Water Sector Commission Meeting Timeline
January 21, 2022, 1pm central
00:00 Meeting opens with recommendations and fund amounts from Mr. Moses
00:29 Senator Reese inquires about the Natchitoches Water Project #644 submitted by the Ronnie Williams administration.
00:57 Mr. Moses explains there is confusion regarding the Williams Administration submission for Natchitoches Water project #644. Mr. Moses states that the LDH is better prepared to try and explain the issues at hand.
01:20 LDH spokesperson details the confusing application submitted by the Williams Administration.
02:05 Representative Zeringue asked the LDH representative to be more specific with the flaws in the Williams Administration’s submitted water project #644 application.
02:53 The LDH representative explains the confusing issues contained in the Williams Administration’s submitted water project #644 application.
04:00 Senator McMath begins the process of removing/by-passing the Natchitoches Water Project #644 and moves to take the funds from Natchitoches and give the funds to two other cities.
04:46 Senator McMath offers a new list “spreadsheet” to the committee for their consideration and vote REMOVAL of the Williams Administration’s submitted water project #644 from the funding and give the funding to St. Mary Parish and St. Martin Parish.
05:23 A Committee member asked if the St. Mary Parish and the St. Martin Parish projects are ready and meet all the criteria?
05:40 Mr. Moses confirms that both the St. Mary Parish project and the St. Martin Parish project meet the criteria and are ready.
06:32 Senator McMath recaps the removal of Natchitoches and adds the St. Mary Parish project and the St. Martin Parish project. Senator McMath then makes a motion for the committee adopt and thereby remove the Williams Administration’s submitted water project #644.
07:38 The removal of Natchitoches Project #644 motion is placed in play and the committee having NO OBJECTON removes Natchitoches Project #644 Water Plant rebuild and rehab from the funding!
When Lee Posey left the City Mayor’s Office, he put in place a request and finance package with the Drinking Water Reveloving Loan Fund to start the process of fixing city water. The Williams Administration lost this opportunity and now the delay costs are HUGE! (See Letter produced by the Williams Administration in one of their recent advertisements)
April 15, 2024, the City of Natchitoches is still short on funding the water plant rebuild and rehab. The Williams Administration having missed a finance package from the Drinking Water Fund of $17,000,000.00 at an interest rate of 2.45% and a forgiveness grant of $3,000,000.00 million off the $17,000,000.00 while wasting time chasing a $52,000,000.00 new plant project (Watch Video for the Water Sector’s comments on that issue), the Williams Administration is now facing a $31,000,000.00 project and a shortfall of 12-million-dollars that must be financed at a MUCH HIGHER rate of 5.50% – a rate that will increase the total cost of funding this project by millions. They also have missed the $3,000,000.00 in forgiveness grant!
The total cost to the taxpayer is now estimated to be $12 million more than the Posey initiative of July 2020, not to mention the increase in construction cost due to the Williams Administration delay!
The Water Plant has not been rebuilt and rehabbed and the continuing brown water you drink and bathe in is courtesy of the Ronnie William’s Administration!
Paid for by the Citizens tired of poor water conditions.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE (scoped down to just the Natchitoches discussion and removal)
See the entire video here:
senate.la.gov/s_video/VideoArchivePlayer?v=senate/2022/01/012122WSC
