Council takes aim at parish garbage disposal

The St. Landry Parish Council’s Public Works Committee wants only parish garbage to be disposed of in the parish landfill.
The committee voted to ask District Attorney Earl Taylor to name an attorney to work with it in drawing an ordinance banning solid waste from outside the parish from being dumped in the parish.
The committee’s action at its Wednesday’s meeting must be approved by the full council.
The move follows a St. Landry Parish Solid Waste Commission vote Monday rejecting an application to the state Department of Environmental Quality to increase the amount of garbage accepted at its landfill in Beggs and taking in garbage from outside the parish.
Ronald Buschel, public works committee chairman, said he wanted one of the committee members to make motion regarding solid waste disposal.
“Under no condition (should) any outside material be transferred into St. Landry Parish ... without full discussion and OK by the parish government ... We run this parish not Solid Waste ...,” Buschel said.
Buschel said violating the ban should be a felony.
“No one on this council has been appointed. They have all been elected by the people,” he said in reference to the Solid Waste Commission. The commission’s members are appointed.
“The people of St. Landry Parish do not want this trash here and I think we ought to make it a felony to bring this trash in here,” Buschel said.
The committee is seeking the district attorney’s assistance because its attorney, Chad Pitre, submitted a letter state he has a conflict of interest in representing the council and the Solid Waste District.
The committee also is asking for a state attorney general’s opinion on the Parish Council’s authority in solid waste issues.
The meeting also included a discussion about drainage and speed limits on newly paved roads.
The Smooth Ride Home Program is a 15-year program to pave up to 480 miles of parish roads. Rural voters approved a 2 percent sales tax in 2013 to pay for a $66 million bond isue.
Bill Fontenot, parish president, said the parish workers are to do the drainage work, but are falling behind as the paving projects accelerate.
The committee asked that Fontenot look into hiring a private contractor to help with the drainage work.
Fontenot said drainage work was included in the paving contracts.
Fontenot also said there is study underway on speed limits on the newly paved roads.