BOGALUSA CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2014
PRESIDING:
CHARLES E. MIZELL, MAYOR
JERRY BAILEY, DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION
DALE BRANCH, CITY ATTORNEY
PRESENT:
PRESIDENT RITCHIE
COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMS
COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND
COUNCILMAN O’REE
VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE
ABSENT:
COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM
COUNCILMAN HODGES
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Bogalusa City Council meeting will come to order.
Invocation by Councilman O’Ree, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
BY COUNCILMAN O’REE: Led the Invocation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE:
Roll call.
PRESIDENT RITCHIE………………………HERE
COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMS…………...HERE
COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM……………..ABSENT
COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND……………...HERE
COUNCILMAN O’REE……………………...HERE
COUNCILMAN HODGES…………………..ABSENT
VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE…………….HERE
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Next we have the approval of the minutes held on January 21, 2014.
BY VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE: I make a motion we accept them.
BY COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMS: Seconded.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Roll call.
PRESIDENT RITCHIE……………...AYE
COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMS…..AYE
COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM…….ABSENT
COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND……..AYE
COUNCILMAN O’REE……………..AYE
COUNCILMAN HODGES…………..ABSENT
VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE……AYE
(MOTION CARRIED 5-0 WITH TWO ABSENT TO APPROVE THE MINUTES HELD
ON JANUARY 21, 2014).
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Next we have no Introductions of Resolutions tonight. Next is
Introduction of Ordinances by Vice-President Perrette.
BY VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE:
AN ORDINANCE authorizing the Mayor to enter into an agreement to provide Professional
Human Resource Management Consulting Services to the City of Bogalusa, Louisiana.
This ordinance will be up for public discussion at our next meeting February 18th.
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BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Next we have public hearing, Councilman Drummond.
BY COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND:
AN ORDINANCE ordering and calling a special election to be held in the City of Bogalusa,
Louisiana, to authorize the City of Bogalusa to amend its charter to establish a new date for the
Mayor, City Council members, and City Prosecutor to take office after each election cycle and
providing for other matters in connection therewith.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Anyone from the public wishing to speak for or against this ordinance
please step to the microphone. There being none council discussion.
BY COUNCILMAN O’REE: I move we accept it.
BY COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMS: Seconded.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Roll call.
PRESIDENT RITCHIE………………………AYE
COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMS……….AYE
COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM………..ABSENT
COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND………..AYE
COUNCILMAN O’REE……………………AYE
COUNCILMAN HODGES……………….ABSENT
VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE…………..AYE
(MOTION CARRIED 5-0 WITH TWO ABSENT ORDERING AND CALLING A SPECIAL ELECTION TO
BE HELD IN THE CITY OF BOGALUSA, LOUISIANA, TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY OF BOGALUSA, TO
AMEND ITS CHARTER TO ESTABLISH A NEW DATE FOR THE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS,
AND CITY PROSECUTOR TO TAKE OFFICE AFTER EACH ELECTION CYCLE AND PROVIDE FOR
OTHER MATTERS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH).
BY VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE:
AN ORDINANCE to authorize the mayor to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with
the City Prosecutors office to provide for payment by the City Prosecutors Office in the amount of
$6,000.00 per year to the City.
This ordinance is introduced by the Finance Committee.
This is for reimbursement of $6,000.00 from the Prosecutors Office for that position to reimburse
who ever is the prosecutor will have to reimburse this therewith.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Anyone in the public wishing to speak for or against this ordinance
please step forward. There being none council discussion.
BY VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE: I move that we accept it.
BY COUNCILMAN O’REE: Seconded.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Roll call.
PRESIDENT RITCHIE……………………………………..AYE
COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMS……………………….AYE
COUNCILWOMAN GRAHAM………………………..ABSENT
COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND………………………..AYE
COUNCILMAN O’REE……………………………………AYE
COUNCILMAN HODGES……………………………….ABSENT
VICE-PRESIDENT RITCHIE…………………………….AYE
(MOTION CARRIED 5-0 WITH TWO ABSENT AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO A
COOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY PROSECUTORS OFFICE TO PROVIDE
FOR PAYMENT BY THE CITY PROSECUTORS OFFICE IN THE AMOUNT OF $6,000.00 PER YEAR TO
THE CITY).
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BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Next on the agenda we have public participation, “Foots” Quinn.
BY “FOOTS” QUINN: 220 Beall Street. Bogalusa been blessed our great country is such a neat
thing and I can’t keep count of it and I wanted to mention a few of the blessings that Bogalusa
has so that we can take advantage of it we’ve have loyal hard working citizens working hard to
build our community. We have a very rich history and its natural beauty that I’m really interested
in it. Bogalusa first one hundred years was when the pines was destroyed and our railroad was
ruined after being lied to and forced into a merger with Illinois Central in 1972. Our marvelous
Pine Tree Inn Hotel was shoved into its own way to build a parking lot and our beautiful YWCA is
scheduled to do the same thing this is what Johnny Mitchell said replace paradise with a parking
lot. Why not save the front use of it for a parking lot and do something positive for our city use
the front save the back and do something positive for our city and our people. Use that
remaining part for maybe a (inaudible) house to help our many citizens who are addicted to
whether it is alcohol, drugs, cigarettes and gambling whatever. People would volunteer from
churches or retired medical people so forth would help keep it centrally located. I believe
educated and medicated and incarcerated in the public crowded with addiction needs a central
location. It will be a possibility and look into it. Thank you very much.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Thank you “Foots”. Mr. Farrell.
BY FATE FERRELL: 1931 Dewitt Street. I have a situation and I came to ask ya’ll to look into it.
1808 Dewitt, it’s on the property of 1402 Sullivan Drive this house is really looking bad one side
door is open they use it for a drug house and it is ridiculous to have this house out there. We
have another house on the corner of Lassie and Plum it needs to be torn down. They guy said for
years he was going to work on it he ain’t doing it. It is time for it to go. We try to have a clean
neighborhood down here at Dewitt neighborhood. Also, we are keeping rumors about this HUB
private coming down that way. We don’t need it and we are asking ya’ll to work with us to try to
keep it out. Now if they put houses there like we got we don’t mind it but we do not want any
projects, low income projects, coming sown there running us out of our houses. We have
problems down there now with four wheelers and dirt bikes. We need the police to stop this stuff
down there some of the small kids are going to get hurt. They were down there climbing with the
dirt bikes Friday and Saturday. We need it to be stopped. Thank you.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Thank you. Anyone else? Administrative remarks.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Thank you Mr. President. In keeping with out first council meeting of the
month we call the supervisors to give their reports. First up tonight is Jerry Bailey, Director of
Administration.
BY JERRY BAILEY: Good evening. As you can see from our sales tax schedule it looks like we have
finished the year with about 4.7% increase in sales taxes collected for the year. Of course that is
an un audited figure at this time. If memory serves me correctly when the auditor starts closing
the books that number usually goes higher up because we do collect sales tax up into the 2014
belonging to 2013. This only shows representing sales taxes up to December 31st. We are still hot
on the trail the occupation license where people who did not apply with that law last year. We
are pushing very hard to take legal action that you have to take when you are none compliant
with the purchasing of your license. We are still working on the computer system, working on
that financial suite right now every day. Later on we actually the code enforcement is now come
to the front and we have been working on that. Naturally we are closing the books it is that time
of the year so we are working on that right now. So that is all I got right now. Believe me that is
enough to keep you busy. Thank you.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Thank you Jerry. Director of Public Works, James Hall is not here tonight so
Landon Tims is going to pitch in.
BY LANDON TIMS: I will give my report first. Parks and Rec. January is the winter months so
there is not really a lot going on outdoors so we use time for repairs outdoor for the spring and
summer. We are at all ball fields getting ready for baseball and spending a little time at
Goodyear Park. We have a few poles down that are broken and have light bulbs out so we are
trying to make sure that we have everything in place before spring rolls around and people get
out. Important dates first the big event that will be happening this year will be a movie night on
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March 7th the movie has not yet been determined we will determine that tomorrow night. We
are currently finishing up our water conservation rec. at Cassidy Park. We are constructing and
finishing the last phase the sidewalks and bathroom building if you haven’t been by and seen
that you need to go by and check it out. For public works all James gave me to say was the ice
storm we had last week his guys went out after midnight and four and five o’clock in the
morning keeping the bridges sanded down and safe for everybody for when they woke up the
next morning that they got on the roads that they would be safe. They put out 24 yards of sand
on local bridges. He put 128 loads of sand on state local bridges on the last day of the storm. The
DOTD called upon the Bogalusa area called to I-12 to James’s Department had an agreement
with the State that they would take care of the State bridges. He put 60 yards of sand on
Mississippi bridges up there and 96 yards of sand on State bridges within the parish because the
parish got behind too and needed our help. In a state of emergency I guess James felt like it was
important to help people with emergencies like that. That is all I got. Thank you.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Thank you Landon. Director of Personnel, Sandy Bloom.
BY SANDY BLOOM: We have been working a lot of different things one of the I think is one of the
most important things is our Comprehensive Resiliency Plan and this past week we had a
meeting of a group of business people a month ago and then those people was divided into three
groups and I had one of those groups and had a meeting last week and started talking about
people who don’t know how to start a business they have the want too but don’t know how too
and I think Robin will support the fact that a lot of people will come to her that don’t have a
business plan. So what we are doing is looking to find more resources to bring in so next Tuesday
we are having a meeting with a representative from the organization Score Service Core of
Retired Executives. They will be in to explain to us what their organization does which is basically
provide mentoring one on one mentoring to do business with people. So that meeting will be at
1:30 in the Conference Room so if you know someone particularly someone who is a retired
executive that might be interested becoming a volunteer for a organization like this please ask
them to get in touch with me because we would like to be able to develop our own volunteers
here in Washington Parish. I think we have some more things coming in the near future and I will
keep you posted. Thank you.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Louis Busby, Airport Manager.
BY LOUIS BUSBY: Good evening. Last month we had fifty visiting aircraft approximately twenty
five local activities or local crafts flying around. Friday we will finally put down the LAD center
line taxiway lights that we got a grant for. They will go down Friday they should start and finish
shouldn’t take more than one day. Before the ice storm we got the holes in the cans to put up the
taxiway signs that we got the grant for. The holes froze over so now that it is drying out we
should get that cement poured to put the new taxiway signs up. We did good this year in the
state department we got two grants from the state DOTD system their priority system and this
coming up month we will be working on having meetings with the FAA and Federal Funding
applying for federal funds starts this month.
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BY VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE: Thank you Louis.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Thank you Louis. Melvin Keith, Project Manager.
BY MELVIN KEITH: Good evening. The vast majority of my time last month was with code
enforcement. I’m really, really dedicated to the code enforcement and spending time with them.
The past month we’ve had 7 citations issued, 5 citations issued resulting in drop charges due to
compliance with the code before the court date or court time. We had 26 code violations brought
into compliance, we had 5 vehicles towed or removed from the city right of way. We also had the
opportunity a couple of council members and department heads to view a couple of computer
programs related to code enforcement. Mr. Bailey indicated we select one and maybe try to get
it as soon as possible. I want to address Mr. Farrell, Mr. Hall is not here today but tomorrow we
can take a look at what you had mentioned and look and see if it is something we might can do
or look into it at least. In addition to the code enforcement I have been spending some time
working with LHC that is Louisiana Housing Corporation North Shore Housing Commission. That
is it. Thank you.
BY VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE: Thank you Mr. Melvin.
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BY MAYOR MIZELL: Robin Day our Down Town Developer.
BY ROBIN DAY: Good afternoon. I haven’t been here in a while so I’m not exactly sure but I’m
free to go over some things. Everyone knows we have the Cypress Café that has opened up down
town and she is going to be offering jamming Saturday from 10 to 2 at the Cypress Café with live
music. Anyone who can play a tambourine, tap a foot, and play a wash board or sing a little bit
they are welcome to come down. It has been really nice and working our real well and we want
to invite the public out on Saturday’s. We have a couple of new stores in the J.C. Penny Mall. Hog
Wild Jewelry and Gifts, Granny and Na Na’s Handbags and more, Miss Cutie Always Looking Your
Best Boutique and KNO Photography. If ya’ll haven’t been in please go down and check out their
goods. They have a lot of nice little gift shops going on in there and I’m truly excited they are in
there. Also we have the Coffee Mill that is due to open March 1st. It is going to be a coffee and
pastry shop. Mrs. Toni Lemly is trying hard to get that open it is a little bit more complicated
than she thought but she has to be opened by March 1st. Also Cajun Canvass has grown out of
their current location and they have moved to 425 Columbia Street and just want everyone to
know that Cajun Canvass offers art classes during the day and in the evenings privately or walk
in if you like. Aundrea is real thrilled to be teaching these art classes and also we have reef and
jewelry making classes at the Green Goat just call there trying to get a little art district and
please get involved in and join us in a little culture. We are going to be working with code
enforcement bringing some of our buildings up to code, clean our ally ways and streets and hope
to get Throw Back Thursday on March 13th. We are planning to have a car show that evening
and having our stores inviting everyone to come down town just go back in time like it use to be
back in the day when Columbia Street was open on Thursday evenings. Thank you.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Thank you Robin. Lauren Ritchie, Director of Human Relations.
BY LAUREN RITCHIE: Just a couple of things, we are really excited about all the things planned
for the Gala, May 3rd. We have booked plans and rented stuff and really hope everyone will come
out. We are now selling tickets if you need tickets they are $50.00 per person, $75.00 a couple,
tables are $750.00 they are first to get a good seat. If you want to do any of those things give me
a buzz here at City Hall and I’ll take care of you. I also started the Centennial face book page. I’ve
restored the photos that I’ve been using for Throw Back Thursday and it’s been very popular. If
you haven’t seen our Thursday Throwback picture over last one was an old school picture of
Columbia Street. We now have a sub committee that will be covering souvenirs a lot of people
has been questioning collecting plates this year we are hoping we do committee working on
that. We have turned a small project we were just going to do for the employees of General
Dynamics into a welcome to Bogalusa brochures. Where to go for restaurants, pharmacy’s, to
see the doctor when to find school for your children and that is one of the projects we started
today. That is all I have today.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Ok. Police Chief Joe Culpepper.
BY JOE CULPEPPER: Good evening. We had 1158 complaints 200 arrest, 26 traffic accidents, 36
escorts, 5 DWI. We have 116 bags of garbage, 26 in the community service program. If you
notice Richard and I are growing beards, we got started early got a jump start on Landon’s but
there is a reason for Relay for Life if you join our team you grow a beard. We will continue to
grow beards for Brothers of the Bush as it is part of the Centennial Celebration. So if you see a
bearded policeman or a fireman that is what it is.
BY COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND: Joe, what is your total coming up to bags of trash it must be
inching up to a thousand now.
BY CHIEF CULPEPPER: I know my total started over in December I don’t remember what the total
was but it was getting close to it.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Thank you Chief.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Thank you Joe. Fire Chief, Richard Moody.
BY CHIEF MOODY: For the month of January we had 11 structure fires, 18 grass fires, 1 vehicle
fires, 4 Motor vehicle accidents, 84 medical calls, 15 service calls, 15 false alarms, 7 hazardous
conditions, 1 animal rescue but I think we reserved people more they had a bat in their house.
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We had to rescue them from the bat. We had a total of 156. Thank you.
BY VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE: Thank you.
BY MAYOR MIZELL: Thank you Richard. Certainly we have had a busy month. The freeze put a
damper to say the least on activities that we had planned. However I am really proud of the
team and the City of Bogalusa the way it came through with this storm the emergencies that
come about, the way they were handled. It feels real good to be able to go help some other
communities that are not having quiet the success we did here in the city. Even when we get to
go help our neighboring state when their DOTD is snowed in or iced in but that is after all what
we are and will continue to work and support our parish, our state and our region. There have
been things said in the past about the public works, police and fire. I’m here to tell you tonight
I’m proud to be a part of them. When the chips are down I don’t see anybody calling Slidell or
New Orleans for help it’s right here. They all come to answer they are all professionals and they
handled themselves really proud of the whole team. I want to say some of the things that we are
working on I think is very important with the increasing numbers of employment in the Industrial
Park its imperative that we move forward with a new access road. That little highway road
residential area called City limit Road at certain times of the day and night it is so heavily
traveled that it is not really safe with the number of traffic that they have there so we are
moving forward we are fast forwarding. We were honored with a visit this past week actually it
was the week before now just before the freeze a representative from GNO, Mr. Michael Haire.
We are honored to have people with that statue in our community looking at some of our
projects to help us move them forward. He has kind of taken that project on as a personal
project and I’m really proud of that. The road ways that we are attempting to work on of course
the freezing weather concrete doesn’t cure in that. We will be starting back on them as soon as
the weather permits so they can be ready to do some overlay projects which we are discussing
we will have the engineers in I think next Tuesday, Ms. Bloom and we will grout that plan and
start that process in order to start the overlay program on the roadways that we have repaired
and sewers. So I appreciate your patients through these things. We can only repair and do
certain things when the weather is as it is now. If you notice we are repairing and replacing a lot
of frozen and broken seasonal cracks because of the cold weather on our water system. I would
appreciate all of you that showed tonight got a good crowd here tonight thank you for coming.
Hope you found some things that we are doing good and some things we are not so good at and
help us with it. So I’m going to say thank you to the Council and bid you a good evening.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Council discussion. Councilman O’Ree.
BY COUNCILMAN O’REE: I don’t have anything.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Vice-President Perrette.
BY VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE: I just like to thank everyone for coming out tonight and I
apologize for having a cough, a cold cough. That’s all.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Councilwoman Williams.
BY COUNCILWOMAN WILLIAMS: I have none.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: Councilman Drummond.
BY COUNCILMAN DRUMMOND: yes, I would like to echo what the Mayor said about the hard
work the public works did during the freeze. I was out at the mill getting off at 6 o’clock and I
was cold to the bone and they were still hauling truck loads of sand and my day was done and
those poor fellows were still getting after it. Because of them we were able to go about every
day life and I’m right proud of them. That’s all I have.
BY VICE-PRESIDENT PERRETTE: I would also like to thank you all for doing such a great job. I
would like to announce the Bogalusa Sports Association is doing baseball sign ups the 8th, 15th,
and 22nd of this month 10 to 2 o’clock at the airport.
BY PRESIDENT RITCHIE: I want to thank everybody for being here tonight and of course we had
our Department Heads and I appreciate all of your hard work. Again I appreciate everybody for
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being here like I said it takes all of us to work together to accomplish this goal and we can’t do it
sitting up here as Council it takes the whole city to do it and I appreciate you for being here and I
challenge each one of you that is here to bring somebody next week, our next meeting on the
18th. We also have a meeting here Thursday night it is a public hearing with International Paper
and DEQ regarding permits for their water and discharge stuff and things like that. That will be
Thursday night here at City Hall at 6 o’clock. Appreciate as many of ya’ll to come and be here to
be in attendants for that also. I can’t think of any thing else other than be careful, be safe, and
take care. Meeting adjourned.
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