Parish Council asked to amend minutes, put Hanagriff on board

Former Parish President David Hanagriff appears headed for a seat on the Port of West St. Mary board after all.

At the Parish Council’s Feb. 26 meeting, a move to appoint Hanagriff to the port board drew five yes votes to three no votes. The appointment was ruled to have failed because it didn’t get six votes, a clear majority on the 11-member council.

But three council members were absent, so the five yes votes represented a majority of the eight attending members.

In an interview with the Review on Feb. 27, Hanagriff insisted that the five votes were all he needed to win appointment. The six-vote rule applies to matters such as ordinances and resolutions, Hanagriff said, but appointments require only a majority of the council members who actually attended.

“I’m on the board,” Hanagriff said.

The agenda for Wednesday’s council meeting includes a proposed amendment to the Feb. 26 minutes.

The motion to amend cites parish Ordinance 2152 (E), which says appointments to board, commissions and advisory committees require only a majority of the members who are present.

Council members opposing the appointment pointed to the $2.5 million budget shortfall that emerged since Hanagriff left office and what they said was an attempt to have charges filed against members Dr. Kristi Prejeant Rink of Centerville and Dean Adams of Morgan City when they sought information about a consolidated drainage district.

Hanagriff responded that the members were interfering with the operations of the drainage district board.

Also on Wednesday’s agenda is a presentation by Economic Development Director Evan Boudreaux about changes in Louisiana’s Industrial Tax Exemption Program. Gov. Jeff Landry recently announced changes in the program, which offers an 80% property tax exemption for up to eight years on new industry and expansion of existing industry.

Landry’s changes would remove job creation requirements, and applicants would no longer be forced to seek approval from every local government that would be affected by the tax exemption. Applications would go to a local board yet to be created.