviewing FEMA records, the board determined that approximately $1.48 million still needs to be repaid to CPRA, pending final confirmation. Additional FEMA reimbursements are still being pursued. The board stressed its commitment to honoring all agreements while maintaining a good relationship with CPRA, which is critical for future projects requiring an estimated $80 million in funding. The board also explained the long-term financial strain caused by FEMA’s 90% reimbursement rule, leaving the district responsible for unreimbursed 10% costs after each storm. With only about $170,000 per year in recurring revenue, repeated storms have significantly impacted the district’s finances. Several bills were approved, including operating expenses and a $50,430.75 payment to Grillatz Construction for levee pen clean-out work, which will be fully reimbursed through FEMA. Additional engineering, appraisal, and abstractor bills are pending final authorization and are expected to be addressed at the next meeting. The 2025 operating budget was discussed but not approved due to the recent addition of a fourth board member. The proposed budget is posted on the Levee District website and totals $169,174, which is only enough to operate with one employee. Requests have been made to the state and Jefferson Parish for increased funding, but additional support is not expected until the next legislative session. The board reaffirmed that once financial issues are fully resolved, focus will return to priority projects, including Goose Bayou and Crown Point, with ongoing coordination and approvals from CPRA. 📅 Next meeting: January 27 at 6:00 PM 🎄 The meeting concluded with well wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.