By Rita Shirley LeBleu
After meeting for an hour in a closed executive session regarding (1) Coastal Use Litigation and (2) Priola Construction versus the Cameron Parish Police Jury, the CPPJ gave the Parish Administrator the authority to sign settlement documents regarding the latter.
Cameron Parish Police Jury approved the following permits:
Moore-Odom Wildlife Foundation Black Lake embankment repair project in Hackberry;
Justin J. Reeves for site investigations involving soil borings for shoreline protection measures off Price Lake Road, Rockefeller Refuge, Grand Chenier;
Venture Global for a project that will involve dredging the marine berthing area on Monkey Island and placing the dredged material within the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge via the extension of an existing slurry pipeline;
Berkenstein Estate North Levee Repair Project in Hackberry;
Cameron Parish Police Jury for removing legacy oil and gas infrastructure and targeted sediment remediation for improving safety, water quality and ecological function;
Cameron Parish Gravity Drainage District No. 4 for maintenance of a lateral in Creole;
Royal Engineers and Consultants for Deep Lake geotechnical investigation in Grand Chenier;
and BP America Production Company for closing a borrow pit in a select area of the Miami Alternatives in Grand Chenier.
Cameron Parish District Attorney Tom Barrett asked the jury to include language in the BP America Production Company permit that strictly applies standards for Coastal Use and other guidelines.
(To see the exact description and scope of projects, check out the Voting Agenda for the Monday, Mar. 9 meeting online.)
The Police Jury made the following reappointments:
Kim Murphy, Beachfront Development District; Shane Broussard, Gravity Drainage District No. 4; Rogest Romero, Gravity Drainage District No. 7; Rhonda Coleman, Lower Cameron Hospital District No. 2; Melissa Bonsall, Recreation District No. 9; and C.S. Darbonne, Fire Protection District No. 14; Cameron
The second Fire Protection No. 14 appointment was tabled, as well as the Waterworks District No. 11 appointment. Tremanyne Picou and Thomas Cox resigned from Recreation District No. 5. They will both receive a letter of appreciation. Appointed were Max Guthrie and Lindsey Buford.
The Police Jury voted to codify an ordinance that would make long term stays exempt from the two percent occupancy tax.
Motions of consideration were approved that accept the North Cameron Emergency Operations Center as substantially complete, meaning the parish can take ownership in 45 days and make it available to the public; to allocate $27,380.13 to LSU Ag Center for Extension Programs for 2026; and the amendment to increase a Mermentau Basin Inundation Relief Project amount for compensation to the Engineer in the amount of $272,744.
The approval to publicly advertise the geographic boundaries of Drainage District No. 5 will allow residents to see if they fall within those boundaries when it comes time to vote on 6.21 tax renewal – not a new tax – to construct, operate and maintain the District’s drainage systems.
The vote was tabled on the proposed amendments that would impose a limit, or make unlimited the number of food trucks in Cameron until the April meeting.
Motion granting to approve add on to allow experts to work with jury on taxing strategies and obligations failed. Add-ons require a unanimous vote. A committee will be formed and a special meeting will be called to follow up this item. See next week’s Cameron Pilot for more information.