LMR_November

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President’s Message OUR RICH HISTORY BY MAYOR HARRY LEWIS, TOWN OF RAYVILLE How much do you know about the rich history of this great organization? My research has showed that we had leaders with vision, dedication, determination and service. Their ultimate goal was the same as ours is today - to provide the best service possible to each village, town, and city in Louisiana. LMA began in 1926 as the Louisiana Conference of Mayors with Mayor F.L. Foisy of Alexandria as president and Mayor L.E. Thomas as second vice president. The organization consisted of 29 towns and cities of Louisiana. In 1929, the stock market crashed causing economic calamity and as a result, the organization folded. Our organization would not be defeated. In 1937, efforts to reorganize began with great results. By-laws and a constitution were adopted. Mayor S.S. Caldwell of Shreveport became president. In 1938, Leon Booth of Shreveport became editor of the Louisiana Municipal Review. This is still our official journal. It is an outstanding communication tool that keeps our membership abreast of newsworthy events and announcements around the state. In 1941, Joseph Reid, Jr., the first executive secretary of the organization accomplished three major changes: (1) the organization’s name changed to Louisiana Municipal Association; (2) revamped dues schedule; and (3) hired a full-time executive secretary. In addition, the concept of regional meetings was employed to bring officers of each area of the state together to discuss common problems. Using this model, the LMA was successful in legislative achievements as well as increased membership. In the 40’s and 50’s, as the quality and scope of services to the membership grew, so did the membership in LMA. An increase in the number of municipal incorporations grew. The association expanded the development of organizations of affiliated professionals with functions related to municipal governments. Networking and partnering with affiliates were extremely beneficial to the success of LMA and each affiliate. Sidney Gray was president from 1959 to 1960. It was during his tenure that the LMA’s headquarters was relocated to the Jack Tar Capitol House Hotel in downtown Baton Rouge. The Louisiana Municipal Laws, containing over 600 pages of legal information pertaining to municipal government, was published; and, the Louisiana Achievement Awards and Service Awards were instituted. In 1963, R. Gordon Kean of Baton Rouge was appointed LMA’s legal counsel. He rendered dedicated legal service to the association and provided legal assistance to many municipalities which had no other source to obtain legal representation. From 1969 to 1973, Marvin Lyons led the organization as executive director and helped elevate it to new levels. In 1973, Charles Pasqua would become the LMA executive director for the next twenty years. Under his leadership the membership grew by leaps and bounds. As the LMA’s presence in political affairs grew, interpersonal relationships among municipalities, parish, state and federal government improved. A self-insurance and risk management program was created. Pasqua also spearheaded efforts to plan and build an office building for the association. L. Gordon King assumed the executive director’s position in 1994. His focus was on being more responsive to the members’ needs and on the promotion of innovativeness as a key to municipal advancement. King established the Louisiana Local Government Environmental Facilities and Community Development Authority (LCDA) and the Louisiana Municipal Advisory and Technical Services Bureau (LaMATS). Both were new programs designed to assist with financing and technological needs. Tom McHugh became executive director in 2001, and in 2006 LMA celebrated its 80th year of existence. His goals were to strengthen the ties between municipal governments and state and federal government. In 2014, Ronnie Harris of Gretna was named LMA executive director. The association continued to grow under his leadership. In October 2016, John Gallagher became executive director of the LMA. I was honored to be elected LMA President in August, 2018. It is now up to us to continue the legacy of these great leaders. We are charged with the responsibility to provide quality service to our municipalities; to help shape positive legislation that benefits each town, village, and city; to provide training and technology where needed; to grow our membership; and to provide leadership second to none. On our watch, we want history to record that LMA is not only a mighty organization, but also a family that genuinely cares about our country, state, villages, town cities, and each other. God Bless You! Page 4 LMR | November 2018
Inside the LMA Governor’s Column A TIME OF THANKSGIVING BY JOHN BEL EDWARDS, GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA Where has the time gone? It’s hard to believe November is already here but here it is, and what a beautiful time of the year. This is the month when we take time to reflect and give thanks for all of our blessings. Of course I’m grateful for many things including my family, friends, the hard working and fun-loving people of our state and the LMA and all of its members. Louisiana is seeing some of its best days in decades and that is in part because of your steadfast partnership with my administration in helping municipalities across our state and consistently making a difference. Thank you for all that you do. There are many things that as a state we can be thankful for as we look back on all that we have accomplished together. No longer having to deal with deficits, Louisiana is projected to have a $300 million surplus for the fiscal year 2018. This is exactly what we wanted to see. It’s the direct result of an improved job market for Louisianans, increased success of our businesses, and an improving economy that has allowed corporate tax receipts to outpace expectations. Since I’ve been governor, the unemployment rate has fallen from a high of 6.2 percent to its current rate of 5 percent. The Bureau of Economic Analysis’ (BEA) latest report shows that personal income in Louisiana was the second fastest growing in the nation in the second quarter of 2018 and that our state’s economy grew faster than 35 other states in the first quarter of 2018. When we come together and focus on what’s best for Louisiana, great things can happen and what we’re experiencing today is evidence of that. Not long ago, a coalition of Democrats, Republicans and Independent worked with me to find ways to provide long-term budget stability to our state – something our state has lacked for so long. As a result, we have stabilized funding for higher education for the second year in a row. We have fully funded TOPS and Go Grants. We did all of that, and we still reduced the tax burden on the people of Louisiana by nearly $600 million. In the spirit of continuing to help our people, I want to remind you to encourage your constituents who were impacted by the horrific 2016 floods and have an application with the Restore Homeowner Assistance Program to complete and submit their applications by the November 16, 2018 deadline. It’s very important, especially now that the unfair duplication of benefits issue has been corrected. It was a long hard battle, but working with our congressional delegation for the last two years, relief is on the way to homeowners who took out a loan with the Small Business Administration to help recover and rebuild. In early October, Pres. Donald Trump signed legislation allowing for the loans to no longer be counted as a duplication and with guidance from the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, Restore will update the award amounts. You can visit www.restore.la.gov or call 866-735-2001 Monday-Friday from 8a.m. - 6p.m. for more information. When we empower our people, we empower our state, and Louisiana is now on a path of prosperity that is setting our state and our people up for the kind of success they deserve. While we have much to be thankful for, we are far from mission accomplished. By continuing to work together, we can keep the momentum going. Donna and I wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving. God bless you all. Safety Consulting and Programs 16260 Airline Highway, Suite B Prairieville, LA 70769 chris@riskwise.biz Chris Conti Board Certified Safety Professional Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter O 225.313.4448 C 225.413.7542 F 225.313.4518 Searching for the right fit? THAT IS OUR SPECIALTY. Comprehensive Executive Recruitment focused on matching professional skills, management style and core values to fit your organization’s specific requirements. www.riskwise.biz waters-company.com 800.899.1669 LMR | November 2018 Page 5
Page 1 and 2: Louisiana Municipal Review PUBLISHE
Page 3: Inside the LMA Director’s Viewpoi
Page 7 and 8: Inside the LMA Hometown Happenings
Page 9 and 10: Municipalities Attorney General’s
Page 11 and 12: LPS Delivers the Goods in Procureme
Page 13 and 14: A Word from Our Affiliates conveyed
Page 15 and 16: Hundreds of Thornton, bills move Mu
Page 17 and 18: Partner Insight state, boost Louisi
Page 19 and 20: Feature LMA Executive Director John
Page 21 and 22: Feature build meaningful training t
Page 23 and 24: Feature LMA BOARD POSITIONS ON CONS

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