Ernest Ledet joins Breaux Bridge Council

At the Nov. 10 City Council meeting, new District C Alderman Ernest “E.J.” Ledet was sworn in to fill the seat previously held by Alvin Jones.
Jones was appointed by Gov. Bobby Jindal in February after Albert “Da Da” Menard was declared ineligible, leaving the office vacant. Ledet won the Oct. 24 election over Jones by 61 to 39 percent.
Meanwhile, Menard is in a runoff with Vincent Alexander for the District 7 seat on the St. Martin Parish Council. He was present at the Nov. 10 meeting to receive an award in recognition of his 16 years on the Breaux Bridge council.
Mayor Ricky Calais recommended the outgoing Jones for a seat on the Planning and Zoning Council and the city council approved the appointment.
The council held a public hearing in consideration of proposed amendments to the city’s Development Master Plan to allow the expenditure of an estimated $349,000 to relocate utilities for the proposed roundabout intersection at Grand Pointe /LA 347 and Doyle Melancon Rd.
Funds for the project will come from the discretionary 20 percent of zone one special sales tax district funds. Also proposed in the public hearing were drainage projects in and around the North Bridge subdivision.
New restrooms now under construction at Parc des Ponts uncovered a slightly confusing trail of ownership and jurisdiction over the area along the bayou. Owned, it turns out, by the Catholic Diocese of Lafayette, requirements for use were satisfied when the city signed a 30-year lease from the diocese at $1 per year.
Another ownership issue described by city legal advisor Chester Cedars as “odd” concerned a parking lot area off of East Bridge and Pierre Streets. Cedars said the property was dedicated to the city in 1971 for “public parking” but has been used exclusively for the benefit of surrounding businesses. The city has never had responsibility for maintenance of the lot, and will officially abandon the property, which will allow needed maintenance to proceed under the control and at the expense of those businesses.
Also, the city’s independent audit by the firm Kolder, Champagne, Slaven & Co. was presented to the council by Russell Champagne. The evaluation was, Champagne said, “unmodified” or “clean,” but was affected by changes in accounting rules which now require unfunded pension liabilities to be shown on financial statements. This change reduced the net balance sheet increase for the year from $1.1 million down to $100,000.