LIVINGSTON, La. — The regular meeting of the Livingston Parish Council on April 23, 2026, began with two proclamations for the month of May before slowly delving deeper into a thorough examination of ordinance language and potential legal missteps regarding AT&T tower construction and board appointments.
Proclamations for May
The council heard the Parish President's resolution proclaiming May 2026 as Mental Health Awareness Month for Livingston Parish.
"Mental health is essential to every individual's ability to encourage emotions, build meaningful relationships, contribute to society, and cope with life's challenges," the proclamation reads. "Mental health conditions can seriously disrupt these abilities and, when left untreated, may lead to serious and potentially life-threatening conditions."
"I call upon the citizens, government, agencies, public and private institutions, businesses, and schools of Livingston parish to re-commit to increasing awareness and understanding of mental health… and to support the availability of appropriate and accessible services for all people with mental health conditions," the proclamation also states.
A second proclamation declared May 26 as "Rotary Day" for Livingston Parish in honor of the parish's Rotary Club, a local branch of Rotary International that has operated for six decades to produce "long standing contributions to the community" through "committed service, leadership, and improvements to the lives of others in our parish," Councilwoman Erin Sandefur noted.
Both proclamations passed unanimously.
AT&T tower sees additional setback
The ongoing AT&T tower proposal, which had been deferred from the council's regular meeting on January 8, 2026, reappeared for another attempt to secure two waivers to begin construction of a 190-foot-tall tower on a property on Bobby Gill Road.
This specific AT&T tower proposal has repeatedly appeared before the council over the years, as struggles to clarify engineering requirements and obtain community support have led the council to seek additional evidence of structural stability and minimal surrounding impact before making a decision.
AT&T had managed to reach out to the southern property owner in the interim, something that hadn't occurred at the previous meeting, but reported that the property owner did not agree to allow the use of her land for the tower. Additionally, AT&T had not compiled any other concrete engineering or site plan drawings for the council's review, which had caused the first deferment, leading both the AT&T representative and the council to a legislative standstill.
Ultimately, the council granted AT&T a conditional waiver of approval to continue with construction plans, provided the company continues to prove that it meets all the engineering regulations in the council's ordinances, with an additional caveat to gather more information about the property owner's concerns in the interim so as not to break ordinance codes.
The vote barely passed, with four council members voting yes and three voting no. The no votes came from Council members Erin Sandefur, Dean Coates, and Joe Erdey.
Council hosts heated debate over Tourism Board appointments
A tense and heated debate followed the introduction of the appointments and reappointments section of the meeting, as Council members Joe Erdey and Ricky Goff each suggested different individuals for a single position on the Tourism Board for the Livingston Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Erdey nominated Chris Levy, his ex-wife, for reappointment to her current board position until February 2029.
Goff made a substitute motion to nominate Marcell Parker, who had previously been improperly removed by the council back in March 2024. The Louisiana Supreme Court later ordered the parish to pay $37,000 in attorney's fees in connection with that removal. Goff said during the meeting that the total cost to the parish in legal fees and damages now stands at more than $75,000, though no documentation of a final figure was presented at the meeting.
"I feel like we have not done this man justice at all," Goff said. "My recommendation is that we appoint Mr. Parker to the Tourism Board and make a wrong right. In my heart, I believe that's the right thing to do for this situation."
Coates countered, telling Goff, "If you feel so strongly about what you're saying, perhaps you could consider removing your appointment to that board and allowing him to take that spot."
Goff continued to describe how Parker had been wronged and did not respond directly to Coates' suggestion.
Public commenter Mindy Starkey told the council that the underlying lawsuit was fundamentally about violations of the open meetings law and the wording of an agenda item, rather than Parker's removal itself, and questioned whether the council had paid attention to those issues.
"It's our job to get the right person for the right position," Erdey said. "I gave a fair chance, and it took me a month or two to come up with Mrs. Levy. I know what's right here tonight."
The motion to appoint Parker failed with five votes against and two in favor. The council then voted on Erdey's original motion to reappoint Levy, which passed, with Council members Mangus and Goff voting against it.
Council approves Fire Protection District elections for taxes
Finally, the council discussed granting approvals to Fire Protection District No. 9 and No. 8 to hold elections on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 to renew tax collections for equipment.
The taxes for District No. 9 will be in the amount of $10.38 million on all assessed property subject to taxation in the district for a period of 10 years. The funding will help maintain and operate the district's fire protection facilities and purchase firefighting equipment.
District No. 8's tax total will be $15 million for 10 years, also to maintain and operate the district's fire protection facilities, purchase a fire truck and other firefighting equipment, and pay the cost of obtaining water for fire protection purposes, including charges for hydrant rentals and services.
Jim Ryan, parish financial advisor, stressed the importance of these elections to keep taxes flowing, emphasizing that property taxes on properties not covered by fire protection services can increase by as much as 10 times just for being unprotected.
The council unanimously granted both districts approval to hold the elections, and the meeting adjourned.
