As the Council was beginning it’s new year, Councilman P.V. Griffin’s resolution to move the biweekly meetings from the temporary courthouse on F. Edward Hebert to a meeting place on the Eastbank once again hit a road block.

At the January 12 meeting, Griffin’s legislation was substituted before discussion even took place. His new version of the resolution was slated to have meetings rotate though out the parish, similar to the fashion the school board currently conducts its own meetings.

The Council would still meet on the second and fourth Thursday of each month. Under Griffin’s proposal, the first meeting would rotate between Belle Chasse of Port Sulphur. The second meeting of the month would always be held on the Eastbank. So, if the legislation passed at the next meeting, the February 9 meeting would either take place at the temporary courthouse on F. Edward Hebert or the Port Sulphur Government building, and the February 23 meeting would be at the Percy M. Griffin Center in Davant.

However, before going to vote with these changes, new Council Chairman Byron Marinovich, District 8, said that several questions had arisen from Council members representing both the southern and northern most ends of the Parish.

“Not all the comments are from Belle Chasse,” Marinovich said. “There are some concerns that we are cutting the Parish off at Port Sulphur [with this move].”

This is why Marinovich and the remainder of the Council requested the motion be deferred until the next meeting, so the members could have a more informed debate about the two versions up for review, specifically the most recent changes Griffin had passed out as the resolution was called to vote.

Before moving forward, some comments were put forth, hinting at the debate still to come.

“I prefer the original legislation, to hold the meetings only on the Eastbank,” Councilman Burghart Turner, District 6, said. “My concern here is this would set a precedent that we can hold meetings anywhere.”

Councilmen Griffin and Turner both referred to the section of the Charter that stipulates that meetings be held at the location of the Parish seat, even if the meetings are permitted elsewhere. The also noted that it has been years since a meeting took place anywhere on the Eastbank.

Councilman Jeff Edgecombe also questioned, since other Councilmen were quoting the charter, if the time would move back to the original 10 a.m., as stated in the same section of the self-governing document. But that debate was cut short, in lieu of, or preparation for, the next Council meeting.

“I’m going to bring this up again at the next meeting,” Griffin said. “So, be ready to vote on it.”

That meeting is scheduled to take place on January 26 at 1p.m., again on F. Edward Hebert, perhaps for the last time.