Officials looking ahead

Published 6:00 am Tuesday, January 2, 2018

As 2017 comes to a close and the new year begins, Iberia Parish leaders are looking forward to 2018 with new resolutions and goals.

Iberia Parish Larry Richard said he is looking forward to all of the goals his administration has set for 2018, which include managing the parish’s finances in the best interest of the taxpayers.

“Our goals include a lot of drainage and preventative flooding work throughout the parish,” Richard said Monday. “We will work to complete the new Public Works facility renovations, the (Iberia Parish) Courthouse interior and exterior renovations, the Robert B. Green Memorial Building interior and exterior renovations and the many other parish facilities being renovated.”

Richard, who was elected Iberia Parish’s president in 2015, also said the parish is working on a complete upgrade to security systems at the courthouse, which include manpower and equipment.

“We are working on a strategy to present to the residents of the parish for future road repairs, water and sewer projects,” Richard said. “We look forward to work closer and smarter with all municipalities by using the mutual aid agreements that were executed (in 2017).”

New Iberia Mayor Freddie DeCourt said Monday that 2017 was a success largely due to the collaboration and partnerships the city engaged in with other governmental entities and the residents of New Iberia, and hopes to keep that going in 2018.

DeCourt, who was elected mayor in 2016, said he’s hopeful for more collaborative efforts with Iberia Parish Government, which has been “a great partner” during his first year in office. In particular, DeCourt and Richard signed intergovernmental agreements for non-emergency cooperation that allows the two entities to work together on issues like drainage.

The parish and city also have allowed each other the use of public buildings. The New Iberia City Council voted on a resolution allowing parish government access to the Sliman Theater, and the parish has done likewise for city functions in parish-owned buildings. 

There is also an intergovernmental agreement being worked out between city and parish officials for the parish to take over animal control services in New Iberia after the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office withdrew its administration of animal control for the city. The legal agreement is still being hashed out between city and parish attorneys. 

DeCourt also said an emphasis on public safety is on the agenda, “which will happen thanks to our citizens and our new police department.” That comes after New Iberia voters signed off on a half-cent sales tax in October that will go toward the funding of a New Iberia Police Department.

The city had been contracting with the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services since 2004, and a major goal for the new year will be re-creating a city police force.

Business development is on the agenda for 2018, DeCourt said, as New Iberia welcomes new businesses and searches “for more ways to support those who make New Iberia what it is year after year.”

“(There will be) more hard work with my staff and department heads who make me better than I am, so to wrap it up the goal for 2018 is ‘More,’ ” DeCourt said.