JEANERETTE — The ongoing, raging public debate for an Iberia Parish levee made its way to Jeanerette Monday night, as proponents and opponents to the 5-mill property tax on Saturday’s election ballot spoke to local realtors during Jeanerette’s regular Board of Aldermen meeting. 

Local realtor Pat Caffery introduced the measure to discuss the levee and persuade Jeanerette residents to vote against the issue. Some of the numbers Caffery threw out included the fact that the levee is projected to cost somewhere between $500-$600 million if approved by the voters and would take an additional $241,666 from the taxpayers for the next 30 years.

“To my knowledge, Jeanerette has not flooded from the Gulf of Mexico in its entire history,” Caffery said. “A levee to the south would offer little protection and take $241,666 per month from taxpayers parishwide. Taxpayers include home and business owners, and if you rent a home or business the landlord may increase your rent.”

Caffery said Iberia Parish Government collects just under $54 million a year in property taxes, which equates to $400- $500 per month.

“I’m not sure how that’s borne out in the city of Jeanerette, but it’s a lot,” Caffery said.

He went on to say that the real problem for the levee tax was that 80 percent of the money would have to come from state and federal governments, both of which are facing their own budgetary constraints. Caffery argued that Jeanerette would be better off asking state and federal help for water and roads than a levee.

“Why are we trying to pass a tax for a levee that will never be funded and never be built?” he asked. “It’s a lot of money when people are struggling everyday to put gas in their cars.”

Ray Fremin, executive director of the Iberia Parish Levee, Hurricane and Conservation District, also addressed the Jeanerette audience, arguing that a levee is needed more than ever considering that parishes to the east are in the process of building their own levees and western parishes are considering it.  

“As we move toward the future, everyone east has protected themselves and continue to build protection, and the plans are for the people to our west to build protection though they have not started yet,” Fremin said. “If we fail to do this, I think we leave ourselves vulnerable. It leaves  open pathway for waters that come to the south.”

Although Fremin said the city of Jeanerette hasn’t been historically affected by floodwater from the Gulf, outlying areas near the city have been inundated in the past.

“I recognize Jeanerette needs to be concerned about Jeanerette, but this is a parishwide endeavor to protect us from the ravages of those storms,” he said. “Although within the city you don’t flood, you certainly have flooding in those areas south of the city which affects some of your residents. It also affects some of your businesses. Those businesses and residents deserve your protection.

“If we fail to protect ourselves as Iberia Parish residents, people in our parish will suffer,” he said. “That’s not a maybe, that’s a certainty. It will affect our economy and businesses to continue not to protect ourselves.”

In other business, Jeanerette Mayor Aprill Foulcard announced the search for a Jeanerette Fire Chief will begin in earnest at a special meeting next week. During the meeting, those who have applied for the position will be interviewed by the Board of Aldermen.

Interim Fire Chief Sherry Landry, who has acted as a part-time chief so as to not conflict with her other job, was promoted to a full-time interim chief as well. The decision was made with a unanimous decision by the board, and to a round of applause.

Landry is one of the applicants to the fire chief position.