Tensions flared Wednesday when the Iberia Parish Council voted to oppose a bill filed in the Louisiana Legislature to create an independent district for the Acadiana Regional Airport and Lemaire Memorial Airport.

House Bill 13, which was filed by State Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia, would effectively create an independent airport district governed separately from the Iberia Parish Government and the Iberia Parish Council who have traditionally overseen the Iberia Parish Airport Authority. 

Chairman of the IPAA Pat Norris said at the meeting that creating an airport district for the Acadiana Regional Airport has been discussed for years locally and statewide. The benefits of the move, Norris said, would allow the airport to have financial independence and has the support of aviation experts as well as tenants of the airport. 

For some members of the council, however, the problem was the way in which the commission was trying to do it. Several council members said they had little information about the legislative move despite the fact that the airport is under the authority of the Iberia Parish Government.

“I’m offended here,” Councilman Michael Landry said. “For a whole year you’ve been thinking about this, have you spoken to anyone on the council?”

Councilman Warren Gachassin led the charge against the measure, which led to a heated exchange with Norris about the specifics of the bill. 

Gachassin brought several examples of case law that seemed to indicate the Louisiana Legislature’s inability to impose its will on parish governments with home rule charters without the consent of that governing body. Because the bill was filed without the approval of the council, Gachassin called into question whether the Legislature has the ability to do what the bill suggests. 

“I’m disappointed in the process in how this was drawn and how it got to Baton Rouge,” Gachassin said.  “I’m hoping that whatever the outcome is, we have some better communication in the future.”

Norris said the main reason he and the commission didn’t approach the council about creating an independent airport district was fear of rejection or attempts to stop the process. 

“The fear is that something could have been passed that would have stopped us from filing this bill,” Norris said. 

Councilwoman Natalie Broussard offered a substitution motion to defer the council’s opposition to the bill in order to get more information about the bill. Broussard said Beaullieu had committed to not moving the bill forward until after the next parish council meeting on May 14. 

“I think we should take the time to make the decision and take two weeks to get informed and make sure we’re not opposing something that may be good for the parish,” Broussard said. 

After the substitute motion failed, a vote to oppose the House bill passed. 

“I’m not understanding where we’re not getting enough information,” Gachassin said. “There’s a bill there, the facts are in the bill. I don’t know what we’re missing.”