Parish councilman seeks Berwick support in redistricting

BERWICK — Because its Town Council members are elected at large, Berwick is spared the chore of redrawing political districts based on 2020 Census results.

But the town still finds itself at the center of debates over redistricting, including the effort to redraw St. Mary Parish Council districts.

Parish Councilman Patrick Hebert appealed Tuesday to the Town Council to support a redistricting plan that puts Berwick in a single Parish Council district.

The alignment adopted by the Parish Council last month as a working plan, which keeps Berwick split between Hebert’s District 6 and Councilman Mark Duhon’s District 8, is “the worst map Berwick could get,” Hebert said.

The Parish Council hired the South Central Regional Planning and Development Commission to come up with plans for redistricting. The commission staff came back with three alternatives.

The only real contention so far is over Berwick.

Hebert favors Alternative 3, which would put all of Berwick in his District 6 and reduce the portion of the district extending across the Atchafalaya into Morgan City. Duhon’s District 8 would be confined east of the river.

But the council adopted Alternative 2 as its working plan. As in the current map, Duhon’s District 8 would stretch from Amelia across the river into Berwick near the bridge. The proposed alternative puts more of Berwick into Duhon’s district.

Duhon has defended his desire to keep part of Berwick in his district, saying he got more than 60% of the vote there in 2019 because he serves constituents well.

On Tuesday, Berwick Councilman James Richard agreed with that sentiment, saying Duhon has been prompt and helpful. But, Richard said, what happens after a new council representative is elected from that district?

The objections to the split districts are that a council member representing an Amelia-to-Berwick district might be less responsive to the town’s needs, and that a political candidate from the district would have to run a campaign from Amelia to Berwick.

Having all Berwick in a single district “just made it more convenient,” Mayor Duval Arthur said.

Councilman Raymond Price suggested a resolution supporting the compact Berwick district favored by Hebert. But a vote on the resolution will have to wait until it can be prepared and advertised as agenda item for the Aug. 9 meeting.

The Parish Council is still working on the new district maps and hasn’t formally adopted any of the alternatives.

Berwick also figured in deliberations over the new St. Mary Parish School Board districts, which have already been adopted. In order to create a more compact District III, a mobile home park with nearly 300 residents near Ber-wick’s Country Club Estates was taken from District VIII and placed in District III.

That led to complaints that the Berwick residents in the mobile home park deserved to be in a Berwick district.

Also Tuesday:

—Engineer Reid Miller said plans for subsurface drainage work serving the Country Club Estates area have been sub-mitted to the state. Bids could go out as early as September, he said.

A pair of flash floods in 2019 flooded homes in the subdivision. The town government developed a plan for alleviating the flooding.

Some of the work, such as clearing ditches, was accomplished quickly. But the subsurface work requires work costing more than $1 million.

The town government received a $1.2 million grant from the state Department of Transportation and Development for the work, with a 10% match from the town.

—The council unanimously passed an ordinance resetting a property tax rate.

The council had set a millage broadly dedicated to recreation, public works, public safety and other functions at 6.38 mills based on the latest parishwide reassessment. But voters had approved a renewal of the tax at 6.0 mills. The ordinance passed Tues-day makes it clear the rate is 6.0 mills.

The rate takes effect this year, so no one was billed at the higher rate.

—The new Lighthouse food truck court is on track to open Aug. 4, Councilwoman Colleen Askew said. One food truck operator has signed up so far, and four others have applied.