Parish Council ponders the how-to-dos of ordinance adoption

A quest to discuss procedures for adopting ordinances in St. Landry Parish bounced from the procedure explained by the parish attorney to a nostalgic recollection of the power of the former police jury.
The discussion about the procedure for adoption of ordinances came at Wednesday’s parish council meeting where no ordinances were introduced and there were none to be adopted.
The parish president, Bill Fontenot, and the parish council had been embroiled in a dispute over an addiction treatment facility’s bid to locate a facility near Sunset.
In April, nine of the 13 council members signed an agreement to allow the facility and end a federal lawsuit filed by Acadiana Addiction Center, LLC, a report in The Advocate stated.
The center filed the suit after the council adopted an ordinance creating guidelines and licensing procedures for businesses that include mental health clinics, detoxification centers and halfway houses, the newspaper reported.
Timmy Lejeune, District 11, council member, said, “I guess what I’m asking tonight is that Mr. (Bill) Fontenot the next time something like that should come up in this parish and you are the parish president would you send them here first? I truly feel they should have come to the council and explained their concerns before they started in the courthouse and then we could have had an open conversation...”
Pam Gautreau, District 8 council member, said without mentioning the facility that permits were issued, but an ordinance was passed without the council being informed about the permits.
The parish president said permits are public record.
Chad Pitre, parish attorney, said council members should present ordinances in writing and on a single topic except for budget items.
Ordinances are introduced, publicized, given a public hearing and then voted upon, Pitre said.
In the case of the addiction center, Fontenot said attorneys “took the ball and ran with it.”
Lejeune said if someone wanted an ordinance passed they would come to the council.
Ronald Buschel, District 5 council member, said, “Year One, way back when they used to have a police jury, if person came into this parish and wanted to sell a bottle of beer they had to come to the police jury to get permission,” he said.
“There was no question about somebody in the courthouse,” Buschel said. “It came before the police jury.”