DENHAM SPRINGS, La. — The Denham Springs City Council, meeting for the final time in 2025, received a 176-page “clean” audit from the Hannis T. Bourgeois accounting firm, approved a cooperative endeavor agreement with the parish for opioid awareness, signed off on three alcohol permit requests, approved a single zoning request and welcomed a new $675,000 fire engine to the city’s firefighting fleet.
Thomas H. Sanders III, a CPA with the Bourgeois firm, reviewed the audit findings with the council and Mayor Gerald Landry, repeating throughout his presentation that the firm found “no issues” with internal controls, policies or procedures in the city’s handling of public funds.
Sanders noted a unique $200,000 liability now reflected on the city’s books due to a change allowing city employees to accrue sick leave. “That’s a lot of money,” he said, “but in the overall scheme of things, it’s not.”
The council approved the rezoning of 123 Cockerham Road from R-1 Residential (single-family) to R-2 Residential (two-family duplex) at the request of property owner Jose Montenegro. The home, damaged in the 2016 flood, had been rehabilitated into a duplex without the proper permits. Montenegro purchased it under the assumption that the work had been approved by the city’s permit department. The Zoning Commission previously recommended the request in a 4–1 vote.
Alcohol permits were approved for Akhil and Sarina Tejani (retailers Class A-G, General Bar) for their restaurant at 141 Aspen Square Ave.; for Xing Xu of Fiery Crab (retailers Class A-G, General Bar) at 2701 South Range Ave.; and for David Behm, Phil Beattie and Heather Moor (retailers Class B, High Retail Package Outlet), employees of Aldi at 2356 South Range Ave.
The council also approved a cooperative endeavor agreement with Livingston Parish for the expenditure of a share of the Opioid Litigation Funds for education and awareness. The city expects to receive about $50,000 from the settlement.
In other action, the council increased a lump-sum payment to Forte & Tablada for water system modeling from $45,000 to $52,000, approved two task orders for additional work on the city water system, and approved the sale of a surplus Police Department Glock pistol to a retired Denham Springs police officer.
