Blighted property demolition in New Iberia will be getting help from the Iberia Parish Government if a resolution approved by the City Council also gets approved by the Iberia Parish Council. 

The New Iberia City Council voted to accept a resolution executing an intergovernmental agreement between the City of New Iberia and the Iberia Parish Government for the purpose of demolishing dilapidated and dangerous structures in the city.

Legal Counsel Jeff Simon said the resolution is a framework to establish rules if and when collaboration between the two governmental entities occurs.

“This is just a default set of rules, and it governs any contribution by the parish to the city for demolition,” Simon said.

Mayor Freddie DeCourt said several Iberia Parish Council members have expressed interest in helping the city in its ongoing effort to demolish or remove blighted properties around the city. The resolution is a first step in establishing rules for both entities to work together for that purpose and will be followed by sending the resolution to the Iberia Parish Government.

“The next step is approving this and sending it to the parish government and that will give us the ability to catch the money if they throw it our way,” DeCourt said. “They are identifying properties and would like to contribute with our demolitions and want houses in their district, this is the first step to have that agreement.”

Simon said the resolution would apply regardless if the city or parish is the one making the request, and that Iberia Parish Government’s legal counsel is currently reviewing the resolution.

“It’s a good thing because it allows them to contribute to our efforts, but the responsibility and control is with the city,” Simon said.

In other business, the council approved a delay of notice to proceed with concrete street repairs for the New Iberia Streets Project during the meeting as well.

DeCourt said the notice came after contractors all over Louisiana are currently having a supply issue getting the necessary materials to make such repairs, and the delay would pull concrete work into next year.

“We had a discussion about this, and they feel comfortable about (moving it to) January,” DeCourt said. “They will be looking at crushed concrete, it’s so preliminary but it will probably take 10 months.”

The council unanimously voted for both resolutions.