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Minutes of the proceedings of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the Town of Gueydan, Louisiana, taken at regular meeting held Tuesday, January 2, 2024, at 6:00 o’clock P.M.

The Mayor and Board of Aldermen of the Town of Gueydan, Louisiana met in regular session with Mayor Jude Reese presiding and the following Aldermen present:

Present: JOHN LASETER, LAUREL PORTIE’, ANITA DUPUIS
& JASON SUIRE
Absent: EFREM LIVINGSTON

Public Comment any item on agenda (3 minutes per person)

Motion was made by JASON SUIRE, seconded by JOHN LASETER, and carried, that in as much as each member of the Board of Aldermen received a copy of minutes taken at Regular Meeting of December 5, 2023, that the reading of said minutes be dispensed with and same be adopted as written.

Motion by JASON SUIRE, seconded by JOHN LASETER, and carried, that the reports of the Bookkeeper and Tax Collector be approved as filed. Mayor Reese spoke briefly on the budget to actual report:

Period YTD Actual Budget Variance
General Fund October 2023
Revenue 106,615.73 1,441,949.46 1,207,984.00 ( 233,965.46)
Expenditures:
General & Administrative 5,810.56 289,579.94 243,975.00 ( 45,604.94)
Police Department 7,305.90 414,491.57 333,436.00 ( 81,055.57)
Fire Department 3,515.59 228,527.17 228,590.00 ( 59,937.17)
Streets & Bridges 2,060.99 229,234.21 213,200.00 ( 16,032.21)
Drainage 18.93 22,427.17 10,550.00 ( 11,877.17)
Sanitation 0.00 0.00 109.00 109.00
Community Center .00 1,62.31 1,782.31 ( 62.31) Dept 81 – Capital Outlay 2,516.11 50,425.62 .00 ( 50,425.62)
Total Expenditures 22,259.45 1,343,100.56 1,069,310.00 ( 273,790.56)
Profit (Loss) 84,356.29 98.848.90 138,574.00 39,825.10

Sales Tax Revenue 24,476.64 244,941.48 301,500.00 56,556.54 Expenses & Transfers Out 141,528.41 .00 ( 141,528.41)
Total Expenditures .00 141,528.41 .00 ( 141,528.41)
Profit (Loss) 24,476.64 103,413.05 301,500.00 198,086.95

Utility Fund Revenue
Misc. Rev & Transfers 1,218.99 76,529.45 75,700.00 ( 629.45)
Electrical 95,101.45 1,598,204.72 1,750,000.00 151,795.28
Gas 29,990.11 182,882.62 250,000.00 67,117.38
Sewer 14,168.80 169,929.60 161,900.00 ( 8,029.60)
Water 17,222.00 200,384.20 198,500.00 ( 1,884.20)
Total Revenues
157,701.35 2,227,930.59 2,436,100.00 208,169.41

Expenditures:
Transfers Out 90,000.00 1,044,000.00 750,000.00 ( 294,000.00)
Electrical ( 196,667.18) 851,554.45 1,084,650.00 233,095.55
Gas 20,677.09 249,482.92 223,900.00 ( 25,582.92)
Sewer 9,914.88 243,628.22 200,960.00 ( 42,668.22)
Water 11,272.28 319,342.43 248,475.00 ( 70,867.43)
Dept 84 ARPA Sewer 47,205.76 0.00 ( 47,205.76)
Dept 85 ARPA Water 0.00 17,635.30 0.00 17,635.90)
Total Expenditure (64,801.91) 2,772,849.06 2,507,985.00 ( 264,864.08)
Profit (Loss) 222,504.26 ( 544,918.49) ( 71,885.00) 473,033.49

Motion by JASON SUIRE, seconded by JOHN LASETER, and carried that the following transfer, on the date, and amount from fund is hereby ratified and approved:

To General Fund:

December 12,2023 Utility Fund $74,000.00
December 28,2023 Utility Fund $16,000.00

Councilman John Laseter questioned the finances of the Town and requested it be recorded in the minutes. After a discussion no action was taken

Mayor Reese announced the amount of interest that the town has received for the month and the year-to-date amounts.

Motion by JASON SUIRE, seconded by JOHN LASETER and carried to accept the billing adjustments in the amount of $62.49 for the month of December 2023.

Larry Cramer, engineer representing Sellers & Associates informed those present that the Louisiana Community Block Grant for the Blighted Property was awarded to the Town in the amount of $195,250.00.

Mr. Cramer also informed those present that the Louisiana Water Initiative Local and Regional Watershed Grants Program – Round 2 preliminary application has been conditionally awarded to the Town in the amount of $1,170,700.00 for the Gueydan Flood Protection Project. The next step is to submit the application to LCDBG.

Motion by JASON SUIRE, seconded by ANITA DUPUIS and carried to adopt the following resolution.

TOWN OF GUEYDAN RESOLUTION
FOR
OFFICE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT – LOUISIANA WATERSHED
INTIATIVE

STATE OF LOUISIANA

PARISH OF VERMILION

On January 2, 2024, the Town of Gueydan held a meeting with a quorum of its members present, and the following business was conducted:

It was duly moved and seconded that the following resolution be adopted:

BE IT RESOLVED that the Town of Gueydan hereby authorizes Jude Reese,
Mayor, or his successor in office, to negotiate and enter into a contract or
contracts to accept funding for the Town of Gueydan on terms and conditions
that he may deem advisable, and to execute said documents on behalf of the
Town of Gueydan, during the term of CEA. Further, we do herby give him
the power and authority to do all things necessary to implement, maintain, amend
or renew said documents and to accept any grant awards on be half of the Town of Gueydan.

The above resolution was passed by a majority vote of those present and voting in accordance with the By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation of the Town of Gueydan.

I certify that the above and foregoing constitutes a true and correct excerpt of the minutes of the above-referenced meeting of the Town of Gueydan

Signed this 2nd day of January 2024.

S/Roxanna Richard S/Jude Reese Clerk Mayor

Mayor Reese ordered a rate study which is being conducted by Sellers & Associates that is still in progress.

Motion by JOHN LASETER, seconded by JASON SUIRE and carried to accept the recommendation of Mayor Jude Reese of Roger Cormier as Street Commissioner.

Motion by JOHN LASETER SECONDED by JASON SUIRE and carried to adopt an Intergovernmental Agreement

INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT

BY AND AMONG CITY OF ABBEVILLE, VERMILION PARISH POLICE
JURY, VERMILION PARISH SCHOOL BOARD, TOWN OF ERATH,
TOWN OF DELCAMBRE, TOWN OF MAURICE, TOWN OF KAPLAN,
TOWN OF GUEYDAN, AND VERMILION PARISH SHERIFF’S OFFICE.

Original Agreement is filed in the filing cabinet.

RESOLUTION NO. 1-2004

A RESOLUTION BY THE COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF GUEYDAN
(“TOWN”) AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR OF THE TOWN (“MAYOR”)
TO EXECUTE CERTAIN AGREEMENTS BETWEEN THE TOWN AND
THE LOUISIANA ENERGY AND POWER AUTHORITY (“LEPA”)

BE IT RESOLVED that the MAYOR of the TOWN be and he is hereby authorized to execute and deliver the following agreements for and on behalf of the TOWN, the

FULL REQUIREMENT SERVICE AGREEMENT BY AND BETWEEN THE
LOUISIANA ENERGY AND POWER AUTHORITY AND THE TOWN OF
GUEYDAN

FULL REQUIREMENT INCENTIVE AGREEMENT BY AND BETWEEN
LOUISIANA ENERGY AND POWER AUTHORITY AND THE TOWN OF
GUEYDAN, LOUISIANA

and in connection therewith, he be and is further authorized to deliver such certificates and other writings and otherwise take such actions as may be necessary to implement the terms and conditions of this Resolution and said agreement.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all resolutions or parts thereof in conflict herewith be and the same are hereby repealed.

On motion by Councilman JASON SUIRE, seconded by JOHN LASETER, the above resolution was passed by a vote of 4 to 0.

AYES: JOHN LASETER, LAUREL PORTIE’
ANITA DUPUIS & JASON SUIRE
NAYS: NONE
ABSENT: EFREM LIVINGSTON

S/Roxanna Richard S/Jude Reese Clerk Mayor

Motion by JOHN LASETER seconded by JASON SUIRE and carried to declare the 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe (0058). Minimum bid is $500.00. Sealed bids will be accepted until 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, and will be opened and publicly read at the meeting of February 6, 2024, which meeting beg8ins at 6:00 p.m.

Motion by JOHN LASETER, seconded by JASON SUIRE and carried to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement between the Town of Gueydan and the Village of Morse for the donation of a 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe (3169).

Motion by JASON SUIRE seconded by JOHN LASETER and carried to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement between the Village of Morse and the Town of Gueydan for the donation of a 2013 Dodge Charger (6724) and also the donation of an additional 2013 Dodge Charger (6722).

John Laseter voiced his concerns about bills being behind. Mayor Reese advised him that he is working toward getting them all up to date.

Jason Suire voiced his concern on the number of vehicles the town has.

Mayor Reese informed the governing body that he is having rate studies done on electricity, gas, water and sewer.

There being no further business to come before the meeting thereupon motion by JASON SUIRE, seconded by LAUREL PORTIE’, and carried the meeting thereupon adjourned at 6:57 o’clock P.M. on this 2nd day of January, 2024.

S/Roxanna Richard S/Jude Reese Clerk Mayor

Published in The Gueydan Journal Newspaper:
THURSDAY, January 11, 2024

Poor ole’ Joe Biden. The current president really has his hands full. Some think the world is going to hell in a hand basket, and the Biden team is enmeshed in pouring billions to other countries. The President has just approved a $105 billion military aid package to Israel, as the Israel-Hamas war is on the verge of spiraling into a wider regional conflict. Russia’s war with Ukraine seems more and more like a Russian war with America as the US has poured $80 billion in this struggle. Our Southern border is overflowing with a surge of immigrants with no plan to stop the flow. The president is up for election in just 10 months. And his favorable popularity has dipped to below 35%.
So how does he handle the crisis? You would think he would be staying up late at night seven days a week dealing with a whole host of difficult issues, especially since he has such a short time left in the White House. Here’s his solution. Take a weeklong vacation. Fly to the tropical island of St. Croix. He has the rest of his life to take long vacations, and his whole future is on the line. So he flies to the Caribbean.
Work product of the U.S. Congress is not any better. Back in 1948, President Harry Truman coined the term “Do nothing Congress,” because the legislative body only passed 511 bills that were signed into law. In the 2023 congressional term, a grand total of 27 bills were actually signed in the law. Two of the laws renamed medical centers, and another one created a commemorative coin.
“The House hasn’t done its job. It’s been playing games. It’s what people don’t like about this town,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. “All year the House didn’t choose its speakers, they’ve been fighting with each other. Their egos are out of control. They’re acting like kids and they’re not doing their job.”
The U.S. Supreme Court could be the worst of the three branches in getting any work done or even showing up for work. If you look at poll numbers, it’s becoming obvious that the American public are losing confidence in the Supremes. In a Gallup poll released recently, only 40% of citizens approve of the job that has been done by the High Court. And it’s not just one party or the other. “At this point, less than a majority of Republicans, Democrats and independents approve of the job the court is doing,” said Gallup, which has been tracking the trend since 2000.
Justices on the nation’s highest court complain about their low salary. But the plain truth is that the court as a whole just does not work very hard. Some 10,000 petitions are filed in the Supreme Court each year, and almost all of them are turned aside. This year, the court might consider some 60 cases. They never worked too hard in the past, but at least up until some 15 years ago, the normal load was 125 cases or more. But no longer. The Supremes need more time for other pursuits.
Come summertime, there are no thoughts of carrying out the constitutional responsibility of considering cases of those who feel they are aggrieved. No, it’s time to head off for speaking junkets and lucrative teaching posts far and beyond. Justice Samuel Alito prefers the beaches and teachers in Malibu California at Pepperdine University at its Oceanside campus. And Chief Justice John Roberts was paid to teach a one week course in Vienna in recent years.
Justices also benefit from the ethically troubling practice of regularly taking all expense paid junkets, often financed by private interests with business before this very court. Many are labeled as “educational seminars” with large honorariums being received for a lecture. The Court has soiled its reputation by accepting such freebies, and it is obvious the members are incapable of effective self-policing.
Every four years, we hear campaign promises from candidates who say they will go to the nation’s capital and get to work. But things never seem to change. What’s the song by the musical group The Who? “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”

Peace and Justice
Jim Brown

2024 promises to be an opportunity for Republicans in Congress, particularly in the House of Representatives, to stymie the Biden administration’s multi-front onslaught against America.
But this can only occur if the House GOP can focus on what brings them together rather than what drives them apart. After the Dec. 31 departure of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the expulsion of former U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) and the anticipated early March retirement of U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) cut the Republicans’ razor thin majority in half. While the GOP is expected to hold the McCarthy and Johnson seats, governing in 2024 requires virtual unanimity in the House GOP Conference, something in short supply.
This is not a philosophical debate but one of numbers.
The House of Representatives is a majority rule body. Whoever can get a majority on the floor, controls the debate and wins the day. The bloodletting of the last year has had some positive impacts on limiting the power of the Speaker in the House, opening up opportunities for more members to get their ideas considered for inclusion in legislation. This expanded voice of individual House members has taken power from a very few members and staff and dispersed it is a very good thing.
What isn’t a good thing and is not sustainable is the constant knife at the throat of the Speaker, who was just elected by the House GOP a couple of months ago, known as a motion to vacate the chair. The motion to vacate is an important safeguard to prevent a run-away speakership, but in a historically narrow majority it threatens to become Robespierre’s guillotine once again sending the House into anarchy.
The House GOP needs to draw together right now to stop the Biden administration’s refusal to enforce our nation’s laws at the border allowing an estimated eight plus million illegals to enter out country in just three years. Congressional Democrats hope to use the border crisis to create a pathway to citizenship for millions of the nearly 30 million who now have taken up residence in our country. The House GOP and their Senate colleagues need to say no to the Democrats on their created crisis. They need to unite to say no special funding to sanctuary cities and states like California which is now ignoring its own $60 billion plus debt to provide free health care to illegals. They need to unite to say no special funding for cities and states which refuse to allow the deportation of criminal illegals. And they need to unite to force the Biden administration to seal the border.
The ugly fact is that since Joe Biden has become president, Border Patrol reports that there have been more than 8 million illegal alien encounters at the border and this does not include 1.5 million or more ‘gotaways’ who the Border Patrol observed but were not able to detain.
This is an existential crisis for our nation, and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is focused on it like a laser beam. But he cannot lead with the guillotine being dragged behind him everywhere he goes. The presumption that he could lose power at any moment neuters his ability to lead, and that is dangerous for our nation.
Our nation has big, real crises, which cannot wait for President Biden’s defeat and replacement in January of 2024. The House GOP has a majority. It is time they pick one or two issues they can come together on, and get some wins. The border, exposing Biden’s corruption and abuse of power in office through unconstitutional regulations and at least enforcing the debt ceiling level of spending should be three that can be agreed upon.
With a three-vote majority facing a narrow Senate Democrat majority and a far-left White House, it is unreasonable to expect massive wins across the board, but if they come together, they can put some temporary 2024 patches on some big problems. It won’t be easy, but it must be done.

Rick Manning is the President of Americans for Limited Government.

Later this year, the existing electrical contract for Abbeville is set to expire.
Initial negotiations about re-signing with the current provider, Constellation, would have resulted in a 45% increase for the contract, a move city officials did not entertain.
During its last meeting of 2023, the Abbeville City Council moved toward a provider that presented a more manageable offer. The council voted to adopt a resolution authorizing Mayor Roslyn White to execute all necessary documents to proceed with Louisiana Energy & Power Authority (LEPA) as the power provider for the city.
“Our existing contract is coming to an expiration in May of 2024,” White said during the meeting on Dec. 19. “The original quote provided by our existing supplier was at a 45% increase with more risk.
“That was not acceptable.”
The city issued a request for proposals for a new supplier last August.
“We didn’t receive a lot of quotes,” White said, “because the market is very volatile right now.”
Three potential providers did show interest, including LEPA.
“After a lot of talks, conversations and negotiations,” White said, “it is my recommendation that we transition to LEPA.”
Created by the State Legislature in 1979, LEPA is a joint agency of Louisiana cities and towns, each maintaining its own independent municipal power system. According to LEPA, it works with its member communities to provide stable sources of electricity at the lowest possible cost.
“I think it is going to be a better fit for us,” White said. “The 19 municipalities in LEPA all own their own (electrical) system. We will be one of the member communities, and we would purchase power together, kind of like a co-op.”
On June 1, LEPA will begin to provide power to the city.
“If we were to buy power from LEPA this month,” White said at the meeting, “it would be at 9% over the current contract. That’s $9 for every $100 that homeowner has (on the bill). Through this process, we have basically reduced a 45% to a 9% increase.
“It’s the best that we could do in the market.”
White added that the city will work to do what’s best for its residents.
“We’re going have to do a lot of work to insulate our customers and try to provide some buffers in case of any fluctuation,” White said, “but this is the best option that we can get right now in this market.”
Councilman Francis Touchet Jr., who has served on the council since 2002 and took part in the negotiations on the previous contract with Constellation, said the current reality is what the market will dictate.
“I have prided ourselves that Abbeville was the city with the cheapest electricity,” Touchet said. “I will tell you that we had a sweet deal 12 years ago. That sweet deal is no longer here. We will have to communicate to the public constantly. The market is going to be what dictates what is going to happen with electricity. For the past 12 years, that wasn’t the case because we knew more of the variables that were there than we will now know.”
Touchet echoed the mayor, saying the city had reviewed every available option.
“We have looked at this,” Touchet said, “and I will tell you, we have no other choice.
“LEPA is providing us with the best deal.”
Through continued negotiations, Constellation did provide a counteroffer that would amount to a 19% increase.
“That was only for a one-year extension,” White said.
Councilman Brady Broussard Jr., who served on the electrical committee, thanked LEPA General Manager Kevin Bihm and Assistant General Manager David Bergeron, who attended the meeting.
“It was a pleasure to work with you,” Broussard said. “It was a pleasure to hear the commitment you have for the city of Abbeville. This is the best our citizens and businesses can get at this time. We’re happy to give them that, with your proposal.”
More steps need to be taken, including approval by LEPA’s board as well as other paperwork. June 1 is Abbeville’s scheduled start with LEPA. Councilman Carlton Campbell asked if the headline would read, “Utility bills will be increasing.” White said that there is a chance that may not be the case.
“With LEPA, there is a chance it could decrease,” White said. “You don’t know until you go live with the contract.
“It just depends on where the market is right before we transition on June 1.”