Parish ordinance would require training for board members

The St. Mary Parish Council may soon take a step toward improving relations with the dozens of special-purpose districts from Jeanerette to Amelia.
An ordinance introduced Dec. 18 by Councilman J Ina of Franklin would require training for board and commission members who lead those districts.
The parish charter requires at least 20 days to elapse between introduction and a final passage vote. A public hearing will be held before the final vote.
The ordinance would require “at least four (4) hours of training regarding duties, responsibilities, ethics, substance of their positions, and Roberts Rules of Order for conducting meetings.”
The training must occur before assuming board positions or within six months of taking office using programs established by the boards.
The training may be either in-person or online.
The boards and commissions — 51 of them, or one for every 960 St. Mary residents if advisory boards are included — provide a variety of essential public services. Those include fire protection, flood control, drinkable water, sewer service and recreation centers.
The relationship between the parish government and the boards and commissions it appoints has been fraught at times over the last few years.
All or nearly all of two district boards have resigned all at once in the last year.
The consolidation of drainage districts serving Amelia and Morgan City has also been a source of friction. After the two districts were consolidated into Gravity Drainage District No. 2A, voters rejected a proposition that would fully integrate the two districts.
Parish government officials have also expressed concern about the accumulation of cash in some districts while the Parish Council was looking for ways to tighten the budget.
While the training requirement may seem like a small, technical move, it’s part of a larger effort to change the structure of parish government.
Parish President Sam Jones, who took office in 2024 after winning an election with a one-term pledge, has pushed to make the office full-time for his successors. Proponents say a part-time presidency puts the parish at a disadvantage.
A perceived lack of minority representation has also been an issue. The 11-member Parish Council currently has two African American council members in a parish in which nearly a third of the population is Black.
Ina has also pushed for an updated salary schedule for parish employees and for a new parish government organizational charge.
A Charter Review Commission has been meeting this year with an eye toward proposing changes in the home-rule charter.