COVINGTON • FOLSOM • LACOMBE • MADISONVILLE • MANDEVILLE • SLIDELL
ST. TAMMANY
N O L A.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, J u n e 17, 2026
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Slidell may vote on charter issues Hearing set on ordinance that could revise several sections BY KIM CHATELAIN
various sections of the city charter, and none of them deal with changing term limits for top city The Slidell City Council has in- decision-makers. The ordinance, which was untroduced an ordinance that would set up a public vote in December veiled but not discussed at the on seven propositions to revise council’s June 9 meeting, is schedContributing writer
uled to be the subject of a public hearing at the council’s June 23 meeting. A vote could be taken at that time. If approved by the council, the ordinance would order calling a special election in Slidell on Dec.
chief in cases where the post is vacated midterm. n Whether various positions in 12. It would also authorize the ap- government, including the city’s plication to the Louisiana Bond chief administrative officer, assisCommission for its consent. tant police chief and the assistant The proposed charter changes director of any city department, include: should be exempted from the civil n Establishing new rules for the ä See SLIDELL, page 3A election of a mayor or a police
MANDEVILLE
ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOATS
Council caps sewerage rates for one year Officials look for long-term fix
BY KIM CHATELAIN Contributing writer
PHOTO BY MATT DOBBINS
Competitors Liam Flucke, left, and Beau Carter battle for position at the start of their race for boys 8 to 12 years old.
Boaters compete on Bayou Liberty
Clair Brown, of Nashville, exults in her win among girls 13 to 16 years old.
BY SHEILA GRISSETT
who maybe didn’t get wet during the races. It was a celebration of families, freedom and The 69th Bayou Liberty the water-based heritage that Pirogue Races on June 7 fea- helps bind this close Slidell tured plenty of good-natured community, and it didn’t move competition, familiar food, far from its roots — which live music, heritage artisans made it all the more special. and even a dunking booth for ä See BOATS, page 3A elected officials and others Staff writer
Attempting to quell public unrest over skyrocketing sewerage and water bills, the Mandeville City Council has placed a monthly cap on how much residents can be charged for sewerage usage. After a long and contentious discussion during its June 11 meeting, the council voted 3-2 on an ordinance establishing that the city will not levy or bill any residential customer a monthly sewerage charge greater than $83.25. The rate cap will be applied to city utility bills for one year, beginning in June, according to the ordinance. Offered by council members Kevin Vogeltanz and Scott Discon, the cap is designed as a “BandAid” to address a flaw in the way the city bills citizens for sewerage services. In essence, sewerage rates are now based strictly on a customer’s overall water usage rather than how many times toilets are flushed. As a result, a home occupied by one resident whose water usage is high because of lawn watering could be hit with a sewerage bill
ä See MANDEVILLE, page 2A
Caroline Voelkel Boudreaux marvels at her good fortune Editor’s note: “Where are they now?” The St. Tammany Farmer asked that question about some of the best athletes in local sports history and then we went out and found them. Throughout this summer, we’ll reacquaint readers with some of these familiar faces. We’ll take a deep dive into the success stories that began in parish youth leagues, continued at local high schools and then colleges near and far. Many of these homegrown talents played professional sports, too, reaching the pinnacle of athletic achievement. This week, we feature Caroline Boudreaux, a former soccer star at St. Scholastica Academy.
Others praise her hard work
BY DARREN COOPER
Contributing writer
From soccer star at St. Scholastica Academy to team MVP at Rhodes College and member of the team USA handball national pool, Caroline Bou-
dreaux (nee Voelkel) looks back at it all with wonder. “I am just so grateful every day,” said Boudreaux, a Covington resident and now a mother of three. “I am constantly thinking, who is this person? How did I get so lucky? I am so full of gratitude.” Boudreaux, 39, wasn’t blessed with tremendous physical gifts. She is 5-foot-5,
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on that short list,” longtime SSA athletic director and coach Charles Richard said. Boudreaux’s parents, Mark and Mimi, weren’t athletes. This is not a parents-forcedtheir-kid-to-play story. They signed young Caroline up for ballet class and she remembers having a full-on crashout. “I balled up crying and
ä See FORTUNE, page 2A
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but she was always athletic, determined and, maybe most important of all, had the perspective of saying why not, instead of why. “If you told Boudreaux me to pick a kid out of all the ones I have seen as the best, she would be
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