Bogalusa City Council approves Willis overlay ordinance

The Bogalusa City Council passed an ordinance Tuesday that authorizes Mayor Mack McGehee to enter into a contract with the low bidder, Barriere Construction, to overlay Willis Avenue from Columbia Street to the railroad trestle. The stated price tag for the job is $299,655.

Temple Inland, which tore up that stretch of the roadway for a project last year, paid $250,000 of the total in order to return the street to its prior condition, said McGehee. The city will pay the additional $50,000 for improvements to the street, including widening and striping, while the workers are on-site, he said.

The city funding will reportedly come from the one percent sales tax dedicated to streets.

A couple members of the public said Temple Inland should be required to pay for the entire project, including the upgrades, and that the city should have passed an ordinance only on the amount it will pay.

City Administrator Jerry Bailey said at a previous council meeting that Temple Inland had asked the city to contract for the full amount.

In other business, the council approved two resolutions. One calls for a special election on Oct. 17, for the renewal of millages for municipal services, retirement and pension benefits, and parks, recreation and public buildings. The other amends the rules of public participation during council meetings.

Citizens who want to speak are now required to sign in with the council secretary prior to the meeting to state which of the agenda items they would like to address. They will be allowed to speak only one time per ordinance, and there will be a three minute time limit. Also, to avoid repetition, groups are asked to select a spokesperson to represent the common view.