Council defers vote on agreement with African American Chamber of Commerce
Published 10:40 am Thursday, September 8, 2022
- Lake Charles City Hall
The Lake Charles City Council voted to defer two major ordinances at Wednesday’s meeting.
The first item that was deferred was an ordinance that would have approved the City of Lake Charles to enter a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with the African American Chamber of Commerce of Lake Charles. This agreement would have allowed the AACCLC to administer and manage a one-year pilot project that would turn 20 adjudicated properties into residential housing in District A, otherwise referred to as North Lake Charles.
If approved, this project will make these properties available for purchase for qualifying participants, including first-time home buyers, middle-income buyers, citizens displaced by the hurricanes and disabled veterans.
“The African American Chamber of Lake Charles envisions a community where businesses thrive and positively impact the wellness of their communities,” said JayVon Muhammad, AACCLC Advisory Board Member. “We want to invest local and rebuild. The program benefits our community investment, increased homeownership, the ability for people to return to Lake Charles, and job apprenticeship opportunities.”
Due to unclear communication and information over the course of developing the project, the Council motioned to defer the vote to allow for a more informed decision. The vote to defer passed 6-1. District G Representative and City Council Vice-President Mark Eckard voted against the deferral.
The final vote will take place at the next City Council meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 5:30 p.m.
The City Council also voted to defer the ordinance adopting the Operating and Capital budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, 2022 and ending Sept. 30, 2023.
The deferral stemmed from concerns over the $10 million deficit in the budget.
The deficit is attributed to large one-time expenses, hurricane recovery and salary increases.
Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter stated that the “worst-case scenario” is considered when creating a budget.
“I think what you have before you is an absolute worst case scenario, and there is certainly room within this budget presented for flexibility should we have to pivot,” he said. “I can certainly assure you all that this deficit would almost be nonexistent were it not for the hurricanes.”
“I don’t want this council to think that we are presenting a budget that is going to have some philosophical shift to where every year we’re going to be eating away at reserves just to turn the lights on or pay salaries.”
The final decision regarding the budget will be made at the agenda meeting Tuesday, Sept. 13.
