THE
ACADIANA
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T H E A C A D I A N A A D V O C AT E.C O M
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M o n d ay, F e b r u a ry 24, 2025
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IBERIA PARISH
Library can’t last forever without a tax
Residents to determine fate in March BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL | Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
New Isle resident Wallace ‘Johnny’ Tamplet, 70, stands on his front porch on Tuesday. His neighborhood is the first-of-its-kind government effort to help people move to higher ground from Louisiana’s disappearing coastline.
Relocation anxieties New homes come with costs residents can’t afford
BY ALEX LUBBEN | Staff writer NEW ISLE — Just over two years ago, Wallace “Johnny” Tamplet moved into his new house with help from the government to escape the vanishing, flood-prone island where he’d lived for years. Already, the 70-year-old retired carpenter worries he won’t be able to afford to stay. “I’m getting ready to sell my truck so I can go down and get whole on my taxes and get everything up to date,” he said from his home in the newly built subdivision of New Isle, roughly 40 miles farther inland. “The first of next year, I have no idea what I’m going to do.” Tamplet’s relocation from Isle de Jean Charles in lower Terrebonne Parish was part of a first-of-its-kind government effort to help dozens of families move to higher ground from Louisiana’s disappearing coastline. Many of those families are members of the state-recognized Jean Charles Choctaw Nation. The state hoped it would serve as a model for future relocation efforts, expected to become increasingly nec-
gram say they are sympathetic, but there are limits to 24 what they can do. They point 1 Lake New Orleans out that the homes were Raceland Salvador MAP 90 provided free of charge and AREA Lockport homeowners’ insurance is Gulf of Mexico 182 fully covered for five years. Houma They are hoping to hand “New Isle” Larose the project over to a separesettlement Cut Off rate semi-governmental Existing location Montegut agency that could help adlevee 665 dress some of the concerns. Chauvin Theriot 57 But the families will eventu55 Golden 5 miles ally have to make it on their Dulac Island Rd. Meadow 315 own, they say. 56 It may be a struggle due to 1 their unique circumstances, MorganzaIsle de and Tamplet is emblematic Leeville to-the-Gulf Jean of the problem. levee Cocodrie Charles After contracting pneumonia in late 2023, which led to Terrebonne Bay cascading health issues, he Staff map couldn’t afford his tax bill. His home was offered in a tax sale, and a NebraskaBy 2026, when most New Isle residents will begin based company bought a lien paying their own homeowners’ insurance, the state on the property last June. If he can’t pay off the debt Office of Community Development estimates that the three years, including average policy there will be $4,078. Wallace ‘Johnny’ within fees and interest, he could Tamplet’s is estimated to be around $4,500. lose his house. He owes around $4,000 in back taxes. “If I can’t sell my truck, essary as storms intensify ford, raising serious ques- and I can’t bring my taxes up and sea levels rise. But resi- tions over the program’s to date, at least for this year, the possibility is that next dents are finding that their long-term viability. State officials who have new homes come with costs they’re not sure they can af- overseen the voluntary pro- ä See RELOCATION, page 4A Thibodaux
Baton Rouge
Pope Francis in critical condition with early kidney failure BY NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press
ROME — Pope Francis remains in critical condition and blood tests showed early kidney failure but he remains alert, responsive and attended Mass, the Vatican said, as the 88-year-old pontiff battles pneumonia and a complex lung infection. In a late update, the Vatican said Francis hadn’t had any more respiratory crises since Saturday night but was still receiving high flows of supplemental oxygen.
WEATHER HIGH 64 LOW 46 PAGE 10C
Some blood tests showed “initial, mild, kidney failure,” but doctors said it was under control. “The complexity of the clinical picture, and the necessary wait for drug therapies to provide some feedback, dictate that the prognosis remains guarded,” Francis’ doctors concluded. Prayers for Francis, meanwhile, poured in from around the world, from his native Argentina to the seat of Sunni Islam in Cairo to schoolchildren in Rome.
ä See POPE, page 4A
Pope Francis remains in critical condition and blood tests showed early kidney failure but he remains alert, responsive and attended Mass, the Vatican said, as the 88-year-old pontiff battles pneumonia and a complex lung infection. ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
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Kayla Pellerin and her son, Kaydon, became big fans of the Iberia Parish Library after she had to withdraw him from school because of a rare gastrointestinal disease that he was diagnosed with two years ago. He did not enjoy reading. But then an employee at the library helped him create his own book. From then on, Kaydon slowly became an avid reader, Pellerin said. The employee took the information from the book he created and helped him find similar books. “He was going back for more, doing all the books,” Pellerin said. “Now he loves to read.” Pellerin worries that the library her son has grown to love will one day close its doors. A tax renewal to keep Iberia Parish’s library system operational failed in April. It will go before voters again March 29. The 4.5-mill library tax, which would generate $2.65 million yearly, failed in April with 53% voting against it. Voters’ main complaint seemed to be the $6.3 million budget surplus the library had in 2024, said New Iberia
ä See LIBRARY, page 5A
Louisiana considers changes to civil service
Senator seeks improved government efficiency BY ALYSE PFEIL | Staff writer After Gov. Jeff Landry earlier this month attempted to remove civil service protections for hundreds of engineers and attorneys across state government, a broader effort to give Louisiana elected officials greater control over more than 35,000 workers in the civil service system could be underway. Some argue a system that was originally designed to reward competency and merit over political connections is falling woefully short, instead keeping employees in their jobs regardless of their performance. “We do not have a meritocracy, which is critical for providing a high level of service in an efficient and effective way,” said Sen. Jay Morris, RWest Monroe. “Civil servants work for the people of the state, and the people deserve a more efficient government.” Morris said he will likely bring back legislation that is similar to a proposal he championed last year to amend the Louisiana Constitution and
ä See CHANGES, page 5A
100TH yEAR, NO. 239