Boulet looking to establish new emergency preparedness office

LAFAYETTE, La. ( KLFY ) – Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Boulet seeks to establish a Lafayette Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness division under her leadership.

Boulet wants to hire one director and emergency management officer to run the office. The parish council will learn more about the introductory ordinance during Tuesday’s council meeting. The proposed budget requests allocating $146,000 to pay for the hires.

Christina Dayries, former deputy director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOSHEP), is now LCG’s new chief of staff.

“We contracted out with Lafayette 911. They’re doing the function for us, but it’s actually another political subdivision,” Dayries said.

If Boulet’s ordinance is approved, that contract will be no longer. Dayries says the parish president must appoint a director under state law to create a Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

“That personnel reports directly to the mayor, the parish president in this case; we’re a joint consolidated government, so she (Boulet) is the mayor president,” Dayries said.

In turn, Boulet will operate under the general direction and control of the governor and GOSHEP.

“Lafayette Parish, how can you help your neighboring parishes? How can you work with us? Can you help staff a shelter for us or open up a center so we can put some evacuees in? It’s more of leveraging your resources and expertise, but they also require us to report on our assessment every year,” Dayries said.

“Historically, this parish has each contributed 50% of funding from city funds and from the parish funds that were equally distributed. She is now asking the parish to fund this 100% out of the current leftover funding that we have in the current fiscal year.”

Boulet also proposes to repeal chapter 30 of the code of ordinances, which covers emergency management, as it is said to be outdated and noncompliant with current law.

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