Meeting Summary

The St. Charles Parish Council held its regular meeting to honor the late Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Harry Thomas Lemmon and to mark the 249th anniversary of American independence with a formal proclamation. The council also heard a detailed report from the Department of Emergency Preparedness on hurricane readiness and a recent communications outage affecting pump station monitoring, and it approved two property purchases tied to ongoing drainage improvement projects.

Watch Items

• Public hearing set for Monday, July 7, 2025, 6:00 p.m., Council Chambers, Courthouse, Hahnville, covering the following ordinances introduced this meeting:

- An ordinance authorizing the issuance by the Parish of St. Charles of its Taxable Limited Tax Bond (DEQ) in an amount not to exceed Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000) and providing for other matters in connection therewith. - An ordinance to amend the Code of Ordinances to revise Chapter 15, Motor Vehicles and Traffic, Section 15-9, Speed Limits, to lower speed limits throughout Highland Estates Subdivision in Norco, including Wild Rose Drive, Honeysuckle Drive, and Mistletoe Drive. - An ordinance to approve a purchase and/or expropriate property owned by H.A.A. Construction, LLC, located at 706 Paul Frederick Street, Luling, for parish use. - An ordinance amending Section 15-5, Motor Vehicles and Traffic, to install "No Overnight Parking" signs along the median on South Fashion Boulevard between Vial Canal and Union Drive in Hahnville.

• The council will accept nominations on July 7 to fill the St. Charles Parish Civil Service Board seat left vacant by the expiration of Patrick O'Malley's term.
• The emergency preparedness director noted that only about half of parish households are signed up for emergency alerts and urged more residents to enroll at SCPEmergencyAlerts.com ahead of an active hurricane season forecast for 2025.
• Council members raised concerns about a recent loss of network communications that affected pump station monitoring (SCADA) and emergency hotline access; officials said backup options like MiFi devices and spare phones exist but are not deployed unless an outage is expected to be long-term. Residents should watch for further guidance on alternative contact methods during future outages.
• A drainage-related purchase from H.A.A. Construction, LLC was described as the only remaining property acquisition needed for the Kinler and Paul Frederick roadway and drainage improvements; other affected properties are being addressed through servitudes rather than purchases.