The West Feliciana Parish Council heard a report Oct. 14 on water system problems caused by ongoing fiber optic cable projects and decided to allow mobile homes in an additional zoning district.
Parish President Kenny Havard told the council that two companies are currently installing underground fiber optic cable to extend broadband internet access to unserved areas of the parish. The projects are funded with federal money administered by a state agency.
The work has resulted in numerous water line breaks because the parish's records on where water lines were installed over the years are inadequate. The breaks cause pressure drops in many areas, along with "brown water" when sediment in the lines is stirred, Havard said.
He said the six parish water system employees are "doing everything they can" to keep up with the fiber companies' requests for utility locations and damage to water lines, "but it's a free-for-all out there."
When the work is completed, the payoff will be broadband access to every home in the parish, Havard said.
The council approved an ordinance allowing "manufactured homes," or mobile homes, in areas that are zoned RA, or residential agriculture, increasing the number of zoning classifications where one mobile home per lot is allowed from five to six.
Next month, the council is expected to consider a new zoning map that was introduced in June to accompany the revised parish land development code adopted last year.
A move by council member Justin Metz to approve the new map in September with some changes he proposed was stymied by the other four members.
Metz's motion died for lack of a second after a lengthy discussion in which council members and some members of the audience said the changes Metz proposed were not discussed during a public meeting. One change Metz offered was to eliminate a historic district overlay that was carried over from the current map, but the other changes were not outlined.
Council attorney Dannie Garrett said then that the proposed changes should be voted on individually in a meeting with public input allowed.
Eventually, the council voted 4-1 to submit all proposed changes at its Nov. 12 meeting.
On another matter, a 4-1 vote, with council member Tab Ballard dissenting, killed a motion to amend the agenda to include a discussion of filling vacancies on the Port Commission.
A unanimous vote is required to add an item to a meeting agenda.
Last month, Metz persuaded the council to hold off appointing members to the commission, which asked the Legislature last year to dissolve it because it had no funding and no projects on the drawing board.
The commission is a subdivision of the state government, but the Parish Council appoints some of its members. It had four vacant seats when the council decided against appointing new members.
Since then, District Attorney Sam D'Aquilla, who represents the commission, asked in an Oct. 4 letter that the council appoint members as the commission attempts to reorganize.