Unification of Local Government

Johnny Dollar

What happens when local government becomes ineffective due to high taxes stifling economic development; inability of elected officials to work together toward common goals; duplicitous and wasteful costs; politicians putting their personal interests, bias and prejudices ahead of the public good – and any number of other reasons?
The Louisiana Constitution provides a method for restructuring local government and 26 of the 64 Louisiana Parishes have already done so. This method is known as Home Rule Charter. The remaining 38 parishes continue under the Police Jury System, a system designed for large rural parishes in the early 1800’s when technology and mechanical transportation, as a practical matter, didn’t exist.
The Home Rule Charter method of local government minimizes state imposition of its legislative will beyond the fundamentals of state government which are primarily: police power; public health and welfare; constitutionally created offices such as Sheriffs, Clerks of Court, Tax Assessors; and other state essential functions and services.
There are four forms of home rule charter: Council President (21 Parishes); Commission (1 Parish); Consolidated (3 Parishes); and City Parish (1 Parish).
Simply stated, a majority vote of the voters is required to change from a police jury form of government to a home rule charter form of government.
An example of a Consolidated Home Rule Charter is that of Terrebonne Parish where the functions of the City of Houma and the Parish of Terrebonne were combined for governmental purposes to achieve governmental efficiency, eliminate waste and make public officials and employees more accountable to the people electing them. It also vested executive power in the Chief Executive – the Parish President, elected parish wide by the voters of the parish.
Legislative power was vested in the Council members elected from each district (ward). Provisions could be made for “at large” members also being elected to diminish the effect of district council members forming special interest voting coalitions favoring one district over another.
The benefits of a Home Rule Charter form of government include: having more local ‘self-determination’ as opposed to being bound completely to the whim of the legislature; elimination of multiple government functions through consolidation of those functions to eliminate duplication of effort; more efficient administration of personnel and resources; preventing the governing body from deciding whom the President shall be each year; place upon the council their primary function of legislation, policy and guidance; prevent the members from interfering with and creating chaos among employees while ‘jockeying’ for influence advantage for their pet projects since the President discharges all executive functions; makes the President accountable to the parish at large instead of one district or ward; and most importantly, can provide for term limits for all members.
As in the example given, the identity and function of the existing towns would remain in place, but what would change is the management and taxing authority would be impacted to achieve a uniform parish wide distribution of economic resources for a more efficient administration of governmental functions enabling the parish as a whole to move forward as a viable economic unit instead of a fragmented approach. The existing system was likely the best system good minds could agree on 200 years ago, but even here in Union Parish maybe it’s time to give progress a chance.
Look around you, the only plant in the entire parish is a chicken plant that cannot keep a workforce, yet gas, oil, timber and now solar take a look at us and say thanks, but no thanks. All of the mills and plants are on our borders. The same is true of education. We cannot land a vocational school – badly needed. Our public school is failing. The charter schools are doing fine. And the education system arguably is more segregated now than in 1954. Nobody wants to talk about it – but it is true.
We are all a product of our heritage – but common sense instructs that things change – and adaptation to change is essential to growth and a healthy prosperous community.
The first step likely is a more realistic approach to becoming more efficient, rewarding entrepreneurship, encouraging good healthy sustained economic growth and being fair with and helping our fellow man. The manner in which we govern ourselves sets the tone for all of that.
Our parish should seriously consider changing to a Consolidated Parish Government and stepping away from a system created for a relatively immobile population in a sprawling, sparsely populated, agriculturally influenced plantation type civilization.
See:https://library.municode.com/la/terrebonne_parish/codes/code