2023-614 - Laserfiche WebLink

STATE OF LOUISIANA pF �op� DEPARTMENT OF STATE CIVIL SERVICE W,N LOUISIANA BOARD OF ETHICS x V a P.O. BOX 6 BATON ROUGE5LA 70821 29560 (225)219600 FAX(225) 61-J2J1 1-600-6422-6630 www ethics lagov September 11, 2023 Veronica Arceneaux 105 Rue Felicite Lafayette, Louisiana 70507 Re: Docket No. 2023-614 Advisory Opinion Dear Ms.Arceneaux: The Louisiana Board of Ethics, at its meeting on September 8, 2023, considered your request for an advisory opinion as to whether the Code of Governmental Ethics ("Code") prohibits you from purchasing remnant property from Lafayette Consolidated Government. FACTSPROVIDED In 1998, the Lafayette City-Parish Council adopted Ordinance No. 0-216-98, which declared the East Pont Des Mouton Road Widening Project ("Project") a public necessity and authorized the acquisition of private property for completion of the Project. The required rights of way were obtained from private landowners bordering the Project by way of good faith offer and acceptance as required by the expropriation process. The Project is now complete and there are multiple remnant parcels of immovable property along East Pont Des Mouton Road that the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government ("LCG") has no use for. LCG intends to dispose of these remnant properties by offering the eight property owners who own the land immediately adjacent to the remnant properties the option to purchase the property at fair market value. Each piece of remnant property would be offered to the landowner whose current property is contiguous with the remnant property.In order to accomplish the sale of the remnant properties, the Lafayette City Council intends to pass an ordinance authorizing the Mayor,on behalf of the City of Lafayette,to dispose of the eight remnant properties from the Project for fair market value. The individual landowners will not be involved with the passage of the ordinance. Thereafter, the Lafayette Mayor-President's office will execute the necessary sale documents with the individual landowners. You have been employed as the Clerk for the Lafayette City Council and Lafayette Parish Council since 2013. Pursuant to the LCG Home Rule Charter, your duties as Clerk include giving notice of City Council and Parish Council meetings, keeping thejoumal of those proceedings, acting as the official secretary of both councils, and performing other such duties. You have no decision- making authority over matters that come before either council, or as to any method of transfer, price of transfer, or time of transfer of property. Page 1 of 3 (BD 2023-614) AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER