LPL Board of Control Monthly Meeting
19 May 2025
On the Agenda:
- Executive Session: Mejia et al. v. Lafayette Consolidated Government
- 2025/2026 Proposed Library Budget
AGENDA
SPEAKER FORM
proposed budget 2025/2026
budget narrative
proforma
meeting audio
Pre-Meeting Information:
The agenda for the May meeting of the LPL Board of Control has been released, and one item stands out immediately:
VIII. New Business
A. Executive Session Mejia et al. v. Lafayette Consolidated Government et al. Civil Action No. 6 :23-CV-00307 United States District Court, Western District of Louisiana
You may remember that in September of 2022, Robert Judge (board President at the time) implemented new restrictions on public comments at board meetings, including not allowing speakers to call out board members by name and posting armed sheriff’s deputies at the front of the room facing the podium. Four months later, Judge had those deputies remove community member (and LCAC co-founder) Melanie Brevis from the January, 2023 board meeting because she supposedly violated those rules in her public comments. Judge’s actions were in clear violation of Brevis’ First Amendment rights, leading Brevis, along with LCAC co-founder Lynette Mejía, to file a federal lawsuit against LCG, the board, and the Lafayette sheriff’s deputies who participated in the removal.
Fast forward two long years later, and it appears at least part of that lawsuit may be nearing an end, as the board will be considering a settlement to the case against LCG and board President Daniel Kelly (acting in his official capacity). The board will be debating the settlement in an Executive Session, which should be followed by public comment and a vote once the ES is adjourned. Our hope is that the board will vote to accept the settlement, but we will be sure to keep you updated with the latest information as we receive it.
In addition to the Executive Session, the other big item on the agenda is the proposed library budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The board must approve this budget before it moves on to the parish council, who will give final approval during budget meetings in August. For a detailed explanation of the budget numbers, you can also read the narrative, which explains income and spending in more detail.
The Board Refuses to Enforce its Own Rules
Nearly halfway through 2025, Library Board member Erasto Padron’s continued absence from meetings has become increasingly noticeable. Library records show he has missed five of the last six meetings: October and November 2024 (no meeting in December), and January, March, and April 2025.
According to Board of Control Bylaws (Article 2, Section 4), any member who misses four meetings within 12 months is automatically removed—no exceptions or formalities required:
Any Board Member who misses four (4) Board meetings in any twelve (12) month period shall be deemed to have resigned from the Board and shall be automatically deemed removed from the Board. In that instance, the President of the Board shall promptly notify the Clerk of the Council of the resignation. The Parish Council shall appoint a replacement member to fill the unexpired term of the resigned Board Member.
LCAC contacted board attorney Stuart Breaux questioning whether Padron would be removed, only to be met with the following response:
“I can confirm that Mr. Padron has not been deemed removed by the Board. Under the law, the Parish Council has the authority to appoint or remove Board members. The subject provision of the Bylaws has never been approved or ratified by the Parish Council. In the absence of such approval or ratification, the Board has no authority to appoint or remove members and, accordingly, the provision is not enforceable.”
In other words, the board is refusing to follow their own bylaws and consider Mr. Padron resigned! In response, LCAC has filed (yet another) complaint with the Louisiana Board of Ethics, and we will keep you updated on the results.
NE Pushback
It was only last week that Mayor-President Monique Blanco held a press conference to announce her administration’s plans to move the NE Library project to the Holy Rosary Institute property, which is currently in redevelopment to become a major community hub on the Northside of Lafayette. As a former Catholic high school for African American girls, the site holds immense cultural significance for the community, and, as the Mayor noted, “offers improved connectivity and walkability from nearby landmarks such as Clark Field, Domingue Recreation Center, and Dr. Raphael A. Baranco Elementary School.”
Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, conservative leaders have begun the campaign to push back against the library’s cost as well as the site change. First up is City Councilman Andy Naquin, who posted a complaint to his personal Facebook account about the fact that the new site will be leased from the property owner, the Society of the Holy Family (a non-profit). This, despite the fact that the Board of Control’s conservative majority (led by former board President Robert Judge) has spent years delaying the construction by repeatedly insisting on opening the library in a leased space.
Another of Naquin’s issues, apparently, is the cost of the project. The lease, $1 per year for 99 years, is not only standard language for this type of non-profit partnership, it’s also a great deal from a fiscal standpoint. It’s important to point out that this is money which has already been raised from taxes approved by the voters FOR THE LIBRARY. We’re talking about money sitting in the library’s fund balance – $8 million set aside by Councilman Kenneth Boudreaux in 2019 plus an additional $7 million from the fund balance.
I’ll also note that Naquin has been conspicuously silent about the MILLIONS of dollars wasted by the previous administration on useless drainage projects and kickbacks for cronies; his sudden concern for “taxpayer dollars” when the money will be spent in an African American neighborhood is not just disingenuous; it speaks volumes about the historic (and let’s face it, ongoing) suppression of Black communities and Black voices.
Here is our official response to Naquin’s post:
The important takeaway here is that ultra-conservative, anti-library forces are once again drawing the battle lines for a project which, frankly, should already be completed and serving the community. Those of us who value this library and what it means to the Northside need to make our voices heard.
Ultimately, the Parish Council will vote on moving this project forward. Every one of us needs to contact our Parish Council and let them know we feel the NE Library should move forward as soon as possible at the Holy Rosary Institute site.
We’ve made doing so super easy, with a simple letter action you can sign and send to all five Parish Councilmen with just a couple of clicks. Or, if you prefer to write your own letter, you can use our handy guide. Either way, we urge everyone who loves our library and wants to see it reach an underserved community to let the Parish Council know today.