[StBernard] Bill allows sharing St. Bernard levee costs with Orleans, East Jefferson

[Westley Annis]

Bill allows sharing St. Bernard levee costs with Orleans, East Jefferson

Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Mark Schleifstein,
NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
on April 12, 2017 at 2:31 PM, updated April 12, 2017 at 2:37 PM
A major roadblock to the ability of the east bank regional levee authority
to pay for levee maintenance and operation costs in any of its three levee
districts would be removed under a bill being considered in the Louisiana
Legislature's 2017 regular session. The change is part of House Bill 438.

The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East was set up after
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to oversee the actions of the East Jefferson,
Orleans and Lake Borgne Basin levee districts, with an emphasis on treating
the three districts' levees as a single, comprehensive hurricane storm surge
risk reduction system protecting all three parishes: East Jefferson, the
east bank of New Orleans and St. Bernard. But the 2006 law setting up the
authority forbid using tax money raised in one district to pay for expenses
for levees in another parish.

In 2014 and 2015, however, St. Bernard voters rejected property tax
increases to pay a significant part of the cost of operating and maintaining
new levees in the Lake Borgne Basin Levee District. That includes the
23-mile Chalmette Loop, a continuous levee and floodwall that towers 32 feet
above sea level to block storm surges from the Gulf of Mexico and Lake
Borgne from entering St. Bernard Parish and New Orleans. Without the wall,
floodwaters might even reach parts of Metairie, on the east bank of
Jefferson Parish. Opponents said it was unfair for St. Bernard taxpayers to
bear the full cost of maintaining the new levees when they also protected
parts of New Orleans and Jefferson Parish.

The tax defeat resulted in major reductions in staffing and maintenance
duties for levees and drainage projects overseen by the levee district in
St. Bernard. It also threatened expensive major long-term projects such as
required 10-year maintenance of Bayou Bienvenue and Bayou Dupre surge gates.

Now, HB 438 would allow revenue raised by the Orleans or East Jefferson
levee districts to be used for work in the Lake Borgne district - and vice
versa - "when used for the payment of the joint costs of management,
planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance, repair,
replacement and rehabilitation" of either hurricane levees or Mississippi
River levees in Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes. Rep. Jerome
Zeringue, R-Houma, the former executive director of the Louisiana Coastal
Protection and Restoration Authority, is the sponsor of the bill.

If approved, the funding change would help the east bank levee authority
continue establishing itself as a regional agency. And it might help
persuade voters in all three levee districts to support future tax
increases, if needed.

At the moment, it's likely the bill also would allow use of surplus money in
the Orleans Levee District budget for St. Bernard needs. Authority officials
say, however, that surplus money must be replaced in the future because it
will be needed for future required "lifts" of earthen levees, or for
long-term maintenance and improvements.

In recent weeks, the authority has approved changes in its staff to
eliminate directors of the individual districts. Their duties are being
consolidated  under two senior staffers.

Derek Boese, formerly director of the East Jefferson Levee District, is now
chief administrative officer and oversees most budget and employee
operations. Bob Turner, formerly executive director of the regional
authority, is now director of engineering and operations.