St. Charles Parish Informer · Meeting coverage · 6:00 PM · Council Chambers, Courthouse
Meeting Summary
This was the St. Charles Parish Council's regular meeting on October 6, 2025, covering routine business (minutes, zoning, contracts) alongside a lengthy, contentious tax appeal hearing. The most consequential item was the Board of Review hearing on Monsanto/Bayer's request for a roughly $400–405 million reduction in its property assessment at the Luling plant, which the Assessor opposed and which the Council ultimately did not grant when it voted to certify the assessment roll as submitted. The Council also approved several zoning changes (one over an announced "nay" vote), pump-station engineering contracts tied to a taller flood-protection wall, and an industrial tax exemption for W.R. Grace.
Decisions & Votes
Approved2025-0286
Zoning Reclassification - M1 to C2 Commercial
Rezone one parcel at 13080 River Road, Destrehan from M1 Light Manufacturing to C2 General Commercial. Request meets all three zoning evaluation criteria.
Approved2025-0287
Zoning Reclassification - C2 to C3 Commercial
Rezone two parcels at 207 and 211 Angus Drive, Luling from C2 General Commercial to C3 Highway Commercial. Department recommended denial but Planning Commission recommended approval.
Approved2025-0288
Zoning Reclassification - R1AM to R2 Residential
Rezone one parcel at 1017 Paul Frederick Drive, Luling from R1AM single-family residential with manufactured homes to R2 two-family residential. Request meets two of three review criteria.
Approved2025-0289
Zoning Reclassification - R1M to R1AM Residential
Rezone one parcel at 116-118 Lewis I Street, Luling from R1M Manufactured Home and Recreational to R1AM single-family residential with manufactured homes. Request meets all three evaluation criteria.
Approved2025-0284
Zoning Reclassification - R1A to R2 Residential
Rezone one parcel at 475 Courthouse Lane, Hornville from R1A single-family residential to R2 two-family residential. Department recommended denial but Planning Commission recommended approval.
Approved2025-0203
Parking Requirements Amendment - Manufactured Homes
Exempt manufactured and mobile homes in R1AM zoning districts from requirement to install permanent dust-free parking. Aggregate materials would be permissible for parking and driveways due to relocatable nature of these homes.
Approved2025-0291
Accessory Building Setback Amendment
Increase minimum setback for accessory buildings in R1A and R1AM zoning districts from 3 feet to 5 feet from property line. Addresses conflict with building code requirement of 10 feet separation between structures.
Approved2025-0293
Private Sewer Facilities Waiver Process
Establish waiver process for subdivisions to use private sewer facilities instead of parish-wide sewer system. Codifies requirement for waiver request as enumerated item for subdivision review.
Approved2025-0296$1,583,635.00
Professional Services Agreement - Ellington Structures Cousins Pump Station
Contract with Burke Kleinpeter, Inc. for engineering services on Ellington Structures Cousins Pump Station T-Wall project. Converts from task order to standalone contract.
Approved2025-0297$1,095,840.00
Professional Services Agreement - Sunset Drainage Pump Station
Contract with Burke Kleinpeter, Inc. for engineering services on Sunset Drainage Pump Station Rehabilitation project. Converts from task order to standalone contract.
Approved2025-0298$118,000.00
Geotechnical Services Agreement - Cousins Pump Station
Contract with Eustis Engineering LLC for geotechnical services including additional boring for Ellington Structures Cousins Pump Station T-Wall project to support deeper investigation.
Approved2025-0299$626,929.15
Change Order - Road Maintenance 2024-25
Change order with Barrier Construction Company to increase contract by $626,929.15 to add 17 additional roadways to the road maintenance project, bringing total to 3,350,185.15. Increases contract time by 20 calendar days.
Approved2025-0301
Solicitation Permission - Knights of Columbus Red Church Council
Grant permission to Knights of Columbus Red Church Council #3634 to solicit contributions at seven specified locations on October 17-19 and November 7-9, 2025 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. for mentally impaired children programs.
Approved2025-0307
Industrial Tax Exemption - W.R. Grace and Company
Approve W.R. Grace and Company's industrial tax exemption application (Project ID 2023048686-ITE) for expansion and safety improvements at facility in Norco, Louisiana.