Council considers ideas for changing parish government

The St. Mary Parish Council on Wednesday considered two structural changes that could change the way parish government works.

Both ideas, put forward by Councilman J Ina of Franklin, may require further refining.

The council unanimously passed Ina’s proposed charter amendment raising the parish president’s pay with an eye toward making the position full-time. And Ina proposed a move that could help put another minority on the council without drastically changing the redistricting proposals already in the works.

The parish administration is currently set up with a part-time president, currently David Hanagriff, with a chief administrative officer, now Henry C. “Bo” LaGrange, working full-time to handle the day-to-day details.

Ina’s proposed amendment would raise the parish president’s pay from the current $1,000 per month to the average of the mayor’s annual pay in the parish’s municipalities. That’s currently just short of $50,000 per year, Ina said.

The raise wouldn’t be effective until after Hanagriff leaves office in early 2024.

Ina and the Rev. Craig Mathews of Jeanerette argued that St. Mary needs a full-time parish president to promote the parish and economic development.

The parish needs a full-time parish president to move ahead, Mathews said.

And, Ina said, making the position full-time would open the position to people who couldn’t afford to be a part-time parish president.

“I’m trying to have a more inclusive-type charter,” Ina said.

Hanagriff said the current set-up makes the parish presidency a full-time job with part-time pay. He frequently takes time away from his business, a Centerville machine shop, to tend to parish government duties, he said.

Ina’s fellow council members were generally receptive, although Councilman Dean Adams of Morgan City noted that moves to create a full-time parish have failed in the past.

Council members talked about defining the duties of the president and CAO and about whether $50,000 is the right salary for a parish president. Although the council has passed the amendment, it also requires a resolution calling on the secretary of state to put the measure on the ballot.

The deadline to put items on the March 25 ballot is Dec. 28.

Also Wednesday, Ina introduced a proposed charter amendment raising the council members’ salaries to the average of council members in the parish’s municipalities.

Minority representation

Currently, eight members of the council are elected from geographic districts. Three other members are elected by voters parishwide, but they’re required to live within one of three larger districts.

District 9 covers the western parish and is represented by Dr. Kristi Prejeant Rink of Centerville; District 10 covers the central parish and is represented by Gwendolyn Hidalgo of Bayou Vista; and District 11, represented by Adams, covers from eastern Berwick to Amelia.

Two of the geographic districts, 1 and 2, have African American majorities and are represented by Black councilmen, Mathews and Ina.

But Ina noted that while St. Mary’s population is 32% African American, the council has only two minorities.
Ina consulted the South Central Regional Planning and Development Commission staff, which the council hired to develop redistricting proposals, and came back with a new method.

The three at-large districts could become “super districts.” Instead of electing three members parishwide, each could be elected by voters within a super district.

District 9 has a Black population of 51%, Ina said.

The council is currently discussing redistricting for the eight geographic districts.

Ina’s idea would require eight council votes for a proposed charter amendment and then voter approval. To have the amendment placed on the March 25 ballot, the council would have to pass the proposed amendment and a resolution calling the election by Dec. 28.