By KEVIN BLANCHARD
Acadiana bureau
Published: Jul 29, 2006

LAFAYETTE — The administration will unveil its proposed budget for the next fiscal year at a Tuesday special meeting of the City-Parish Council.

The official introduction of the budget that night is the first step in a two-month series of public hearings before the budget is finally adopted on Sept. 28. The details of the budget won’t be released until Tuesday.

But it’s likely the budget will include a plan to spend the $215 million in additional bonding authority voters approved July 15. That bond election was first proposed at this time last year, when the current year’s budget was introduced.

A feasibility study completed in anticipation of that election included road, drainage and recreation projects that could be built using the new funds.

The council will need to determine which of those projects will be built in the coming years, as only $10 million to $20 million will be available to borrow each year over the life of the bonds.

That means in some years the council will have only enough available money to build one major road project. The council is scheduled to review the public works and capital improvements portion of the budget on Aug. 14.

Other budget briefings and hearings scheduled include:

• Aug. 9 — Fire Department, Police Department and a general overview of the entire budget.
• Aug. 17 — Parish agencies such as courts, district attorney and tax assessor, as well as the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center and Cajundome.
• Aug. 21 — Lafayette Utilities System.
• Aug. 24 — Libraries, Recreation and Parks Department and Planning, Zoning and Codes Department.
• Aug. 28 — Community Development Department, Council Office and City-Parish President’s Office.
• Aug. 31 — public hearing
• Sept. 11 and 12 — “Wrap-up” sessions where councilmen get answers to any questions they’ve had for the administration in the process.
• Sept. 28 — Adoption of the budget.

Story originally published in The Advocate