Iberia Development Foundation Executive Director Mike Tarantino speaks at Wednesday’s Iberia Parish Council meeting.

The trash talk was deep Wednesday night as the Iberia Parish Council discussed the ongoing debris collection effort following hurricanes Laura and Delta.

District 5 Councilman Warren Gachassin brought up the issue during his comments at the opening of the regular meeting.

“I want to give a shout out to our Public Works guys and all the parish employees helping to get debris picked up,” Gachassin said. “But a lot of people are concerned that debris from two storms ago is still on the ground. I think, at the end of the day, we have a healthy fund balance in our solid waste collection fund and we should be able to do this.”

In his report, Parish President Larry Richard gave the council an update on the work, much of which Public Works employees, not Waste Connection, the parish’s solid waste contractor, seem to have performed.

“We are currently working with Waste Connection,” Richard said. “So far, the Public Works department picked up 150 loads themselves. Jeanerette picked up 20 loads.”

As he had promised during the council’s last meeting, Richard said more trucks would be coming from Waste Connection next week.

“Starting Monday, we’ll have two additional trucks from Waste Connections,” Richard said.

He also said residents need to put any bagged trash in clear bags so workers can tell the difference between vegetation and other debris.

“It has to be in just clear bags,” Richard said. “They can only burn vegetation. If it is not in a clear bag, it will be picked up as bulky waste.

Iberia Industrial Development Foundation Director Mike Tarantino made a presentation on a grant program open to Iberia Parish businesses.

“Small business grants are few and far between,” Tarantin said. “Every now and then good ones come up.”

The Rural LISC grant program, operated through the Local Initiative Support Corporation, provides small business grants of up to $20,000. But the current application round closes Nov. 2.

Tarantino said interested business owners can apply at iberiabiz.org/liscgrant or call IDF at 367-7421 for more information.