Without a word of discussion last night, Ascension Parish Council approved an amended Intergovernmental Agreement with the City of Gonzales to program baseball fields inside the city. It was accomplished on the first try by the parish governing authority, just in time for AP Baseball to commence operations on schedule Monday. The parish vote came on the heels of four separate ballots by its city counterpart, finally approving the IGA on February 9 after a deferral (December) and two (January 12 and 29) votes in the negative.
Gonzales’ Mayor Tim Riley placed the original agreement on four consecutive City Council meeting agendas. The city council deliberations in the first three meetings amounted meaningless chatter, politicized to target constituencies that do not exist.
Terri Lambert’s rant and ramble cannot derail baseball agreement | Pelican Post – Online Newspaper
Arguing for fiscal responsibility, Councilwoman Terri Lambert’s rejection of the IGA and its upfront $40,000 savings to Gonzales taxpayers was the most ridiculous position staked out during the proceedings.
Councilman Tyler Turner bent over backwards to secure half of Gonzales’ eight fields for what appears to be one travel ball coach, coming after a 2025 season when those travel teams were provided requested practice time, was another curious aspect of the months’ long deliberation. But Turner’s the swing vote from the very beginning and he was going to get what he wanted.
The 2025 season, conducted under virtually identical terms (accept the City of Gonzales would save $40,000 this year with Ascension Parish Recreation picking up the tab for umpires), was a resounding success by all accounts. According to Impact Sports’ Jason “Doc” Adams, Gonzales Diamond Youth league:
- Included 40 teams
- 471 kids participated
- 166 regular season games were played
- All Star teams thrived, with Gonzales hosting two tournaments (16 teams total)
And the travel ball teams wanting access to city fields for practice were accommodated.
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