City Council - Regular Meeting

The Alexandria Council meeting and Council Committee meetings are broadcast live and may be viewed live by the public on Optum Cable Channel 4 and a rebroadcast may be viewed on Optum Cable Channel 4 in the City of Alexandria website. We'll have our invocation by Councilwoman Felter and our pledge by Councilman Johnson.

Thank you for this community. Thank you for the different individuals that make up this place that we call home. During this meeting, allow us to just be good listeners, good stewards of what we've been given to take care of. Allow us to make the best choices that honor you, that honor our citizens of this city, and that make a difference in Where we live. We thank you. We love you. Amen. Amen.

Can I have the roll call, please?

Approval of the minutes taken from our regular meeting held on August 25th, 2026.

What section of this written minutes would you like to make a comment on? And if it's not in the written minutes, there will not be any discussion or comments only. If you have any questions pertaining to any item on the agenda, please contact the administration before or after the meeting. So, Mr. White?

Yes, ma'am. Thank you, Madam President. Again, everybody, my name is Mr Cornelius Lawson-White, Jr. I live at 3638 10th Street in Alexandria. My phone number is area code 3184466934. I just want to thank the citizens of Alexandria. I hadn't been here a couple of times so a lot of y'all reached out to me and I just want to thank you and, you know, September 11th is going to be Friday. We ought to have a moment of silence for all those people we lost. So I just wanted to bring that up. So God bless you and God bless America.

Thank you.

Discussion?

All in favor? Any opposed? Motion carried.

F, consent calendar. Number one, introduction of the ordinance authorizing the mayor to accept the lobbyist submitted for plastic refuge bags. Number two, introduction of the ordinance authorizing the mayor to accept the lobbyist submitted for flooring handling truck with knuckle boom cranes. Number three, introduction of an ordinance authorizing the mayor to enter into a corporate endeavor agreement between the City of Alexandria and Louisiana Department of Treasury. Number four, introduction of an ordinance authorizing the mayor to renew the service contract with Electric Power System International, Inc. for the testing and maintenance of substation transformers, circuit breakers, and related equipment for electric distribution. Number five, introduction of an ordinance authorizing the mayor to renew the existing contract with Express Recycling for the sale of scrap metal. Number six, introduction of an ordinance rezoning the property located at 3200 3rd Street from a C2 General Commercial District to a SF2 Single Family District to allow for the construction of low-moderate income single-family homes. Second.

Motion by Councilman Fowler, second by Councilman Velour. Any items to committee?

Yes, six.

It will come back on the agenda in four weeks.

Okay.

Yes, four weeks. I think it's October the 20th. No, no, yeah, October the 20th.

Okay, we're ready.

G, resolution. Number seven, resolution confirming the appointment of James A. Siegel. I would like to correct his name is S-E-G-A-L-L and not S-E-G-A-L. To serve on the Greater Alexandria Economic Development Authority Gator Board of Commissioners to represent District 5. Second.

Motion by Councilman Fowler, second by Councilman Beloyed. Public comments? Mr. Patrick? I don't know. Mr. McGinty? No, it's not G-E-N. McGinty.

What is your last name, sir?

McGinty. McGinty.

I live in District 4. I think Councilwoman... Okay.

All right.

I don't know, Mr. Can I begin? Yes, you have three minutes. Yes, sir. I don't know Mr. Siegel personally or publicly, so I'd like to apologize to him. I'm not sure if he's here today. But rising to speak during what he probably expected to be a simple confirmation procedure here. District 5 lies adjacent to England Air Park, correct? Chuck Fowler, District 5, right?

It's not adjacent to it, no, it's not.

Well, it's over there.

It's in the same parish.

Sorry?

It's in the same parish. District 5, right next to the area. That's District 1. District 5 is... Okay, well, I looked at the wrong map.

Okay.

I don't know where Mr. Siegel stands on whether our city or whether our city's air park should be profiting off of Americans' hard-earned tax dollars to commit evil, to commit morally reprehensible... Excuse me. Mr. McGinty. Mr. McGinty. ...working immigrant families... Excuse me. ...turning American tax dollars into Alexandria blood money... Mr. McGinty.

...and stealing the environment of our city... Mr. McGinty.

Excuse me. It has to be germane to the item that's on the agenda. And we are germane. The item is confirming. Confirmation of this man. Correct.

That is what I'm speaking to. Before confirming, any of Mayor Roy's further appointments. That is not a Mayor Roy appointment. May I speak? May I please speak?

Mr. McGinty. Listen.

I suppressed my speech last time I was here. And now again, you're going to interrupt my entire three minutes?

Mr. McGinty. I don't know what your agenda is. The mayor does not appoint commissioners to the Gator Board.

This resolution has to do with accepting an appointment, no? No. No, it does not. Mr. Fowler, nominate this man. Confirming appointment of James Siegel to the Gator Board.

Not the mayor. This councilman appointed him. That's right.

Anybody that is appointed to the gator. Anybody that is appointed to the gator. I understand that. So, Mr. That's fine.

Y'all have successfully sent it to the press and Alexander is right to speech again. So may I speak at the end about the issue regarding the town? Or does it always have to be germane to what y'all decide the agenda should be?

It has to be germane to what is on the agenda. The fed.

We've got a motion and a second on the floor.

Motion by Councilman Fowler, second by Councilman Beloyed. And all in favor, any opposed? Yes, sir.

I'll just ask the questions. Mrs. Segal? Segal? Yes, sir. Oh, okay. I'm just asking.

Did you need to say something? You introduced yourself. I'm sorry. You're more than welcome.

I wasn't intending to, but I was just responding.

I'm not done yet. No, we have three more. I have, I don't know, Lucia's? Okay, Mr. Lucius.

I have a question like this. When the city council appoints members to these boards, what accountability does the council maintain over these appointees? And specifically when an appointed board tells the public to reserve their comments for a scheduled meeting only for those meetings to later be canceled, what mechanism does the city council have to ensure that the public is still given a meaningful opportunity to be heard? I understand that tonight's resolution concerns a specific appointment. I'm asking because the public The public deserves to understand how these boards are appointed, who has the authority over them, and what responsibility this council has when the public raises concerns about the conduct of transparency of the appointed board. I am here tonight because the people of the community deserve to be heard and because black, brown, indigenous, and immigrant working class children everywhere deserve a future free from cages, fear, and family separation. I'm asking the question because... Y'all are the appointees of something that we was counseled and our speech was also pressed on. And because y'all are some of these people was also appointed by y'all, one of the questions I'm asking is how is it that the people that y'all appoint or whoever appoint them, we can really trust that they have our best interest when we was just lied and our speech has just been counseled, you know, has been silenced. He would be one says that the power of the people is stronger than the people in power. That power belongs to all of us, parents, workers, students, neighbors, and the community united across every boundary. We are not asking for the permission to say to care about transparency, care about our kids, say to care about accountability. We are not asking to be included after y'all make y'all decisions. We are insisting on the voice of the public to be heard before y'all make y'all decisions. That's all I'm here asking for.

I got a question.

I got a question.

It appears you're concerned about certain things that are going on at the airpark, but as appointed by like if we don't There's some ice operations of the airpark.

I'm assuming correct. Yes. This body has nothing to do with

what happens at the airport.

I'm saying, but if the board that y'all appointed tell us to keep our questions for the board meeting to give us transparency. That's the gator board. But they appointed these, say, the board I'm talking about.

Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Mr. Lucius, Mr. Lucius, I'm going to respect you. You're going to respect me. We can't proceed. With everybody going back and forth, we don't have anything to do with the England Authority Board. Each council member here that sits on a seat, we appoint commissioners to the Gator Board, not the England Authority Board. This resolution does not have anything to do with the England Authority Board.

Patrick Quinn wouldn't say a point about the city of Alexandria. Jamal Gales wouldn't.

That's not through us. That is not through the council, Mr. Lucius. So who is it through? So there's no superior?

There's no chain of command? But... To answer your question, okay, you're talking about two different boards, the Gator Board and the England Authority Board.

And aren't y'all on both boards?

No, we're not. Y'all don't have no dealings with the Board of Transparency? Now, here's the deal. Here's the deal. To answer your question, this man here, Mr. Siegel, was Mr. Fowler's appointee for Gator.

Yes.

That board has nothing to do with ICE operations, nothing whatsoever. As for the Englander Board, I think we do make some nominations. Yes. No, we don't. No. So the mayor makes the nominations for the Englander Board and the council.

Ours is only one of the many appointments. Okay. The city has three. Three.

I'm going to just end it like this. It's just crazy when you have nobody you can really go talk to and you go talk to the people that are here and they don't know what to tell you. It's just crazy.

Thank you, Ms. Lucius.

Thank you. Thank you.

We have any more discussion? Yes.

I want to clear up Mr. McGinty's statement. He inadvertently said that the mayor appoints the gator. That's not the case for the public certification.

Yes, sir. Just to clarify, he nominates and then the gator. No, not the gator. I'm talking about for the England Authority. Okay. And we got three appointees for the city.

Correct.

And we fill those three spots.

Yes. So evidently they had a forum at England, and England reneged on the forum for them to talk out of England.

That was supposed to be tonight.

Well, that has nothing to do with this council meeting.

That was supposed to be tonight, but they can't.

Yeah, so that don't have anything to do with this council. Or Gator. Or Gator, yes. So do we have any more discussions? Ms. Wilde? Ms. Wilde? Okay. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion carried.

Number eight, a resolution authorizing advertisement for bids for wiring cables.

A motion, please. Second. Motion by Councilman Johnson, second by Councilman Belord. Public comments? Mr. White?

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you, Madam President. You're welcome.

Again, my name is Mr Cornelius Lawson White, Jr. I live at 3638 10th Street in Alexander, Louisiana. My zip is 71302 and my phone number is area code 3184466934. I was just curious about this wiring cable and I don't know if some of this stuff or y'all have anything or will it run out to England Air Park or anything like that or you don't know or... I'm just curious.

Why are they using the wire that they use in repair? For the city.

But I thought England Airport is within the city. No, it's not. It's not in the city. It does not use city electricity.

It does not use city electricity either. This is smart wire, though. If you grab it, you'll be smart.

All in favor? Any opposed? Motion carried.

Number nine, a resolution to co-sponsor the Catholic League Leadership and Development Program orientation at a city facility in September 2026.

Motion, please. Motion by Councilman Beloyed, second by Councilman Fowler. Do we have any public comments, discussion? All in favor? Aye.

And opposed? Motion carried. Eight, ordinances for final adoption of the public hearing. Number 10, to consider final adoption of an ordinance authorizing the mayor to accept the low bid submitted for Chena Park Pavilion door replacement.

Motion, please. Move. Second. Motion by Councilman Lloyd. Second by Councilman Fowler. Public comments? Mr. White. Yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Again, my name is Mr Cornelius Lawson White, Jr. I live at 3638 10th Street in Alexandria. My zip is 71302 and my phone number is area code 3184466934. I'm so glad that y'all are getting this replaced because a lot of people, you know, they come over there with their families and stuff at that little pavilion over there. So I'm glad y'all are replacing that.

Thank you, Mr White. Mr Payne.

How y'all doing today? Good, how are you? Alright. Samtown-Woodside meeting in front of 100 registered voters and elected officials, Ms. Cynthia Perry, you said we could come up here and talk about anything we need if we had a problem.

If it was on the agenda.

You didn't say Jermaine. You did not say Jermaine. Mr. Jules Green was right there. He didn't say no Jermaine. Am I right? She said if we have complaints, we can come talk. But, Mr. Hold on. Hold on.

Can I ask you something, Mr. Payne? You know that I know that you are a very smart gentleman.

What did you say?

You already know.

Why did the people come up here and get jumped on and get kicked when you don't do what y'all say do? You said specifically right there if you have a problem to come to the city council meeting. Yes or no? I did. You didn't say it had to be on the agenda.

I may not have said that.

Why didn't you say that to the people? So now... That don't reignite nothing in our district. That don't do a damn thing for our district. Y'all want to give all this money to reignite on Masonic Corridor. We want the same thing in District 1, 2, and 3.

And we want the same thing, Councilman Johnson, Councilman Green. Councilman Laverdine. And I also think that the other councilmen sitting on this board also would like to have the same thing done.

You agreed to wait until 2030. Reignite don't start in 2030. Reignite started the other day. Am I right? We all agreed to reignite. Okay. But does that reignite include the parks being done?

No, it does not. But it had two parks, Frank O'Hana and Cheatham Park.

That's not Reignite. That was in the budget before that. Exactly. Okay, so that don't count. So what I'm saying is take a bond out to get the brown water issue fixed because you're going to take a bond out on the Reignite program. take a bond out to get the flooding issues fixed. You're going to take a bond out to get the... We're working on the floor.

Hey, hey, hey. I'm not talking to Mr. Perry.

If we want to take a bond out on anything, let's take a bond to fix the whole city except one corridor.

And I agree with you on that. Okay, we're going to do that then. Well, whenever it comes up, we have to bring it up, Mr. Turner. Well, I ain't been bringing it up.

You live in District 3. You know what's going on. I do. I do.

And I try to address each issue. And another thing, Mr. Turner, what you all don't know is the messages in the e-mails that I do send to The administration. But on this agenda tonight, this is just for us to accept a bid.

Listen, we want to be treated just like District 4 and 5.

And I want y'all to be treated like District 4 and 5.

Why wait until 2030? Why wait until 2030 for a real life program?

But this is not what we're talking about, Mr. Knight. We're talking about the pavilion.

Why wait until 2030 when it comes to us? And they get next off right away.

Madam President, the item on the agenda that we have before us right now is to accept a bid, the low bid for Cheeton Park Pavilion dual replacement.

Why wait until 2030 when it comes down to us? It does not.

It does not, and we're not waiting.

We don't have a fund for groundwater. We don't have a bond for drainage issues, but we're going to get a $42 million bond for a re-ignite program? And the people okay with that? It has to be voted on. I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to you. It's okay. Mr. Turner, we have not voted on that bond yet. I'm just saying, we have not voted on the bond.

This is about the doors at Cheatham Falls and the pavilion. So when we get to that, Come back up here.

Well, yeah, because I don't think it's right. And we'll discuss it then. And we still drinking brown water and got open ditches. I understand. And all kinds of stuff like that. I understand.

And every, Mr. Turner, I'm not going to go back and forth with you, but everything that you said, brown, hold on, brown water, drainage. Yes, ma'am. All of it. I have sent before the administration. And the administration ain't done anything? And I have sent emails. And you haven't given them one $2 million bond? I didn't say I was giving them anything. But you can't say. No, ma'am. You can't say. Yes, we are. You can't say what I'm going to do when the bond has not been bought before us yet. But it's coming. Oh, it's coming. And I just don't think it's right for people. Okay, so when we get here, when we get there, Mr. Turner.

Yes, ma'am. Then you'll see. Oh, yeah, because this is just, yes, ma'am. I just can't take it. I thank you. All right.

Thank you, Mr. Turner. Madam President, may I just interject something, and it's going to be about Cheatham Park. Mr. Payne, I will personally, next two weeks, put on the agenda to come back and talk about that pavilion. Today's town talk issued a closure of City Park. Ladies and gentlemen, that... Cheatham Park.

The park is in good standing.

I'm just going to let everybody know what will occur in two weeks. It will be germane to talk about it. Then we're talking about the sliding doors on the pavilion. And I understand your concern because that pavilion has been broke down for three months, and now they're going to close the park down. It's in perfectly good condition. I can't understand it. It was issued out by this town talk that the city did this. If I'm incorrect, Mr. Caffrey, please correct me. But in two weeks, I will put it on the agenda. where we can come back and talk about the items at Cheatham Park. If you would let me do that, I'm telling you what will occur. We're going to vote on the pavilion sliding doors, and we'll come back in two weeks and talk about the remainder of it. Madam President, thank you for letting me interject that.

You're welcome, Mr. Green. I'm sorry, but I had already said that we was going to put it on. The agenda in two weeks. I had spoke to the clerk and let her know that we would put it back on in two weeks.

Madam President, may I clarify some things from Councilman Green? So the city did announce, and it was picked up by local media, that City Park will be closed for about six to eight weeks as a part of the citywide park improvement project. Because of that space and what they're going to be doing in that area, that entire area needed to be closed so the contractors could work. There's going to be work done on the spray pad. There's also going to be new playground equipment that's put into that location as a part of the citywide park project. Part of that project was executed at Cheatham Park. There's a new play area in Cheatham Park that we know of. There's also some additional plans with regard to the pavilion, the small pavilion at Cheatham Park. There's some design plans right now that Tanya Corley, who's the Division Director for Community Services, has been working on. As we previously told the council, the concept there is to get that small pavilion back up and running, and so that information will be coming out to you very soon. This particular item, as it relates to the doors to the large pavilion, has been an item that Councilwoman Peer, we've been working with you on now for some significant amount of time. We had to go through the process of design and also access to that facility. We've gotten the low bid on it and tonight we're just wanting to accept that bid so we can move forward with the replacement of the six doors that are located at that structure.

So in other words, Cheatham Park is not being closed?

Cheatham Park is not being closed, no, sir. So just that pavilion is being closed?

The item before you now is relative to the bid on the doors for Cheatham Park so that we can get that facility back in full functionality. As it relates to City Park, The play area, the splash area, the pavilion, and the public restrooms along with the main parking lot are being closed because the contractors need to secure and access that area in order to do the work that is a part of the larger citywide playground improvement. And this is at City Park or Cheatham Park? This is at City Park. Cheatham Park is open and functional and accessible. I disagree. State the wrong... Madam President.

We rectify. If I said Cheetah Park, I was in reference to City Park being closed. But the pavilion is closed, needs to be repaired. And whenever we get to it, the citizens of districts 1, 2, 3, and 4 who use that park, you grew up using that park, want that pavilion back in place. Thank you. Let me rectify for the record. It is City Park area being closed. I correct.

if i stated cheetah park thank you thank you councilman green one other thing just the city's method of doing business as required by law it's such that we can't go make a repair on something that's like the doors you're talking about we have to go through a litany of things to do you did Yes, we did. We did exactly what I'm trying to say.

Excuse me. I'll do what I please.

At the long and the short of it, is at the end of the day, we have to get usually engineers, architects, all kind of people involved in it got a bid according to state law in order to make the repair. So we just can't go out and make a repair on a door or something like that a lot of times. If it goes above a certain amount, we have to go through all the legal things that we have to do in order to do it. Any opposed? All in favor? Any opposed? Motion carried. Number 11, to consider fund action to accept the bill being submitted for Jackson Street gas beam replacement.

Move.

The Lord second by Councilwoman Felter. Public comments? Is this you, Mr. Payne, again? Is this you?

Number 11. Number 11 to talk about the Lord's bid submitted for Jackson Street gas. Thank you.

Discussion? All in favor? Any opposed? Motion carried.

Number 12 to consider found option for no one is authorized as a mayor to accept the proposals received for electric transmission and distribution emergency services.

Motion, please. Move. Motion by Councilman Beloyed, second by Councilman Fowler. Public comments? Mr. White? Yes, ma'am.

Thank you, Madam President.

You're welcome.

Again, my name is Mr. Cornelius Lawson White, Jr. I live at 3638 10th Street in Alexandria, Louisiana. My zip is 71302. My phone number is area code 318-446-6934. Now, on these emergency transmissions and distribution lines and stuff, now, we've gotten straight that you say the England part. So they must be on Clico, I take it, since they're not on Alexandria. They are, Mr. White. You're correct by that. I'll be honest with you. I support the ICE facility because Obama was the reporter. Mr. White. I support it. That's all I wanted to say.

Thank you. Thank you. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed?

You have to. After that, after 12. Make sure. I want to say something after 12.

Oh, well, you need to. Any opposed? Motion carried. Mr. Loverdang.

Also, all of you should have a copy of the letter that I sent to the administration requesting an economic impact study be done for Reignite. I think you guys should have received that. We have received that letter, Mr. Loverdang. Okay. And when you think you guys, well... Should we put something on the agenda to get us to do that? Or is that something that we can do without? passing a resolution or an ordinance.

We're still reviewing that document, but it should be noted that if the council is requesting for the administration to take any action, it requires... All right.

I would like to put a letter I sent you, Ms. Emily, a copy of it. Let's put it on the next agenda. I guess an ordinance to discuss an economic impact study for the Reignite program. All right.

Anyone else?