Council Meeting Agenda (Special Session) - 2010-02-24

ALEXANDRIA CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL COUNCIL AGENDA
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2010
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS – 10:00 A.M.

PERSONS DESIRING TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL SHALL INFORM THE PRESIDENT AT THE APPROPRIATE AGENDA ITEM.
A. CALL TO ORDER
B. INVOCATION
C. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
D. ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF OTHER PUBLIC BODIES AND OFFICIALS

E. ROLL CALL

F. SPECIAL MEETING SESSION TO ADDRESS THE CREATION OF THE “RECERTIFICATION OF RAPIDES AREA LEVEES ALLIANCE” : TO RECEIVE FACTS AND INFORMATION AND DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:

To hear from the Rapides Parish Police Jury, City of Alexandria, the City of Pineville, other public officials and staff, and any others with relevant expertise, knowledge or information pertaining to:

1) Levee accreditation and decertification facts, issues, effects and consequences to the public, in the City of Alexandria and its area affected surrounding neighbors and political subdivisions, and specifically to consider:

* Whether to declare the Rapides Parish and surrounding area levee accreditation issues to be a public emergency or to consider alternative public agency responses and powers related thereto for which public money may be expended for a special public purpose; and

* Whether to declare and authorize the expenditure of capital and operational funds for public purposes allowing the City of Alexandria to enter into contracts and intergovernmental and cooperative endeavor agreements with public and private entities, including other political subdivisions, the State of Louisiana and its agencies, public and quasi-public bodies corporate, the United States and its agencies and with other public or private associations, corporations and individuals; and

* A discussion of facts that demonstrate to the public that the city of Alexandria cannot protect its citizenry without providing immediate, priority or even emergency aid to adjoining and proximate localities and political subdivisions of the state of Louisiana—including but not limited to the Rapides Parish Police Jury, the city of Pineville, the town of Boyce, the Avoyelles Parish Police Jury, the Grant Parish Police Jury, the Natchitoches Parish Police Jury, any villages, towns, and cities located within those jurisdictions, and other political subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities of the state of Louisiana—such as the Red River, Atchafalaya and Bayou Boeuf Levee District, the Nineteenth Levee District, the Red River Waterway Commission, and any other jurisdictional or stake-holding public or private entities affected by de-accreditation that could affect Alexandria and its residents and neighbors affected thereby; and

2) The need for intergovernmental agreements and cooperative endeavors between and among local governments and political subdivisions of the state of Louisiana and United States government.

3) Authorization and empowerment of a “working group” the “Re-certification of Rapides Area Levees Alliance” to address the Louisiana Recovery Authority, the Legislature, and various federal and state government agencies.

4) Authorization and empowerment for the Mayor to act pursuant to certain ordinances and resolutions, including but not limited to the following titles:

(a) Resolution #1:

A RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE, EMPOWER AND DIRECT CERTAIN COOPERATIVE ACTIVITY WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTITIES FOR THE PURPOSE OF RECERTIFYING RAPIDES AREA LEVEES AND TO FORM AN ALLIANCE THEREFOR TO ADDRESS DECERTIFICATION AND DEACCREDITATION OF LEVEES WITHIN AND WITHOUT THE PARISH OF RAPIDES, AND TO INCLUDE INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENTS AND ANY OTHER COOPERATIVE ENDEAVORS WITH NECESSARY PARTIES, TO SHARE EQUIPMENT, RESOURCES, PROMOTE JOINTLY FAVORABLE LEGISLATION, SEEK FUNDING, MAINTAIN FUNDING FOR THE JOINT-USE EFFORTS AND HOLD SUCH FUNDING AS FIDUCIARY FOR THE PURPOSES AUTHORIZED AS THEY MAY FROM TIME TO TIME BE BY THE CITIES OF ALEXANDRIA AND PINEVILLE AND THE RAPIDES PARISH POLICE JURY, OTHER PUBLIC BODIES AND ANY SUCH MATTERS AS ARE NECESSARY AND PROPER TO ACCOMPLISH SUCH AS RELATED THERETO, INCLUDING THE FORMATION OF A WORKING GROUP EMPOWERED TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS SET FORTH HEREIN OR BY RELATED ORDINANCE(S).

(b) Ordinance #1:

AN ORDINANCE TO AUTHORIZE, EMPOWER AND DIRECT CERTAIN COOPERATIVE ACTIVITY WITH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ENTITIES FOR THE PURPOSE OF ADDRESSING DECERTIFICATION AND DEACCREDITATION OF LEVEES WITHIN AND WITHOUT THE PARISH OF RAPIDES, AND TO INCLUDE INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENTS AND ANY OTHER COOPERATIVE ENDEAVORS WITH NECESSARY PARTIES, TO SHARE EQUIPMENT, RESOURCES, PROMOTE JOINTLY FAVORABLE LEGISLATION, SEEK FUNDING, MAINTAIN FUNDING FOR THE JOINT-USE EFFORTS AND HOLD SUCH FUNDING AS FIDUCIARY FOR THE PURPOSES AUTHORIZED AS THEY MAY FROM TIME TO TIME BE BY THE CITIES OF ALEXANDRIA AND PINEVILLE AND THE RAPIDES PARISH POLICE JURY, OTHER PUBLIC BODIES AND ANY SUCH MATTERS AS ARE NECESSARY AND PROPER TO ACCOMPLISH SUCH AS RELATED THERETO, INCLUDING THE FORMATION OF A WORKING GROUP EMPOWERED TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS SET FORTH HEREIN BY RELATED RESOLUTIONS, BEGINNING WITH RESOLUTION NO. ____-2010.

Ordinance #1 under contemplation may provide for consideration for the following, among other, powers: (1) the Mayor on behalf of the City might be authorized to pursue and expend, with all deliberate speed, funds and works for the protection of the City’s interest in levee protection, both for levees bordering or in proximity to the City, in an appropriate matter working with other area political subdivisions or entities; (2) the Council may consider authorization for any necessary agreements, including intergovernmental agreements or cooperative endeavors to provide in the most practical way methods by which such agreements can be determined to be the most efficient under the circumstances to achieve goals set forth by the Council; (3) the Council should consider authorizing and empowering the Mayor to work with other area political subdivisions affected in a similar and regional way and authorize the formation of a capital project known as “Re-certification of Rapides Area Levees Alliance” (“RRALA”) with the intention of allocating and expending at least $100,000 which should be immediately allocated to the RRALA project with an additional $350,000 (or such other available sums that can be provided from other state and federal sources) with all funds to be advanced upon certification of a bona fide plan which gains preliminary approval from the United States Army Corps of Engineers for re-certification of affected levees impacting the City and other local area political subdivisions and further to confect any necessary agreements or protocols with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) related thereto; (4) the Mayor shall make such additional recommendations from time to time to the Council and RRALA based on continuing needs and progress under such approvals, agreements and protocols, and (5) further authorizing the Mayor, in his sole discretion, to enter into such agreements for these purposes as are reasonable and needed; provided, the Mayor reports to the Council on a timely basis and within ten days of advices regarding such activities and, in all practical cases, before binding the City to receive an authorizing resolution from the Council.

G. ANY OTHER THAT MAY BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT PROPERLY COME BEFORE THE COUNCIL.

H. ADJOURNMENT.