Parish also receives $1.5 million in state funding for fire equipment; three ordinances introduced for future hearings.

PORT ALLEN — The West Baton Rouge Parish Council approved a road rehabilitation contract, adopted mid-year budget amendments, and introduced three development code ordinances at its regular meeting Thursday night, June 11, 2026.

Roads

The council awarded the 2026 Asphalt Roads Rehabilitation Project to M-TRAC LLC of Livonia, Louisiana, with a base bid of $1,145,767.21. Five bids were received on May 21; the contract comes in well under the project's $1,662,000 budget. The motion to award passed with no public comment.

Budget amendments

Council members approved mid-year amendments to the fire department and general fund budgets, accounting for final costs on the Erwinville fire station construction project following post-bid change orders. The amendments also adjusted a bond payment line that was incomplete when the original 2026 budget was adopted. The bond payment is now set at approximately $500,000 annually going forward. The motion passed after a public hearing with no speakers.

State funding

Parish President Jason Manola told the council the parish has secured $1.5 million in state funding for fire truck and equipment purchases — $1 million and $500,000 in separate allocations through House Bill 1 supplemental funding. Manola credited Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter for securing the appropriation. Both allocations were awaiting the governor's signature as of Thursday night.

Infrastructure updates

Director of Public Works Brandon Bourgoyne told the council that the bridge replacement at Bayou Partridge and Rosedale Road, originally scheduled for May, has been pushed to September 16, 2026. The current detour route spans 29 miles. Manola said he is pursuing a meeting with Archie Jasson, executive director of the Office of Louisiana Highway Construction, to press for safety improvements to the detour.

Bourgoyne also told the council that construction on the Louisiana Highway 415 corridor project is unlikely to begin by year's end as previously anticipated, due to delays in right-of-way corridor plans. Clearing and grubbing work may still begin on schedule, but full construction is now expected to start in early 2027.

WIC program

The council approved a resolution authorizing Parish President Manola to sign an updated contract with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals for the parish's WIC program. The resolution, required every two years, passed without discussion.

Sugar Pointe subdivision

The council approved a final plat for Sugar Pointe First Filing, creating seven lots on Rosedale Road for F&A Investments LLC of Port Allen. The plat includes a waiver of the parish's 800-foot through-street requirement, consistent with a unanimous 8-0 recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission. Tracts Y and Z on the 164-acre property are reserved for future development.

Ordinances introduced

Three ordinances were introduced for future public hearings:

A pipeline permit ordinance that would require parish approval before pipelines or similar facilities are installed in public rights-of-way is set for a public hearing June 25. [See separate WBR Independent story on state preemption concerns surrounding this ordinance.]

Two additional ordinances — one updating subdivision definitions and temporary special use permit rules, the other a comprehensive rewrite of parish sign regulations — are scheduled for public hearings July 9.

Other business

A Port Allen resident, Chris Perry, asked during public comment whether there were any proposed data center developments in West Baton Rouge. Council members said no projects are currently active. Perry also asked about the status of the detention center on Commercial Drive and was told there was no change from the previous meeting.

The council's next regular meeting is Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at the WBR Government Building, 880 N. Alexander Ave., Port Allen. The June 25 meeting will include the pipeline ordinance public hearing.