Patterson council hears about new health site, Puttin' on the Pink

PATTERSON — The City Council devoted much of its regular monthly meeting Tuesday to health, physical and fiscal.
Human Resources Director Holden Murray unveiled an app with data on the health of Patterson residents. And members of the Roots & Ribbons Foundation asked the council for another iteration of last year’s successful “Puttin’ on the Pink” 5K run and two-mile walk.
The council also introduced four ordinances setting utility connection fees, setting property tax rates and authorizing an agreement under which Patterson will serve as a back-up source of natural gas for Berwick.
Murray introduced the council to a website that now lists a variety of health data for Patterson residents as a group. The project was made possible by a grant from the Put Us on the Map Challenge.
The grant paid to set up the site and will handle the estimated $50,000 a year in operation costs for two years, Murray said. And the availability of good data could put Patterson in line for more health-related grants, he said.
That’s the good news. Some of the health outcomes reflected in the data are less encouraging.
—The percentage of Patterson residents with diabetes is 13.9%, compared to an average of 10% across the 51 cities in the dashboard.
—39.6% of Patterson residents suffer from high blood pressure compared to an average of 29.5%.
Economic well-being is also reflected in the numbers:
—19.2% of Patterson children live in homes with poverty-level incomes, compared to 16.9% across the state.
—A credit insecurity index developed by the New York Federal Reserve Bank and Equifax gives Patterson residents a score of 33.5, compared to an average of 20.2.
The Roots & Ribbons Foundation received council approval for a second Puttin’ on the Pink event on Oct. 5 at Morey Park.
Roots & Ribbons was founded because money donated locally to larger charities for breast cancer survivors wasn’t necessarily going to local people.
Last year’s event raised $15,000, organizer Dee Hymel told the council, and filled Morey Park with pink hats, tops, shoes, tutus and glasses.
St. Mary Parish has 125 people listed as breast cancer survivors.
Ordinances
If they follow the usual procedure, the four ordinances introduced Tuesday will come up for public hearings and passage votes at the Sept. 3 meeting.
The ordinances would:
—Set utility hookup fees.
Water and gas deposits would be $250; connection, transfer and reconnection would cost $50; the fee for a nonsufficient funds pay would be $35; and turning on service after 3 p.m. would cost $75.
In the city limits, installing standard gas or water meters would cost $700. Meter installations outside the city limits would cost $800. Moving a gas or water meter would cost $15 per foot.
—Authorize Mayor Rodney Grogan to enter an agreement with the Berwick town government for Patterson to provide back-up natural gas service to Berwick.
Gas service would be provided to Berwick to keep pressure up during certain events. Berwick Mayor Duval Arthur asked the Patterson council to provide service when a blackout or other problem caused gas-operated generators in Berwick to come on automatically, reducing pressure in the system
—Set a general alimony property tax of 8.10 mills for 2024. A mill is 1/10th of a cent of tax applied to each dollar of assessed valuation. Residential property is assessed on 10% of its market value as set by the parish assessor.
—Set the 2024 property tax for the public improvement bond for waterworks at 10.19 mills. This tax rate, which started at 12.41 mills, has gone down as payments have reduced the debt.
Also Tuesday:
—Pam Washington, a retired longtime city government employee, came back in recent months to help Patterson fix a six-figure hole in the city budget.
She got a round of applause from the council after saying that the city’s bills are being promptly.