DENHAM SPRINGS, La. — The Denham Springs City Council unanimously voted Monday to join a multijurisdictional public information program years in the making, one designed to deliver flood insurance and floodplain management resources to residents across several parishes.
The council's adoption of the Multijurisdictional Program (MP) marked the conclusion of several years' worth of work to gather the information the program will distribute.
The MP brings together multiple cities, municipalities, and jurisdictions to combine and format information about the Community Rating System (CRS), a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management practices, and distribute that information to citizens in each participating parish. The most common delivery method is through brochures and letters, the content of which must be agreed upon during the MP's twice-yearly meetings.
The letters typically explain the basics of the CRS program and highlight the various activities and projects that help boost CRS ratings within communities. The higher the rating, the more flood insurance and disaster savings can be passed on to insured residents within those parishes and cities.
In that way, the MP functions similarly to a hazard mitigation plan. It involves many steps that participating groups must meticulously follow to avoid losing CRS points for their parishes.
This MP includes East Baton Rouge Parish, Livingston Parish, the City of Denham Springs, Ascension Parish, Zachary, St. George, and Central. Each parish and city within the MP is responsible for different CRS projects and for providing project-specific information to its own residents.
The program is still working its way through the approval process in each participating parish before officially launching. The council's unanimous vote to adopt the MP moves it one step closer to full implementation and the benefits it promises to deliver.
The council also voted on several smaller matters involving planning, zoning, and legal agreements.
First, the council unanimously approved a sign setback variance request by KOS Investments, LLC for a sign on a tract in Denham Springs. The variance allows the sign to be placed at 4 feet from the property line instead of the required 10 feet. The request had already cleared both the Planning and Zoning Commission before coming to the council for a final vote.
The sign was originally constructed in accordance with Planning and Zoning Commission guidelines, but, according to Rick Foster, building official for the Planning and Development Department, it turned out to be "too tall to actually be where it was located," prompting the variance request.
The council also unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing the submission of the city's 2025 municipal water pollution prevention audit for the Denham Springs wastewater treatment plant to the Department of Environmental Quality, an obligation the council has fulfilled in prior years.
Mayor Gerard Landry was then authorized to enter into two separate agreements.
The first is a three-year service agreement with Cintas to provide a water cooler for Fire Station No. 1 at 930 Government Drive. The refrigerated unit will use existing water filters and be piped in where a water fountain previously stood.
The second is a renewal of the 36-month Everbridge agreement for the city's public emergency notification system at $7,950 per year. The system was installed following the 2016 flood to provide emergency warnings to the city's more than 10,000 residents.
The meeting closed with Mayor Landry presenting a special commendation to the Denham Springs Fire Department, with Assistant Chief Jared Stevens in attendance, recognizing the department's continued work through its free smoke alarm installation program. Since the last update, the program has installed an additional 103 smoke detectors and 11 carbon monoxide detectors.
