The Iberia Parish Council will vote on an ordinance regulating the placement of telecommunications towers in the parish at tonight’s regular parish council meeting.

If approved at the following council meeting, the introductory ordinance will implement permits for the construction and placement of telecommunications towers and similar structures as well as provide for minimum standards for the placement of the structures.

Adding feeds for permit applications and installing penalties for violations of the ordinance are also part of the regulatory measure that will mostly affect cell towers like AT&T.

The issue of telecommunications tower placement came to a head during the Feb. 9 council meeting of this year, where a large number of local residents from the Spanish Trail area showed up to voice concerns about the placement of a new telecommunications tower in the area. Some residents argued that the placement of the tower would have negative real estate effects in the area and made their neighborhood look worse.

The placement of the tower had occurred as a result of a business dispute between AT&T and SBA Communications, the company that usually places towers for the company. After a lengthy discussion between the residents and representatives of both companies, the Iberia Parish Council ultimately approved the placement of the tower in the residential area.

In other business, the council will vote on a resolution amending various 2022 budgets to appropriate funding for the slated increased cost of health insurance this fiscal year.

The council will use funds from the American Rescue Plan Act Fund to make up for losses associated with the more than 20% increase in health insurance for Iberia Parish employee health coverage.

The council had voted during the Feb. 24 meeting to cover the increase by dipping into departmental funds as well as the general fund, which will be shored up with the ARPA Loss Revenue Funding to be approved at tonight’s meeting.

A resolution amending the 2022 General and Road District No. 10 fund budgets in the amount of $102,720 to appropriate funding for repairs to the Vida Shaw Road Bridge will be voted on as well.

The measure was tabled from the previous Iberia Parish Council meeting.

The meeting takes place at 6 p.m. tonight at the Iberia Parish Courthouse.