Zachary Plainsman-Advocate 09-03-2025

Property tax change rejected

Zachary leaders must fill projected $100,000 budget shortfall

BY OLIVIA MCCLURE

assessments.

The property tax ordinance has been the center of much controversy in the past several weeks. In July, when the item was presented to the council for initial introduction, Councilman John LeBlanc alleged that City Attorney John Hopewell pressured him to vote for the increase, saying he would face political consequences if he didn’t comply

Hopewell has declined to speak publicly about the accusations.

LeBlanc didn’t have much to say at the Aug. 26 meeting. But two of his colleagues, Ambre DeVirgilio and Brandy Westmoreland, shared their reasons for opposing rolling forward the millage.

“Just because we can doesn’t mean we should,” DeVirgilio said.

Westmoreland said residents are already struggling with inflation.

“I see some of this to be a burden on the public and the people that

reside here. I feel that we’ve had other increases, even as recently as our last meeting with recycling that has doubled in price,” she said, referring to the council’s approval of a Waste Management contract that will have residents paying about $4 a month.

Westmoreland said the city has been working to attract new businesses, which bring in sales tax revenue. New homes are coming online too she said, so property tax collections should go up.

“That’s where the money needs to be coming from,” she said. On the other side, Councilman James Graves pointed out that Zachary’s millage has been 5.48 before — and that returning to that rate would simply allow the city to catch up to where it once was.

Councilwoman Jennifer Landry noted that her colleagues unanimously approved the budget in May

Broncos honor former teammate

The Zachary Broncos honored former teammate Jecaryous Johnson, who died in May of cancer, before beating Livonia in a home jamboree.

The Broncos walked Johnson’s No. 20 jersey onto the field at the start of the game, which ended with a 21-0 shutout for Zachary

The Zachary Broncos girls varsity basketball 2024-2025 state champions received their championship rings during game festivities.

Wes Brady named to Zachary Hall of Fame

Warren

Joining Sean Burrell in the 2025 Zachary High Hall of Fame is teammate and childhood friend Wes Brady Brady and Burrell were both reared in Zachary met each other early as their mothers both work at Northwestern Elementary, and after playing in classrooms after school they took their talents to ZHS where they were teammates The Hall of Fame will welcome Brady and Burrell in a ceremony at the Zachary Athletic complex at 6 p.m. Sept. 11. The duo will be recognized at halftime of the ZHS v. Acadiana football game on Sept. 12. The Broncos Hall of Fame night opponent knows Brady very well as he was a veer tackling machine in the Broncos quarterfinal upset victory (31-24) in 2016 and on the road in a Broncos 26-14 quarterfinal playoff win in 2018. Wes Brady graduated summa cum laude from ZHS in 2019. He played middle linebacker in football for coach David Brewerton and wrestled in the 220-pound weight class for coaches Mark Moreau and J.P Pierre.

Despite an injury that cost him seven regular season games as a sophomore in 2016, Brady was able to return for the playoffs and help the Broncos reach the 5A football semifinals where he logged significant minutes of playing time. His junior year (2017) Brady was named a team captain and helped lead the Broncos to a 13-2 record and a State Championship. He was named the District 4-5A co-defensive MVP, All Metro defensive MVP and All State.

Brady broke his thumb in the season opener his senior year, missed one game, and played the entire season with a cast on his arm. Despite this setback he led the Broncos to another 13-2 record, and

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their second straight State Championship in 2018. He was again named District 4-5A MVP, All Metro Defensive MVP, and All State. Brady began wrestling as a freshman and after a learning curve season, upset the top seed at the City Tournament his sophomore year to win his first of three City Championships at 220 pounds. He was also named to the Baton Rouge City All Decade team for the 220-pound weight class. His junior year (2018) Brady again won the 220-pound City Championship, ran up a record of 24-4, and advanced to the State Finals. In the finals, he fell just short as he took the previous year champion to overtime (“Sudden Victory”) in a classic.

Wrestling with a wrapped hand from his previously broken thumb, Brady entered the 2019 wrestling season late after the Broncos repeat state football championship His only loss of the year was two weeks after the football season. From that point on Brady was unbeatable, winning city again, the Ken Cole Classic and the Louisiana Classic. He also soundly defeated his 2018 state finals opponent on his home turf in New Orleans.

At the state tournament, a day after attending his grandfather’s funeral, Brady left no doubt who owned the 220-pound class by putting on a pinning clinic. He pinned every opponent he faced at the State Tournament and ended it all with a pin (5:01) in the finals over the one wrestler who bested him early in the season.

After earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree in industrial Engineering from Louisiana Tech, Brady now lives in Lafayette, Colorado, where he is a process engineer

Editor’s note: West Brady is the son of Plainsman Sports Columnist Warren Brady.

Warren Brady covers sports for The Plainsman. He can be contacted at zachary@theadvocate.com.

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