Lafayette Consolidated Government May Need To File New Suit In Border Dispute

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL) — The Lafayette City-Parish Council introduced an amended ordinance Tuesday night that sets a timeframe for establishing a new border between Lafayette and Vermilion Parishes and provides additional funding for researching the boundary.

"In order for this ordinance to be meaningful...it requires a timeframe," said Lafayette City-Parish Attorney Mike Hebert, citing a Louisiana statute that requires six months lead time before a border is changed.

The amended ordinance marks that date by seven months as Sept. 15. The ordinance additionally accepted the findings of a Lafayette-based boundary consultant and allotted $30,000 for Lafayette Consolidated Government-sponsored research concerning the border.

Besides the State Land Office's border declaration in 2003, additional surveying research was conducted by property owners within the 700 acres West of Maurice near Louisiana Highway 92.

LCG entered an agreement with the Vermilion Parish Police Jury in 2003 to accept the state's findings concerning the border. The line came into question after a woman running for office in Lafayette Parish was determined to be a resident of Vermilion Parish, even though she had been paying taxes in Lafayette Parish during her time at the questioned address.

But the council voided its agreement with the Vermilion Parish Police Jury in October, citing historical records from an 1844 border declaration that allegedly were not accounted for in the state's survey a decade ago.

The council's action does not legally change the border, however. Vermilion Parish officials said they will continue to operate under the agreement.