The City Council unanimously approved a truck parking ban, a lease for a new airport hangar, a property insurance contract and two other measures at its Sept. 28 meeting. It also tabled a proposed emergency staging agreement with an electric utility and introduced an ordinance to buy a building for the police department.
The council gave final approval to an ordinance prohibiting commercial tractor-trailers and heavy commercial vehicles from parking on public streets. The ordinance includes definitions, exceptions, enforcement and penalties. It was introduced at the Sept. 14 meeting.
The council member who introduced it said the ordinance is meant to promote traffic safety, protect streets from premature deterioration, improve visibility at intersections, protect residential neighborhoods, reduce noise and air pollution, maintain access for emergency vehicles, promote traffic flow and improve the city’s appearance. She said the city appreciates truck drivers and wants them in the community, and that designated areas exist for truck parking. The measure gives the city a local law to enforce, she said.
Council members approved a lease of a 24,500-square-foot area at the airport to J L Aviation Inc., shown on a May 21, 2026, survey. City officials said the land lease will allow the company’s owner to build a new hangar, which will be the largest at the airport when finished. Three helicopters and two fixed-wing airplanes will be relocated to Natchitoches, officials said. They said the move will bring in lease revenue and fuel sales.
The council tabled an ordinance that would have approved a license agreement allowing AEP Southwestern Electric Power Company to use Parc Natchitoches as a temporary staging area during emergencies.
A council member said he was concerned that the utility used the site in a previous emergency and did not return it to its earlier condition. He said the parking lot is still in poor shape. He said the asphalt is only about 2 inches thick and that crews drilled or drove stakes into it to anchor large tents used as sleeping quarters and cafeterias. He also said the utility would pay the city $1 under the agreement, which carries a five-year option, and that this is not enough to cover wear and tear.
Officials said the previous use was arranged on short notice through a handshake agreement. A public works official said crews patched the lot with about 200 tons of hot mix asphalt, and that the city billed the cost internally to the recreation department. A city official said the staging area helped restore power more quickly to residents, including some inside city limits, during hurricanes and a recent winter storm.
Council members discussed alternatives, including a field near the sewer treatment plant, where rock would be laid down. They also discussed amending the agreement to require the utility to cover damage. No utility representative attended. The council voted to table the ordinance while the city seeks a new location or terms it considers better for taxpayers. Officials noted there is no current storm emergency.
The council approved a contract with Risk Services of Louisiana Inc. for the city’s property insurance at a cost of $320,204.88. The coverage runs from Oct. 11, 2026, through Oct. 11, 2027.
City officials said the expiring premium was about $336,000, so the new cost is roughly $16,000 lower. They said a decrease hasn’t happened in a long time and suggested claims across the country may have gone down. The contract was based on quotes rather than a formal request for proposals, and the city has worked with the company for a long time, officials said.
The council approved an amendment to the city’s maintenance agreement with the state Department of Transportation and Development. Under the agreement, which covers mowing and litter pickup on state rights-of-way, the state will pay more. The rate rises from $250 to $285 per mile for undivided highways and from $500 to $575 per mile for divided highways. The agreement runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
Officials said the state will now compensate the city for nine cuts, up from four. The city mows the rights-of-way about 10 to 12 times a year, they said. The city maintains about 24.88 miles of state roads, and officials said the increase amounts to about $17,000.
The council introduced an ordinance to buy the property at 408 Fifth Street from Impressions by Dunagan Inc. for $195,000. The building is across the street from police headquarters. The city wants it to expand office space for the police department, specifically its criminal investigations division. A vote is expected in two weeks.
City officials said the city obtained an appraisal dated Aug. 11, 2026, showing a market value above the purchase price. The mayor said the seller verbally agreed to a price below the appraised value. The seller is retiring and closing her business, officials said.
The police chief said detectives currently work in space provided through a partnership with the local housing authority, which limits their ability to modify the space for new cyber forensics and interview-recording technology bought with grant funding. He said residents who file reports must be sent across town to meet with detectives. The new location would allow for future growth and would tie into the department’s fiber network, he said.
The city had considered moving detectives into a vacant city-owned building on Rapides Drive, but one opinion was that it probably could not be remodeled, and officials are seeking a second opinion. City officials said a $50,000 grant the city received for repairs to a criminal investigation building could be applied to the Fifth Street building if it is dedicated for that use. Officials said they plan a phased approach, since renovation costs, including changes to office and interrogation space, are not yet known. Parking is a possible issue, they said.
The council introduced an ordinance authorizing a fourth amendment to the city’s water tower lease with New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC. The amendment would extend the lease term and increase monthly rent. It also would clarify provisions on permitted use, structural analysis, interference, assignment, notices and right of first refusal.
The lease, for antenna space on the East Fifth Street water tower, is set to expire Nov. 10, 2028. The amendment would add two consecutive five-year renewal terms. Monthly rent would rise effective Sept. 1, 2026, and would increase 3% annually. Officials said the company has leased the space since 2003 and that the annual increase is not new language. Officials said the city has other cell-tower arrangements on water towers and city property.
The council approved a resolution recognizing the 20th annual Natchitoches Classic Car Show, scheduled for Oct. 2-3. The resolution says the show has become one of the city’s signature annual events and its second-largest festival. It began in 2007 with 88 vehicles and is hosted by the Natchitoches Historic District Business Association.
Representatives of the association said they hope for about 500 cars this year. They said 458 cars registered each of the past two years. They noted concerns about construction on Second Street, which they said has been resolved, and about the weather. The show will go on rain or shine, they said. Officials emphasized that the organizers are volunteers who are not paid.
The city’s finance director reported on sales tax collections through August, the end of the second month of the city’s fiscal year, which begins in June. She said the city’s share of collections for the calendar year to date is about $9.7 million, slightly less than 1% below last year. August collections were up 5.29%, or about $62,000. For the fiscal year to date, general sales tax is up 7.4%, or about $273,000, compared with the same period last year. The city has collected about $20,000 in penalties and interest on taxes this year.
Among special districts, the 2% hotel occupancy tax is down about $5,800. She said she expects a jump as the holiday season approaches. Motor vehicle sales tax, reported one month behind, was up 15% for July.
The next council meeting is Oct. 12. Only five meetings remain this year.