Commission tweaks charter
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GONZALES — The Ascension Parish Home Rule Charter Commission proposed minor changes to the existing charter Wednesday and prepared to wrap up unfinished business in two weeks.
Commissioner Sitman “Red” Loupe said the commission would consider deferred and tabled items from previous meetings at its second meeting in December.
Then in January, the commission would vote on each proposed change and each commissioner’s name and his or her vote would be recorded and presented to the Parish Council.
The council may accept or reject the proposals, or make further changes in the charter, which would then be presented to the electorate for approval.
Wednesday, the commission approved a motion by Commissioner Teri Casso to mandate a review of the charter every 10 years.
Kathryn Goppelt, a parish resident who speaks at many governmental meetings, told the commission a mandated review was unnecessary since the Parish Council can call for a charter review at any time.
Commissioners Loupe and Greg Duplessis voted against the change. Supporting the motion were Casso, Mark Steward, Charles Shivers and Robert Poche.
Goppelt was successful in getting the commission to add to the charter a clause that requires any changes in the charter to be “written in their entirety on the ballot.”
Otherwise, Goppelt said, the majority of the electorate would have no way of knowing what the proposed changes would be, since the maximum circulation of the parish’s official journal, the Ascension Weekly Citizen, is about 6,500 while there are 64,000 registered voters in the parish.
The commission unanimously agreed to have all proposed changes printed on the ballot.
Commissioner Sitman “Red” Loupe said the commission would consider deferred and tabled items from previous meetings at its second meeting in December.
Then in January, the commission would vote on each proposed change and each commissioner’s name and his or her vote would be recorded and presented to the Parish Council.
The council may accept or reject the proposals, or make further changes in the charter, which would then be presented to the electorate for approval.
Wednesday, the commission approved a motion by Commissioner Teri Casso to mandate a review of the charter every 10 years.
Kathryn Goppelt, a parish resident who speaks at many governmental meetings, told the commission a mandated review was unnecessary since the Parish Council can call for a charter review at any time.
Commissioners Loupe and Greg Duplessis voted against the change. Supporting the motion were Casso, Mark Steward, Charles Shivers and Robert Poche.
Goppelt was successful in getting the commission to add to the charter a clause that requires any changes in the charter to be “written in their entirety on the ballot.”
Otherwise, Goppelt said, the majority of the electorate would have no way of knowing what the proposed changes would be, since the maximum circulation of the parish’s official journal, the Ascension Weekly Citizen, is about 6,500 while there are 64,000 registered voters in the parish.
The commission unanimously agreed to have all proposed changes printed on the ballot.
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