After a lengthy delay, the state has refunded Lafayette Consolidated Government $6.1 million of the $27 million it sought for a major flood control project developed under former Mayor Josh Guillory.

The state continued to withhold funding from LCG for the Bayou Vermilion Flood Control project, a multi-site flood protection project for which LCG had already provided more than $76 million in funding.

The state’s reimbursement remains uncertain after the previous administration failed to obtain federal permits for the project’s two main detention ponds, one on Homewood Drive and the other in Coulee Ile de Cannes. The state also cited missing information on the forms, ongoing questions about the project’s status, and “Irregular practice in relation to the contractor purchasing the property on which he works..”

Publication date:

April 23 15:15

The state’s current problem with compensation is that the detention project, which has been going on for more than 2 years, is still not working.

Modeling suggests the project will have a limited impact on flood risk, but there are millions in expenses that have not been reimbursed by the government. LCG took action to complete both projects.

Earlier this year, LCG engineers estimated Boulet management could cost up to $15 million to finish the pools and connect them to associated waterways.

The church used $17 million of city money to fund the Homewood Drive ponds near Milton because funding was halted by the state, according to Lafayette Consolidated Government’s annual audit. The neighborhood has not yet paid the municipality.

The $6.1 million covers work on the ponds in 2022 and represents progress in efforts to restore credibility with state funding agencies and federal regulators, according to Boulet’s administration.

“My team worked diligently to obtain the appropriate permits to receive a full refund,” Mayor-President Monique Boulet said in a press release Friday. “We still have a lot of work to do, but this is the first major success in moving forward and stabilizing church finances.”

Boulet management submitted permits to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to finish both detention ponds, and Rigid Constructors took action to correct deficiencies under the contract.

LCG called the $6.1 million reimbursement “vital” to receive full reimbursement for the work and meet financial and permitting requirements to move toward completion of the two projects.