In a report tonight to the St. Helena Parish Police Jury, a representative of the Amite River Basin Commission (ARBC) highlighted efforts with Congresswoman Julia Letlow to restore areas of the Amite River that will reduce flood risk and improve quality of life. The report also detailed ARBC’s “year of firsts.” ARBC Executive Director Paul Sawyer reported on $2,000,000 secured by Congresswoman Julia Letlow […]

A decade ago, Ascension’s Parish Council began considering wide-ranging changes to the Development Code related to drainage, among them limiting the amount of fill material employed to elevate structures.  Gaining momentum after the disastrous Flood of 2016, the governing authority imposed more severe limitations which have resulted in certain “unintended consequences” impacting small lot owners.  […]

Liberty Fence owner, James Saizan, appeared before Louisiana’s Licensing Board for Contractors (the Board) last week, unsuccessfully defending charges that he violated Revised Statute 37:2158 six times while performing various work for the City of Gonzales in 2024.  The statute requires a contractor to possess a valid license to perform certain types of work when […]

Mayor Tim Riley was served with a Petition for Mandamus against the City of Gonzales, filed by Liberty Fence & Supply LLC (Liberty Fence) on October 9.  Also named Party-Defendant is former Chief Financial Officer Brandon Boylan who no longer serves in the Finance Department but retains the title of City Clerk.  Boylan’s inclusion concerns an April […]

Gonzales City Council could really use some guidance, common sense and coherent, maybe even codified standards by which they enter Community Partnerships…or not.  In a 3-1 vote (with an abstention), the five-member panel rejected Southeast LA High School Rodeo Association’s funding request on Monday.  That makes four straight requests denied by this version of the […]

Ascension Parish President Clint Cointment and Mayor Tim Riley joined community and industry leaders Tuesday to celebrate the start of construction on the new John H. Carter Company facility in Gonzales.  This expansion represents more than a new building — it’s a symbol of the continued momentum in Ascension Parish, where homegrown, employee-owned companies are […]

Waggoner Engineering has been selected to lead the City of Gonzales toward a Comprehensive Plan Update, the 2015 version “having outlived its usefulness after a decade of continued growth.”  Last night, Waggoner’s David Einsel and Eric Jefferson were introduced to the city Planning Commission charged with plan approval by state law.  None of the five […]

Gonzales’ City Council voted to approve an amended General Fund (Operating) Budget for the 2025-26 Fiscal Year last night, the third time being the charm after rejecting Mayor Tim Riley’s proposal on May 27 and July 14.  The amendment was sprung upon Mayor Tim Riley and at least two council members by Councilman Kirk Boudreaux, […]

Last week a unanimous City Council voted to add $3.4 million to Gonzales’ 2025-26 Road Improvement Capital Outlay budget amendment introduced by Mayor Tim Riley.  The vote followed a motion made by Councilman Kirk Boudreaux urging his colleagues to follow through on a commitment made in 2019 to extend St. Francis Parkway to S Darla […]

A shorthanded Gonzales City Council declined to approve Mayor Tim Riley’s General Fund (Operating) Budget ordinance last night, the 2-2 vote insufficient to enact the budget ordinance being considered for a second time on Monday.  Mayor Riley and his administration, unsurprised by the budget vote, were curiously upbeat after the meeting adjourned.  The mayor pointed […]