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Introduction:
Municipally owned utilities systems have a proud history of efficient operations and dedicated
service to their communities. Traditionally, municipal electric utilities operate at a profit which
is utilized for maintenance and expansion, returned to community funds, or used to subsidize other
utilities such as water and sewage, which usually operate at a loss. Lafayette Parish incorporated
towns served by two non municipally owned utilities, Entergy, an investor-owned company, and Slemco,
an REA utility, have been serving customers in Lafayette Parish for many years. Other utilities are
furnished by Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) and other private utilities, such as natural gas,
telephone/communications, garbage and environmental.
Current global economic changes, and rapid transformations in the communication industry, are creating
adjustments and concern in the operation of local utilities. Availability, management and cost of
utilities are of great concern to all end users and are a major factor in promoting/directing viable
land use (smart growth) in Lafayette Parish. Available utilities drive land use. Environmental
requirements continually impact on utility operations. Due to the number of utility services
reviewed, any recommendations are presented by title. Lafayette Parish utilities included in
this report are as follows:
a) Electric
b) Sewer
c) Potable Water
d) Communications
e) Garbage
f) Natural Gas
g) Storm Water
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ELECTRIC SERVICES/PLANS
Recommendation No. 1
Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) must be prepared for electric utility deregulation.
Commentary:Federal and State government restructuring of electricity will cause
many changes in the way retail electric power is marketed. LUS has a choice: 1. It can close the
Lafayette Market to competitive electric providers or 2. It can open the community to world electric
providers and compete in the new global market. Utilities will negotiate prices with large end-users
and let supply and demand determine prices for buyers and sellers. LUS must assure that it has now,
and can maintain in the future, sufficient generating capacity and transmission lines to restructure,
be competitive, and, at a minimum, keep its present large end-user accounts.
Restructuring of the electric utility must be implemented in a manner that benefits all customers
and does not benefit one customer class to the detriment of another. LUS must continue to be sensitive
to all customers with availability, service and costs upon restructuring. LUS must be sure that
restructuring does not affect other utilities laterally. LUS must also evaluate whether the on-going
sale of wholesale power may produce more income in the structured market place.
Recommendation No. 2
Parish incorporated municipalities; Broussard, Carencro, Duson, Scott and Youngsville and the
unincorporated areas should review their electrical franchises, contracts, and agreements in
preparation for restructuring of electrical services within their communities.
Commentary:Electric utility companies which supply parish municipalities and the
unincorporated areas of the parish are all considering electrical restructuring, and local
governments should be determining what effect this will have on their citizens and their local
utility operations. Some areas of concern are:
Additional revenue
Partnering opportunities
Brown-outs/black-outs
Customer service
Customer costs
Customer billing
Customer education
Emergency preparedness
Preventive maintenance
Recommendation No. 3
LUS should maintain a viable rebate plan to be more competitive for services to new
residential, commercial and industrial developments.
Commentary: LUS is surrounded by electric utility competitors with sales personnel
who seek potential customers that could be served by LUS. Currently, developers are required to front
the cost of infrastructure with some reimbursement. LUS requirements are more demanding with quality
equipment capable of handling anticipated future capacity. Other electrical companies do not require
front end development electrical installation investment costs, making LUS far more expensive.
However, by offering rebates to the developers, LUS can get these customers online and recoup rebate
costs over a period of time. Some of these developments may be annexed by the City of Lafayette later
with LUS already serving the area. LUS must continue its investment incentive package to new
development. The global electrical market will demand competitiveness for the LUS program.
Recommendation No. 4
Electrical providers are strongly urged to lay wire underground where economically feasible.
Commentary: Underground electrical construction is a major factor in rendering
uninterrupted service to users. Lafayette Parish has its share of weather fronts, high winds,
hurricanes, trees, squirrels, snakes, etc. to which overhead lines are susceptible. Most of this
can be eliminated by burying wires. Underground wiring, whether residential or commercial, enhances
the appearances of an area. All parish utilities should plan for underground whenever costs can be
justified, or whenever a user or group of users are willing to contribute towards costs.
Recommendation No. 5
A Lafayette Parish Electric District should be established with the ability to contract with
electrical providers for services throughout the parish or portions thereof. This District should
be created with representation divided by City-Parish Council Districts.
Commentary: To serve the best interests of Lafayette Parish citizens the
Lafayette Parish Electric District would negotiate with available electrical providers for the
best priced electrical services. The fragmentation of electrical services today does not provide
for the best negotiating position and price for parish citizens and jurisdictions, particularly in
a deregulated environment.
SEWER SERVICES/PLANS
Recommendation No. 6
The Lafayette Sewage Utility Development Committee be formed under the direction of the
Lafayette Council of Governments (COG).
Commentary: This committee, should be a major entity organizing, coordinating,
developing and completing most of the sewage recommendations presented in this LINC Element. The
Lafayette Sewage Utility Development Committee should seek input, keep informed, coordinate and
recommend to the Council of Governments on their sewer plans to accomplish stated goals in the
Comprehensive Plan.
Recommendation No. 7
The Lafayette Sewage Utility Development Committee should designate sewer districts to encompass
all of Lafayette Parish.
Commentary:Formation of sewer districts should be accomplished early in the plan
to expand sewer services to rural areas. Districts must be sized to meet qualifications for grants
and loans. Location of districts should include consideration of existing facilities, priority needs,
and future growth areas. Formation of sewage districts should be the job of the Lafayette Utility
Sewage Committee with guidance from the appropriate municipal utility managers. This committee should
coordinate with parish municipalities and consider partnerships and intergovernmental agreements
through the Lafayette Council of Governments.
Recommendation No. 8
The Lafayette Sewage Utility Development Committee should prepare a sewage (wastewater) treatment
and disposal program and plan for approval by the electorate. These programs and plans must provide
guidance and requirements which relate to the disposal of sewage and incorporate, at a minimum, any
Local, State and Federal requirements (i.e., La. Dept. of Environmental Quality, La. Dept. of Health
and Hospitals, La. Public Service Commission and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). Critical to
these programs and plans for sewage treatment and disposal are minimum design, construction, and
maintenance standards for the following three types of installations:
1) Individual Treatment Systems
2) Subdivision/Community Systems
3) Municipal Systems
A. Sewer Districts shall be assigned as responsible agency for the planning, approval,
operation and supervision of all independent waste water systems.
B. Requirements for installation, inspection and maintenance of individual sewage
systems are to include fees, monthly charges and/or professional certification.
C. Municipal sewer services throughout the parish by the end of the year 2016.
D. Prohibition of new individual septic tank systems discharge of sewage effluent
in Lafayette Parish after December 31, 2006.
E. All new community sewage infrastructure should be planned and designed for
inter-connectivity with municipal systems at some point in the future.
F. Municipal and Sewage District systems should be planned and designed for
inter- connectivity and economic efficiency.
Commentary:Untreated sewage effluent from any individual or community sewage disposal
system should not be allowed to discharge directly into the drainage network, particularly the open
ditches along roadways and streets in the unincorporated areas of the parish. We have learned from
previous experiences in a number of parish subdivisions that some independent operators of waste water
systems have not maintained their operations properly. Municipal sewage utilities have a long history
of experience and dependability in operating waste water systems. Our future sewage infrastructure
should be focused around the municipal and proposed district networks.
The recommendations will be difficult to attain because sewage disposal is a costly effort; however,
we will never meet our objectives unless goals are in place and we can focus on them. The Parish of
Lafayette is rapidly developing urban area. We cannot wait for patchwork solutions when greater economy
and efficiency is achievable with intergovernmental cooperation and coordination among the parish
municipalities. The Lafayette Council of Governments appears to be the vehicle to help coordinate
this necessary objective.
The Environmental Protection Agency is progressively tightening effluent discharge requirements
which will affect everyone now and in the future. We should not and cannot wait for federal mandates.
The expense to address the sewage needs of tomorrow are building up today and we cannot afford to
delay in planning and preparing for the future. New development must be coordinated with available
infrastructure in a compatible system. Recommended target dates are aggressive and are made as a
challenge to the Parish and to the Council of Governments to get the ball rolling on this important
element.
STORMWATER PLANS/PROGRAMS
Recommendation No. 9
Floodwater/Stormwater Plans, programs and management should be declared a public utility and
administered as such.
Commentary:All impervious surfaces contribute to the need for universal stormwater
management and planning. Residential, commercial, and industrial structures as well as hard surfaced
roadways and parking areas continuously deliver stormwater to both natural and man made drainage systems
throughout the parish. Notwithstanding the current drought experienced over the last three years, the
needs and responsibility for flood and stormwater control is on-going and must be shared by all. Many
local governments around the country have declared flood control and stormwater management a public
service utility and operate it as such.
Efficient management of stormwater has been a major problem second only to land use. The high cost
involved to address this problem and the competition for funds with other public works projects hamper
drainage capacity in both existing and future infrastructure. This utility, when provided with dependable
financing shifted from a limited property tax base to user fees could better address stormwater with
all its environmental problems.
Recommendation No. 10
Stormwater is a parishwide responsibility involving all local governments and must be coordinated on
a multi-jurisdictional level.
Commentary:Recognizing the Parish of Lafayette involves five municipal governments in
addition to the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government, each with separate jurisdictional
boundaries and authority, it is incumbent on these local governments to work together to solve, plan
and manage stormwater to and including the Bayou Vermilion. These governmental boundaries do not
conform to watersheds or the drainage flow of the parish and options must be determined at the
earliest date on who will coordinate this priority need, then proceed to implement the drainage
recommendations already submitted for the Drainage Element
Recommendation No. 11
Review the St. Petersburg, Florida Stormwater Ordinance which has been in effect for the past ten
years and utilize as a practical reference guide for experienced local floodwater/stormwater
applications. The St. Petersburg Ordinance is referenced whole in this recommendation.
Commentary: Ten years of practical experience with the St. Petersburg, Florida
Stormwater Ordinance appears to the committee members as a solid reference base on which to draft
a Lafayette Parish Stormwater Ordinance that will best serve the needs of Lafayette Parish. There
are some disagreements with certain aspects of the St. Petersburg Ordinance among committee members,
but overall the document should serve as a beginning point for Lafayette Parish. The St. Petersburg
Ordinance has undergone numerous real life situations and changes and is today a proven, in place
utility that is getting the job done with the cooperation of local developers, businesses and
residents. A viable plan, properly implemented and maintained will satisfy the Quality of Life
mandates our citizens are demanding.
POTABLE WATER
Recommendation No. 12
Potable water service should be available throughout the parish by the year 2010 and must be planned
and developed on a network of systems for water pressure maintenance.
Commentary: Safe, high quality water for all citizens of Lafayette Parish must be
planned and available as soon as possible. Lafayette Parish is a rapidly urbanizing parish that cannot
allow continued development where such a basic need as potable water infrastructure does not exist.
Recommendation No. 13
Fire Hydrants should be parishwide by the year 2015.
Commentary:Although recent improvements in developing an interconnecting fire fighting
water system have been achieved, efforts must be continued and aggressively followed through to protect
new developing areas of the parish. Development activity is not waiting for the needed infrastructure.
Fire hydrants save life and property and reduce insurance costs for all. The current annual average
savings from a Class 4 to a Class 2 in Lafayette Parish is $75.00 for a wood frame $50,000 home and
$105.00 for a brick $100,000 home. Land development should be encouraged where water and other utilities
are available first, to reduce demand for expansion of utilities where they do not yet exist.
Recommendation No. 14
Water system testing must be available on demand.
Commentary:There have been numerous complaints over the last few years on the quality
of the potable water available in a number of areas of the parish. Safe potable water is a necessity
for the citizens of Lafayette Parish. The Lafayette Utility System (LUS) has, in our opinion, the best
and safest potable water available and should be used as a measure against privately operated and
public systems in the parish. Testing of water systems should be readily available to citizens with
any concerns on their water systems' safety or quality. The committee members note the positive
actions being taken by several local governments to interconnect their water systems with LUS for
improved pressure, quality, safety, and cost.
Recommendation No. 15
The Chicot Aquifer is vital to the future of Lafayette Parish and should be monitored locally as
well as through state and federal agencies.
Commentary:A number of factors are combining to raise concern the Chicot Aquifer may
not be an unlimited water resource. This aquifer is too important to be neglected or abused. Current
citizens as well as future citizens will be dependent on both the quantity and the quality of the water
obtained from the aquifer. Lafayette Consolidated Government and specifically the Lafayette Utilities
System should take steps for periodic reporting to the public on the condition of the Chicot Aquifer
at a minimum of every six months.
Recommendation No. 16
A parishwide water conservation policy regarding lawn watering should be established by all local
governments through intergovernmental agreements.
Commentary:Conflicting regulations on lawn watering can affect the water pressure in
a parishwide water system network. General public use of restricted water resources must be coordinated
and enforced throughout the parish equitably. Recent reports on rainfall in Lafayette Parish indicated
that the current year may be the worst or lowest measured since 1902. Three years of low rainfall is a
historic event for the area and it is not known how much longer the current drought will continue.
Intergovernmental coordination is encouraged on this effort to limit the watering of lawns.
COMMUNICATIONS
Recommendation No. 17
Parishwide support for the LUS Fiber Optic Internet Connection should be continued.
Commentary:One of the great benefits of a public utility is the capacity to reinvest
in the community. The Lafayette Utility System (LUS) has demonstrated a history of this type of
initiative over the last 100 years. The system has once again boldly stepped ahead and invested
in a fiber optic network to facilitate both business and residential customers and the community
with new available technology. This subcommittee conducted numerous work sessions devoted to this
new utility early on. Numerous recommendations were made, including the urgency to establish this
service as quickly as possible. We now find that the utility is established and on line in some areas.
Upon review those recommendations which we had planned to submit have already been considered and most
of them implemented. We know Lafayette Parish and surrounding areas will benefit as the utility expands
it services. There is no guarantee that this fiber optic system will be profitable immediately. But, it
will facilitate business and personal communication in the area and become profitable within a reasonable
time. It is worth the risk and urge LUS to continue these type of initiatives.
GARBAGE
Recommendation No. 18
There should be a common contract schedule among local governments for the collection of garbage.
Commentary:The subcommittee noted the recent experience of the Lafayette Consolidated
Government in negotiating a garbage contract for the unincorporated areas of the parish and for the
City of Lafayette. There should be logic to the potential inclusion of the five municipalities of
Broussard, Carencro, Duson, and Youngsville in this service. The LCG contract is for five years. The
timing for future garbage contracts should be coordinated.
Recommendation No. 19
The Lafayette Council of Governments should be responsible for the coordination of garbage contracts
throughout the parish among the local governments.
Commentary:The subcommittee again notes the coordinating role of COG among the local
government elected officials, particularly the five municipalities of Broussard, Carencro, Duson, and
Youngsville.
NATURAL GAS SERVICES
Recommendation No. 20
Natural gas services should be enhanced and promoted for residential and commercial use with local
government as the primary public investment option.
Commentary:Only one local government, the City of Carencro, owns and operates its
own natural gas distribution system. The remaining governments franchise gas service within their
respective jurisdictions. The subcommittee notes that natural gas is a local resource, is clean
burning, is there for hurricane and other power outages and cooks a great gumbo. The cost of natural
gas escalated recently and has generally been by-passed as an essential service for the last ten to
twenty years. Carencro continues to profit from its gas system, but has not expanded its network. The
committee believes natural gas is a practical local alternative because it is a local resource. Placing
existing natural gas systems in the public service sector of local government can make the viable
difference between profit and loss. Natural gas provides the parish with options. Natural gas service
should continue to be an essential utility for the foreseeable future, if supported publicly. It is
understood the existing gas system infrastructure may be in need of costly replacement. This
information should certainly be evaluated on any buyouts. The subcommittee opinions that significant
portions of the general public, given the option at a reasonable cost, would elect to utilize
combined electric and natural gas services.
GENERAL
Recommendation No. 21
Local government franchise agreements should be coordinated among Lafayette City-Parish
Consolidated Government and the municipalities of Broussard, Carencro, Duson, Scott and Youngsville
for timing, cost, and services.
Commentary:Currently, each local government is negotiating and contracting for
franchise services independently of each other on garbage collection, gas, and electricity. The
committee is confident that savings could be realized if the parish operated as a whole in the
negotiations with the various providers of these services.
Conclusion
Utilities are critical needs for urban areas. Lafayette Parish is fortunate in having both
public and private utilities to choose from. But times are changing and the need for local
governments to work together for greater efficiency and expanded services should be a rational
conclusion. Recognizing the important role the free enterprise system plays in our continued
development and growth, it is also demonstrated that utilities must be at least adequate to
support this growth or future citizens will be burdened by costly public improvements to compensate
for poor planning and management. The increasing density of residential and commercial development
throughout the parish is now centered on what are adequate utilities. This is an essential question.
The subcommittee's recommendations have identified what the members consider these future utility
adequacies to be. The adequacies are not visionary, but indispensable to urban development now taking
place and certainly in the future. The price will have to be paid for the decisions being made today
and it will be paid up front or down the road, but it will have to be paid. The "smart growth"
strategies being discussed across the country today and noted in these recommendations prompts
debate on the business as usual development of Lafayette Parish. There are pros and cons to smart
growth which are dependent on the mechanisms to be used. Utilities are one of the key instruments in
that process.
The recent experience of the poorly operated ATS private utility systems in many Lafayette Parish
subdivisions is a classic example of what should not be allowed to happen any longer. This is
obviously a public responsibility. If the public is approving the development, it is a public
liability. If the public can not afford the liability because of a limited tax base, then the
development should not be approved until the revenue base is established to support the utility
infrastructure that is needed.
Utilities Subcommittee Members:
Mr. Mabry Langlinais, Chair
Mr. Wayne Harper
Mr. Jim Richard
Ms. Charlotte Clavier
Mr. Bob Austin
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