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Jury moves closer to recovery funds
The Franklin Parish Police Jury is moving closer to claiming more than $4.4 million in hurricane relief funds from the Louisiana Recovery Authority.
After more than six months following Hurricane Gustav's rampage through the parish, the Jury is just two weeks away from picking a consultant to help it through the administrative tangle required to collect the funds.
"It's a time consuming prospect," said Kendall Magee of Frye Magee, LLC located in Ball and a former parish consultant on similar matters.
"You have to be careful to follow all the rules so you won't have to start over again," he said.
Several firms are bidding to help the parish work through the financial requirements.
A contract is expected to be awarded May 7 as the parish works toward gaining $4,471,702 which has been set aside from a total of $438 million available to the state from storms Gustav and Ike.
Franklin Parish was the northernmost parish to obtain disaster status after Gustav tore through the area during Labor Day weekend, 2008.
Public participation is a requirement of the funding process.
On the same day a contractor is announced, the Jury will conduct the first of two public meetings on the funds. Rules call for the public to be asked to identify and suggest specific or general repair or new projects which will protect the parish from future natural disaster.
The administrative consultant will be selected through a process which considers: price, educational background of engineer to be assigned, firm's history with Louisiana Community Development Block Grant disaster recoveries, former history with parish and makeup of any firms associated with the bidding firm.
A specific point total will be awarded each bidding firm with the contract assigned to the largest point total.
The administrative consultant will be responsible for oversight on most issues where federal funds will be used.
Of the two public meetings required for funds, the first will be to identify community needs and the second will be to identify specific community projects.
"That's why these meetings are so important," said Magee.
"Usually, the governing bodies, such as Police Juries, are making lists based on their experiences, but the public has to help fill in the blanks.
"It can be as simple as one person explaining what happened to them during the storm. An engineer may be able to determine that the problem discussed could be corrected with something simple, like replacing the diameter of a culvert."
When projects are listed for final consideration, each of them must either benefit lower income residents (51 percent) or satisfy a pressing need with an absolute answer. |
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