City issues bond for sewer work

Published 6:00 am Wednesday, December 20, 2017

The New Iberia City Council gave preliminary approval for the second bond that it has issued this year at Tuesday’s council meeting.

The bond, which is not to exceed $3.5 million, is planned to be used for the city’s sewer infrastructure. In particular, the vast majority of the revenue will be used to make repairs to a levee where the city and Iberia Parish Government co-own a sewer plant.

“Unfortunately, half of it is to make some levee repairs,” New Iberia Mayor DeCourt said. “We own half with the parish, the levee is failing and that is where the bulk of where this is going to go. About $2.5 million of it is to fix our portion of that levee.”

DeCourt said Iberia Parish Government will be supplying another $2.5 million for the contract, and the price was the bare minimum of what the city was responsible for.

“It’s already been negotiated down to this point. We have to at least do this,” DeCourt said.

Jason Akers with Foley & Judell said the city will pay the bond exclusively through sewer user fees.

In other business, Councilman David Broussard presented a report of the city’s first railroad committee meeting that was held this month. Broussard chairs the committee, and said a letter has been sent to High and Safety Engineer Bill Shrewsberry, with the state Department of Transportation and Development, for the status on railroad updates in the city.

In particular, Broussard said he asked Shrewsberry on DOTD’s progress installing railroad crossing arms and lights, as well as raising certain railroad tracks in New Iberia. Broussard said Shrewsberry contacted him and considered addressing the City Council with an update in February.

State and federal funds originally were put in place for an overpass in New Iberia, then reappropriated for railroad arms and lights. Those funds were later taken out of Iberia Parish, but DOTD committed at a City Council meeting in August to start a crossing arms and lights project to be completed with $2 million in state funds.

“We fought hard to get it back. I fought hard to get it back,” Broussard said.