[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish officials met with officials in Washington DC: Annual Breakfast solidified St. Bernard Parish's lead in maintaining regional partnerships

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish officials met with officials in Washington DC

St. Bernard sponsored its annual breakfast with Plaquemines to showcase
parishes' recovery to top federal and state government and civic leaders 

 

St. Bernard Parish President Craig P. Taffaro Jr., Council members Wayne J.
Landry, Frank Auderer, Ray Lauga, George Cavignac and Mike Ginart and Parish
Recovery Director Michael Dorris, Jr. met with several key federal officials
in Washington DC during the annual Washington Mardi Gras week.  

 

"St. Bernard and Plaquemines played host at our third annual parish
breakfast, which again solidified St. Bernard Parish's lead in maintaining
regional partnerships as 14 parishes, three state house districts, and five
congressional districts were represented in addition to two state wide
offices, four regional chambers, and dozens of private business interests
attending," Taffaro said. 

 

Business meetings were held with EPA, HUD, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Senator David Vitter's office, Senator Mary Landrieu, Louisiana Congressmen
Jeff Landry, Charles Boustany, Rodney Alexander, Steve Scalise, and Florida
Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, who currently serves on the House Committee
on Appropriations and three key subcommittees, as well as congressional
staffers for FEMA and coastal projects.

 

Meetings with the Corps of Engineers focused on the recently released MRGO
Ecosystem Restoration Draft Report and the parish's objection to the
recommended location for the Freshwater Diversion project as well as
concerns for the lack of outside protection in the plan for coastal
restoration, protection, and land reclamation.  Major General William
Grisoli of the Corps received comments and concerns and was responsive to
the request for an extension to the public comment period for the Draft
Report as well as the request to include a St. Bernard Parish and State of
Louisiana representative at the Review Board for the submitted supplemental
report.

 

Discussions with HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims and his staff continued
dialogue relative to St. Bernard Parish's rental permitting process,
comprehensive zoning ordinance, the permitting of the Provident multi-family
housing developments, resolution to eight outstanding complaints regarding
permissive use permits, and the funding status of parish CDBG and recovery
projects.  HUD's position is a demand that the permissive use permitting
process be rescinded by the parish council, that the comprehensive zoning
ordinance that establishes an R3 zone for multi-family housing be rescinded
pending a land use study that identifies specific locations for multi-family
development in St. Bernard Parish, Taffaro said.  

 

"Additionally, HUD specifically stated its position that denial of the
permits relative to the Provident developments would be seen as a matter of
racially discriminatory activity and would trigger a recommendation to the
Department of Justice for an investigation of a civil rights violation.
There was no deference to the state and local building code that calls for
an expiration date of building permits not acted upon by starting and
progressing on 'permit-required' activity.  Likewise, environmental and fire
marshal reviews were not recognized by HUD as valid support to hold
permitting or extending received permits to the Provident project.  HUD is
seeking a closure of eight complaints which center on their position that
the complainants were discriminated against as a result of the permissive
use process and as such has recommended that the parish enter into an
agreement that essentially would pay out over $3.5 million to address low
income housing needs in St. Bernard Parish and compensation to each
complainant." Taffaro said.

 

"Options to HUD's demands are currently being contemplated.  While the
Provident project permits are currently active, St. Bernard Parish continues
to seek dialogue with the developers and related agencies to discuss and
address concerns of sequencing and impact to the overall development and
redevelopment of St. Bernard Parish.  The current appeal of Judge Ginger
Berrigan's ruling is still pending and an additional contempt hearing
relative to the holding of the Provident building permits based on the
expiration date issue is scheduled for March 11. 2011.  Discussion with the
Meraux Foundation confirmed that the sale of the properties to Provident is
complete and recorded and there are no other contingencies to the property.
HUD did state that as an agency, it would assist St. Bernard Parish in
establishing appropriate land use guidelines and mechanisms to maintain
local discretion in land use and zoning, but offered no relief from the
current Provident project, but did redirect the parish to follow up
discussions with the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency, who is the granting
agency of the LIHTC which serve as the funding mechanism for the project.
HUD cautioned the parish that disrupting the Provident development further
would create an additional burden on the developer to meet the December 31,
2011 deadline for completion of the project and any such activity by the
parish would be seen by HUD as additional evidence that supports HUD's
position that St. Bernard Parish has systematically engaged in creating
barriers to housing for protected class residents.

 

"HUD stopped short of stating that recovery and CDBG funding for projects
such as the hospital, the new water plant, Val Reiss Phase III, and other
drainage and sewer consolidation projects would be pulled, but indicated
that a referral of civil rights violations from Fair Housing to the
Department of Justice would freeze funding until the investigative process
and ruling would be complete.  Additionally, St. Bernard Parish is a
sub-grantee in the receipt of recovery and CDBG funding and as such, should
HUD classify St. Bernard as non-compliant and refer the matter to the DOJ,
the state of Louisiana could experience disruption in the flow of recovery
and CDBG funding.

 

"As potential resolutions are reached, public notice will be included as
several of the HUD points of reconciliation will require council action.
Other related activities such as the land use study is in the final stages
of preparing for advertisement, the rental license/registration legislation
is in development, and the development of rental property management
strategies is being researched.  However, HUD has made their position clear
that their assistance with any part of the land use, management, or
enforcement of housing standards is secondary to resolving their immediate
demand that St. Bernard align itself with the fair housing practices which
they have prescribed," Taffaro said. 

 

Additionally, Taffaro said other meetings with congressional delegates
revealed that the transition into the 112th Congress is anything but smooth.


 

"While our needs and requests for support of continued recovery funding were
received openly, the assurances offered in the midst of the 100 Billion
dollar budget cut were cautious at best," he said. "Currently, the media
reported frenzy for cutting the budget is real and what was once a
discussion of earmarks seems to have evolved well past that concept and the
reality is now based on just how deep the new congress will reach into all
areas of funding to achieve the 100 Billion dollars of cuts.  And the impact
to FEMA related recovery projects has yet to be determined.

 

"The opportunity to meet with Administrator Lisa Jackson of EPA was
productive and the request for supporting a more streamlined environmental
review process in relation to coastal projects from the Oil Spill Disaster
as well as Corps sponsored work was made.  Ms. Jackson offered her
commitment to clear obstacles where she has the authority to do so and was
receptive to pushing the EPA side of environmental review information
sharing with other federal and state agencies to expedite work that requires
multiple environmental reviews.

 

"On a more positive note, St. Bernard Parish participated in a formal
recognition exchange with Washington D.C.'s Newseum and provided official
video documentation of Hurricane Katrina which will remain archived in their
records," Taffaro said.

 

For more information about Recovery and Growth in St. Bernard Parish, visit
our website at www.sbpg.net.

 

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