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S T TA M M A N Y FA R M E R.N E T
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W e d n e s d ay, Au g u s t 19, 2026
50¢N
152ND YEAR, NO. 45
Cooper vetoes controversial zoning approvals in Goodbee BY JIM DERRY Staff writer
St. Tammany President Mike Cooper vetoed two controversial rezoning measures approved earlier this month by the parish council, a rare move that could throw two planned subdivisions in the Goodbee area into doubt. The subdivisions are set to be located on a 264-acre tract and a smaller 31-acre tract that together were approved to add up to 800 homes. Area residents showed up to chambers en masse at the council’s monthly meet-
ing on Aug. 6 to try and persuade the council to vote down the measures, saying any new construction in the area could pile on to existing flooding and traffic problems. Instead, the large tract for the “Isadora” subdivision was approved by an 8-6 vote and the smaller tract Cooper for the “Esperanza” subdivision was approved 10-4. Cooper heeded residents’ pleas. Although he previously wouldn’t give any hints to which way he was leaning on the project, in a prepared statement on Aug. 10, he said
that growth needed to be “balanced with sufficient infrastructure and the needs of our residents.” “Over the past several years, we have made record investments in our infrastructure, overhauled our development practices to be more aligned with our citizens’ values, and worked to ensure that growth is managed responsibly,” said Cooper, who announced earlier this year that he would not seek another term in 2027. “High-density developments in areas with planned, but not yet designed or funded infrastructure
NAMI honors Nick Richard
Tax rolls open for public view
ä See VETOES, page 2A
Mandeville residents getting more time to talk
Staff report The official public inspection period for the 2026 St. Tammany Parish tax roll will be open Aug. 17 until Aug. 31. The tax roll can be reviewed online at www.STPAO.org or in person at either location of the St. Tammany Parish Assessor’s Office — in Covington at the parish Justice Center, 701 N. Columbia Street; and in Slidell at the Towers Building, 520 Old Spanish Trail, Suite 2F. Both offices are open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Slidell office is closed from 1 to 2 p.m. daily. Property owners are strongly encouraged to review their assessFitzmorris ment during this period, check their assessed value, verify exemptions and make sure their mailing information is correct. If a property owner disagrees with their assessment, an Application for Assessment Review may be filed with the Assessor’s Office. The deadline to file for review is 4:30 p.m. Aug. 31. Applications may be submitted electronically at www.STPAO.org/ forms. If a property owner disagrees with the Assessor’s Office determination, an Appeal to the Board of Review may be filed with the St. Tammany Parish Council through 4:30 p.m. Sept. 14. A timely Assessment Review must be filed with the Assessor’s Office before an appeal may be submitted to the Board of Review. Once the public inspection period ends, assessment changes can no longer be made directly by the Assessor’s Office and must be submitted to the Louisiana Tax Commission for approval. After submission to the Tax Commission, change orders may take up to eight weeks to process. For more information, call (985) 809-8180 or (985) 646-1990, send email to assessor@stpao.org, or go to www.stpao.org.
improvements, would have undermined the progress we have worked so hard to achieve.” If the council wants to override Cooper’s veto, Chairwoman Cheryl Tanner would have to call a special meeting and a supermajority of at least 10 members would have to vote yes. As of Aug. 16, no special meeting had been called. This Council has previously voted to override a Cooper veto. The last time that happened was in 2025 when they disagreed on
BY KIM CHATELAIN Contributing writer
crisis across several northshore parishes. But the thought of assuming directorship of the new NAMI-Southeast Louisiana group didn’t phase Nick Richard, who for nearly 20 years has been the face of NAMI and its widespread involvement throughout St. Tammany Parish. In fact, Richard embraced the chance to grow,
Residents wishing to address the Mandeville City Council during public meetings are being given more time to speak their minds. The City Council at its Aug. 13 meeting approved a resolution that details various rules and procedures for its meetings, including a measure extending from three to four minutes the amount of time an audience member can speak at the podium. Offered by Councilman Scott Discon, the resolution is designed to “facilitate a public, open, fair, and intelligent discussion and deliberation about all business that comes before the City Council.” “Some Discon said he was prompted to draft the resolution people after receiving complaints felt their from citizens who felt they voices were were not given an opportuninot being ty to make comments on proheard.” posed ordinances. In particular, the complaints zeroed in SCOTT DISCON, on ordinances that are on the Mandeville agenda for “introduction.” City Council In accordance with the member state open meetings law, council members explained those ordinances are not to be discussed publicly until the meeting following the one in which they are introduced. At that point, a public hearing is held so that citizens can express their feelings about the ordinance before a vote of the council is taken. “Some people felt their voices were not being heard,” Discon said. In addition to extending the comment period for speakers from three to four minutes, the resolution says the council chairperson “should not ordinarily permit the same person to speak more than once on any item of business on the agenda.” It also states that any member of the audience can donate any or all their four minutes of speaking time to another audience member on any item of business or during the public comment period. However, it puts an eight-minute limit on any one speaker. Generally, residents are allowed to comment on any ordinance or resolution being
ä See RICHARD, page 2A
ä See TIME, page 2A
FILE PHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN
NAMI-Southeast Louisiana Executive Director Nick Richard
NAMI-SELA executive director recognized for tireless efforts
BY ANDREW CANULETTE
Staff writer
Just more than two years ago, the St. Tammany chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness officially assumed duties of the NAMI group in New Orleans. Merging the groups was a bold move, as NAMI-St. Tammany’s resources already were spread thin trying to help people in
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